Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution

In 1972, a young poet is inspired by the creative energy in Berkeley, where second-wave feminism is gaining momentum. Joan Gelfand embarks on a journey to become a writer, supported by a thriving women's community in California. She faces her fears through poetry and art, exploring sexuality and spirituality. The book chronicles her experiences as an artist, living with a women's band, founding a women's restaurant, and becoming a published writer and songwriter. It showcases the women's movement's impact on innovation, social change, and self-discovery, highlighting the power of community.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 14 March 2024
Publisher: Permuted Press

Berkeley, 1972: A vibrant hub of creativity, where painters, filmmakers, musicians, and writers ignite the spark of inspiration within a young poet.

Second-wave feminism, propelled by the visionary leadership of Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Betty Friedan, swells into a tidal wave of empowerment. Women unite, forging a powerful alliance to reshape the power dynamics in politics, the home, and the workplace.

On the day of the election, Joan Gelfand exercises her democratic right and embarks on a journey from New York to California. It is during a chance encounter with a woman musician that Joan's path to becoming a writer takes flight. Welcomed into a thriving community of artists, filmmakers, musicians, poets, and writers, Joan finds the courage to embrace her unique voice and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery.

Under the guidance of paradigm-shifting writers, Joan delves into the depths of her soul, using poetry and art as a means to confront her deepest fears and explore the trauma she endured after the loss of her father. She also grapples with her Jewish identity, questioning the traditions and beliefs that have shaped her life.

Berkeley in the 1970s, reminiscent of the vibrant cities of Paris in the 1920s, Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and Berlin in the 1980s, emerges as the epitome of American cool. Outside Voices, a captivating memoir, chronicles the ups and downs of Joan's artistic journey, her experiences living in a women's band, her pursuit of an independent Jewish identity, the founding of a women's restaurant, and her triumph as a published writer and songwriter.

Through her adventures, Joan explores the boundaries of sexuality and spirituality, embarking on road trips to music festivals nestled in the woods, sun-kissed beaches in Mexico, captivating concerts in Southern California, and a soul-nourishing retreat in the Pacific Northwest.

Outside Voices is a triumphant tale of unwavering determination and unwavering will. It offers a backstage glimpse into the women's movement, laying the foundation for decades of transformative change. This book serves as a firsthand account of how the power of community fuels innovation, social progress, and personal enlightenment.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 147 x 219 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9798888450048