What we can learn from our queer elders - Incite at Columbia University

Last summer, the Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project unveiled a digital archive preserving oral histories from over 230 minoritized elders across America, capturing lived experiences that are often excluded from official records.

The Elders Project interviews were conducted by ten acclaimed artists and writers, including Denice Frohman and Caro De Robertis, who worked with queer elders in Philadelphia and San Francisco to capture stories of resistance, joy, love, loss, change, and everyday life.

This summer, both Frohman and De Robertis are releasing creative works inspired by the wisdom and experiences they gathered through their conversations with queer elders—creating artistic expressions that honor and amplify these important legacies.

Esto No Tiene Nombre

Coming to The Clemente in New York City this May, Denice Frohman performs an original one-woman show titled Esto No Tiene Nombre. Chronicling the oral histories of Latina lesbian elders in Philadelphia, the play presents a tapestry of vignettes exploring Latina lesbian activism, expression, and desire, from pre-Stonewall police raids to memories of first kisses.

Showtimes:

• 5/15, 2025 at 7:00 pm
• 5/16, 2025 at 7:00 pm
• 5/17, 2025 at 4:00 pm

So Many Stars

From acclaimed novelist Caro De Robertis, So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color is a first-of-its-kind, deeply personal, and moving oral history of a generation of trans and gender nonconforming elders of  color—from  leading activists to artists to ordinary citizens—who tell their own stories of breathtaking courage, cultural innovations, and acts of resistance.

De Robertis will be discussing their book during a series of talks across the U.S.

• 5/13: Booksmith—in-conversation w/ Margaret Wilkerson Sexton—San Francisco, CA
• 5/15: Bookshop Santa Cruz—in-conversation w/ Jaime Cortez—Santa Cruz, CA
• 5/16: Book Soup—in-conversation w/Alex Espinoza—Los Angeles, CA
• 5/20: Powell’s City of Books—in-conversation w/ Vanessa Micale—Portland, OR
• 5/21: Charlie’s Queer Books—in-conversation w/ Gaysha Starr—Seattle, WA
• 6/1: Bay Area Book Festival—panel & signing—Downtown Berkeley, CA 
• 6/2: Free Library of Philadelphia—in-conversation w/ Feminista Jones—Philadelphia, PA
• 6/3: PowerHouse ARENA—in-conversation w/ Jacqueline Woodson—Brooklyn, NY
• 6/4: Word Up Bookstore @ Recirculation—in-conversation w/ Denne Michele Norris—Manhattan, NY
• 6/5: All She Wrote Books—in-conversation w/a member of The History Project—Somerville, MA  
• 7/23: City Lights—Virtual event

To preorder a copy of So Many Stars, visit Hachette Book Group.

Explore queer oral histories

Interested in hearing from queer elders from the Elders Project but not sure where to start? Consider the following collections:

• Jenna "J" Wortham, Waterfront Queer Stories
• Denice Frohman, Latina Lesbian Elders
• Caro De Robertis, Queer San Francisco Reimagined

But that's not all—we've collected interviews from all collections that touch on queer kinship, gender identity, and HIV/AIDS at this link.