Joan Gelfand's Outside Voices is a Powerful Coming of Age Memoir that Offers an Intimate Portrait of 1970s Berkeley and the Transformative Power of The Women's Movement

A triumphant story of determination and will, Outside Voices offers a backstage look at the women's movement that set the stage for decades of change. Author, Joan Gelfand, offers a firsthand look at how the power of community emboldened innovation, social change, and self-discovery.
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Joan Gelfand is an award-winning author, poet, and literary critic whose work spans poetry, fiction, memoir, and writing advice. She has published three collections of poetry and an acclaimed chapbook of short fiction. Her novel, Extreme , tells the story of a Silicon Valley startup, and was a finalist for the International Book Award, while her memoir, Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution , earned an NYC Big Book Award, Literary Titan Gold Award, and International Book Award.

Joan's writing has appeared in over 150 literary journals and publications, including The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The San Francisco Chronicle, and PANK. Her poetry inspired the award-winning short film, The Ferlinghetti School of Poetics, which was been showcased at more than 20 international film festivals, including Cannes and London, and earned a Certificate of Merit from the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

A sought-after writing coach, Joan is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestseller, You Can Be a Winning Writer , which has helped countless writers develop their craft. She remains an active voice in literary circles, teaching at book festivals and writers' conferences including California Poets in the Schools, The Writing Salon, and the San Francisco Writer's Conference. A former President of the Women's National Book Association, Gelfand founded and chaired its National Writing Contest. She is an active member of the National Book Critics Circle and is listed in "Who's Who in America."

Joan holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and lives in San Francisco with her husband, Adam Hertz. This one-on-one interview shares Joan's background and experience writing Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution.

Tell us about Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution.

Berkeley, California in the early 1970's was a hotbed of progressive change. Second-wave feminism, inspired by the fifty-year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, meant that women were gaining ground and beginning to wield more power politically, socially and financially.

As a young poet from New York, I was embraced by a thriving women's community of artists, filmmakers, musicians, poets, and writers, and encouraged to find my voice. Mentored by paradigm-changing writers, I found the courage to face my darkest fears through poetry and art, mining the trauma I experienced after losing my father and questioning my Jewish identity.

The book shares the ups and downs of finding my way as an artist, living with a women's band, forging an independent Jewish identity, founding a women's restaurant, and becoming a published writer and songwriter while challenging the boundaries of creativity, sexuality, and spirituality. The book also includes road trips to music festivals in the woods, beaches in Mexico, concerts in Southern California, and a retreat in the Pacific Northwest.

Ultimately, Outside Voices is my story of how community fueled transformation, both for me and for the broader movement toward equality.

What inspired you to write Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution?

I wrote Outside Voices for a number of reasons. For one, I wanted to share stories of a time period that was critical to the women's movement but have been under reported. Secondly, I wanted to share the aspects of my life that were inspirational: how I made a life after the grave loss of my father, and how, within the context of community, I garnered strength to make the challenging life choice of becoming a writer.

What is one message you would like readers to remember?

I want to inspire young people to have faith in themselves when facing tough decisions. Many talented individuals struggle with self-doubt, but being part of a supportive artistic community helped me find the confidence to overcome my insecurities. Through my book, I hope to offer both encouragement and insight into how one writer's journey unfolded, providing guidance for aspiring writers charting their own paths.

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Purchasing the Book

Outside Voices: A Memoir of the Berkeley Revolution has received positive reviews from well-known literary organizations, authors, and reviewers around the world. New York Times-bestselling author, Jasmin Darznik writes, " A vivid portrait of 1970s Berkeley and San Francisco, Outside Voices charts a young woman's ascent in a world as thrilling as it was volatile. A true gem of a memoir ."

The book is available for sale through Post Hill Press, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://posthillpress.com/book/outside-voices-a-memoir-of-the-berkeley-revolution

To connect with Joan and learn more about her work, visit: https://joangelfand.com. You can also find her on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/joangelfandofficial/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-gelfand-3030804/], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/joan.gelfand/].

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