Ann Bradley

Angela Brinskele and Camelia Brieanne Heins interview Ann Bradley about her work at A Different Light bookstore and the Lesbian Writers Series she founded. Bradley moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and began to work at A Different Light in 1983, after working for five years as a counselor in federal programs. She describes the bookstore’s history and its importance as a gay and lesbian cultural space. Bradley founded the Lesbian Writers Series in 1984, and the first reading on February 18, 1984 featured local writer Carolyn Weathers. She wanted the series to give lesbian writers a visible public platform and remembers promoting events through printed flyers at a time before the internet.

Bradley discusses writers connected to the series, including Carolyn Weathers and Joan Nestle, as well as writers she later brought to Cal State L.A., including Cheryl Clarke and Pat Parker. She remembers gathering at The French Market after readings and community events and also describes a 2004 reunion celebrating the Lesbian Writers Series at ONE Archives. She emphasizes lesbian visibility as central to the series, connects this commitment to her broader opposition to the closet, and tells a story about pressing an LA Times reporter to include then city council candidate Jackie Goldberg in a story about gay candidates. Goldberg, when asked, told the truth and won.