But there was still another, more specific connection of Left Bank Books to the lesbian and gay community of the time. Louis Lesbian and Gay Pride Celebration was posted in this very public place, and people in the community of the time knew to look there. It's almost certain that information about the 1980 St. These boards are open for all sorts of postings, including progressive causes. And certainly a huge section on women’s literature and black studies and, you know, just generally political orientation on the history of political science, economic sections, that’s all the orientation that Left Bank had."įor decades the entrance to Left Bank Books has contained large bulletin boards on either side of the corner entryway to the shop. Eventually it had probably one of the first trans sections in books that Kris put together I couldn’t tell you what year that was, but I do know that we did have a separate section on that. There was a very clear orientation toward supporting LGBT, there was a special section for literature and social science work on it. "… the progressive causes idea, it certainly pervaded the entire atmosphere of Left Bank. Asked about the progressive character of Left Bank Books, now Conway-Long replied At some early point Levin left, and Don Long was hired. The business moved to the Central West End location in 1977, where a collective of four individuals ran it: Kris Kleindienst, Barry Liebman, Justin James and Alan Levin. The very name "Left Bank Books" strongly suggests avanté garde interests, since one important site of the Beat Era in 1950's Paris was that very southern bank of the river Siene, a place where poets, artists, expatriates, and revolutionaries-and homosexuals-met in coffee houses. Progressive establishments on the Euclid Strip, 1980 The conversation that ensued identified significant defining institutions in the area known in the 1970s as "The Euclid Strip" or "The Central West End" (even though the actual Central West End is quite a large area which contains Euclid Avenue as a small but significant part of it.) The map in Figure 1 identifies one such important haunt for not only lesbian and gay people of the time, but artists, musicians, poets, people in search of good restaurants or novel entertainment, sex workers, progressives, hippies, warmed-over bohemians, well-connected society people, and the list could go on. Don Conway-Long was asked in an interview how Left Bank Books supported the 1980 Walk for Charity, since he worked for this independent bookstore for many years and was a member of the collective which ran it. Louis is the complicated fact of how there came to be tolerant and even accepting areas of the city with attendant bookstores, restaurants, bars, residents, visitors, and streetside haunts. One of the most important roots of the 1980 Celebration of Lesbian and Gay Pride in St. Network of Progressive and Alternative Businesses and Establishments The "Euclid Strip" Louis from the memoirs of Jim AndrisĬea Hearth/Glenda Dilley/Adrienne Rae: A TributeĪ life as activist, songwriter, healer, educator, and shamana Network of Progressive and Alternative Businessesĭignity Midwest Convention: 1975 Workshop Scheduleĭignity Midwest Convention: 1976 Speaker BiosĪcademic Union-St. Louis Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights (SLOC/IRIS) Post Dispatch Coverage of Walk for CharityĬelebration of Lesbian, Gay Pride Is Successful Community-Builder (NBN)ġ980 Walk for Charity and Celebration of Lesbian and Workshops at Forest Park Community College RELATED: Benches removed from downtown parkĬouncil chairman Luis Viera said he’ll listen to the proposal, albeit with some suspicion.1980 Walk for Charity and 1980 Celebration of Lesbian and Before the benches were removed, dozens of homeless people would gather in the park and groups frequently offered free food. All that would happen if the city moves forward with the proposal, she said.Ī cafe isn’t an attempt to permanently discourage the homeless from congregating there, Anderson said. And nearby restaurateurs have yet to be consulted. She said the cafe, which would include tables and chairs, is still very much in the conceptual stage. “These improvements will create a communal space for patrons of all ages to enjoy,” said Ashley Bauman, Castor’s spokeswoman.Ĭity legal staff is working on codifying the arrangement, which may or may not include a payment to the city for the space, said Ashly Anderson, the Partnership’s director of marketing and design. The Partnership has been informally discussing the cafe idea with the city for years, starting with former mayor Bob Buckhorn, city and partnership officials said Wednesday. Homeless advocates protested the city’s decision to remove the benches in March and were unhappy with the city’s announcement in July that they were too damaged to be repaired - the original explanation for why they taken out.
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