Barbara Grier and the world she built

Mentored in the art of lesbian literary detection by Jeannette Howard Foster, Barbara Grier became part of a vibrant print-based network of lesbians through her involvement with The Ladder. Building on that foundation, she developed Naiad Press into a successful lesbian business, one that opened doors for lesbian writers and preserved lesbian classics for new generations of readers. Shaped by her class and the times in which she came of age, Grier understood the power of print to change women's lives. Some challenged her commitment to lesbian feminism, but few questioned her dedication to building Naiad into a press that heightened lesbian visibility, fostered self-understanding, and contributed to the creation of community.