The Pagoda : a lesbian community by the sea / Rose Norman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Norman, Rose (Rose Lynn), author.

Series:

Sinister wisdom ; 131.

Sapphic classics

Sinister wisdom ; 131

Sapphic classic

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lesbian community--Florida--Saint Augustine--History.

Lesbian community.

Lesbianism--Social aspects--History.

Lesbianism.

Lesbians--Florida--Saint Augustine--History.

Lesbians.

Centers for the performing arts--Florida--Saint Augustine--History.

Centers for the performing arts.

Lesbian business enterprises--Florida--Saint Augustine--History.

Lesbian business enterprises.

Lesbian community--Florida--History.

Lesbians--Florida--History.

Centers for the performing arts--Florida--History.

Lesbian business enterprises--Florida--History.

Physical Description:

376 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Lesbian community by the sea

Place of Publication:

Dover, FL : Sinister Wisdom, 2024.

Summary:

A bold and important history of lesbian-feminism on the Florida coast. In 1977, two lesbian couples living in St. Augustine, Florida, found a row of small beach houses for sale next to a house they wanted to turn into a feminist theatre. They bought the cottages, leased and later bought the theatre building, and over the next two decades expanded and developed the property as a cultural center, women's retreat center, and residential community. The Pagoda, as it came to be called, offered nude swimming in a private pool, fire circles on the beach, variety shows with bellydancing, poetry readings, comedy sketches, and regular concerts by feminist musicians in a private theatre. Pagoda women produced feminist plays about Cinderella's after-story and sketch comedy by Positively Revolting Hags. They hosted celebrations of the Goddess, Tarot readings, and psychic workshops. At its height, The Pagoda was a Goddess church running a cultural center and guesthouse surrounded by twelve tiny, custom-built, knotty pine cottages and a duplex, all owned by lesbians. The cultural center and guesthouse lasted twenty-two years as an active operation run by the incorporated, tax-exempt Pagoda-temple of Love in the closing decades of the twentieth century, and another sixteen years after that shepherded by Fairy Godmothers, Inc., four women with a different vision for the space. This is the story of how all that happened. In THE PAGODA: A LESBIAN COMMUNITY BY THE SEA, Rose Norman expertly synthesizes interviews and extensive archival research to tell the story of the women who made that community a place for lesbian culture to bloom and grow."With the informed, wise style of a true Southern historian, Rose Norman guides us through the storied legacy of the Pagoda: until recently, a lived community and dedicated venue of lesbian feminism on Florida's Atlantic coast. Every page rings "true with descriptions of on-site goddess rituals, playful theatre performances, residents' romantic entanglements, and above all, long-term commitment to building woman-centered space for participants and visitors. Those lucky enough to have stayed at the Pagoda, myself included, will sigh at the vivid depiction of a time just gone by; and those new to important lesbian sites in the South will discover a radical vision of community made real through hard work."--Bonnie J. Morris"The Pagoda in St Augustine offered a refuge and was a spot I could always play and know I'd be received enthusiastically. We stayed upstairs, basically two floors up from the performance area in the converted basement. Directly below was the kitchen and that wonderful library. The Pagoda was a place where you could dream. I reveled in it."--June Millington"Women who remember The Pagoda from the old days will revel in details of the development of this amazing community along with the complex dynamics involved. Women who have never heard of The Pagoda will find a gift in this fascinating piece of our lesbian herstory."--Merril Mushroom. Literary Nonfiction. History. LGBTQ+ Studies. Women's Studies.

Contents:

Founding the Pagoda Playhouse

Creating a lesbian community and resort

Developing the cultural center

Becoming Pagoda-temple of Love

Going residential

Building lesbian culture

Growth and change

Divisions and challenges

Restructuring for survival

Transforming with Fairy Godmothers, Inc.

Living in community

The Pagoda today.

Notes:

"A Sapphic classic from Sinister Wisdom"--Title page.

Simultaneously published as Sinister Wisdom 131.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Norman, Rose (Rose Lynn). Pagoda.

ISBN:

9781944981631

1944981632

OCLC:

1418859348

Publisher Number:

90101069205