Village Elders

Gerry -- Roy and William -- Storm e -- Hal and John -- Ernece and Caroline -- Donald -- Sandy and Eileen -- Blackie -- Bhaskar -- Adrian -- Madelin and Ren ee -- Hank/Helena -- Jerre -- Myron -- Jane and Bette -- Job and Robert -- Howard -- Connie and Phyllis -- Robert -- Sidney -- Eunice and Rose -- Nick and Tony -- Larry -- Muriel and Deborah -- James William.

"Photographer-interviewer Coleman documents Greenwich Village's gay and lesbian elders, whose memories attest to the rapidity of change in their subculture. The faces alone seem to tell it all. These are survivors of past discrimination, limited employment options, and necessarily secret lives... An invaluable contribution to popular gay and lesbian and senior studies alike." -- Booklist "Brings to light our underexposed gay history in a loving and absorbing photo documentary of Greenwich Village's senior statesmen and stateswomen. Cathartic." -- The Advocate "The importance of elders is not lost on Coleman, an independent photographer, in her aptly named book of photographic portraits paired with short essays capturing the spirit of subjects... The 25 profiles represent the ethnic, racial, and economic variety of the community and illustrate the wonderful way in which the human spirit thrives in periods of oppression... This is a great little book with large content. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal "Offers portraits ... in words and black-and-white photographs that record the memories and the visages of LGBT older adults in New York's Greenwich Village... Particularly remarkable for the diversity of narratives it recounts. It brings together the experiences of women, men and transgender individuals from a range of races, classes, and cultural and religious backgrounds." -- Aging Today "Photographer Coleman scores a homerun with this exciting and moving collection of photos and essays about elderly gay men and lesbians in the GLBT enclave of New York's Greenwich Village." -- Out Front Colorado "Combines great character studies and gripping life stories." -- Queer Caucus for Art Newsletter "Delightful ... full of crazy characters." -- Curve Magazine "A deeply personal look at the older members of our community, revealing their tenaciousness and guts. " -- Mary Kay LeFevour, In the Family ADVANCE PRAISE "Penny Coleman's Village Elders combines inspiration and substance in a wonderful way, illumining the infinite variety of people who too frequently are defined solely in terms of their gender. Readers will be in awe of the courage with which these gay men and lesbians have lived their lives. They will be moved by the pain and tragedy some of these Elders have faced and will admire and share in the humor with which others tell about their experiences. Their stories and the marvelous photographs that accompany each vignette make this a book that all who are interested in the human condition should read." -- Rose Dobrof, Brookdale Center on the Aging, Hunter College, New York "Penny Coleman's written and photographic portraits are a tour de force - a celebration of life lived in all its diversity from the vantage point of those who should know - the old. As if that were not enough, her book also gives voice to a forgotten and virtually invisible generation - the old of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. These voices are often unheard -- but here they can be found, listened to and savored. This book is truly a treasure." -- Terry Kaelber, executive director of SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment) "[A] moving testimony to the survival, resilience, and wisdom that permeates the lives in our communities. Far too often our heroes and long time survivors are invisible to us, and, far too often, we miss the richness, courage, and inspiration that we can draw from their lives. As diverse as our Village Elders are, so are their contributions, strength, and power of example to us. Our strength as a community is clearly dependent on our ability to honor, learn from, and support our elders, our wise women and men that have preceded us, walked through the unknown territory and charted paths that have made our lives better and our community dream and achieve so much." -- Ana Oliveira, Executive Director of GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) "This engaging and unique book of stories makes visible the beauty and power of a population too long invisible--old gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The lives we glimpse through this photodocumentary attest to the humor, diversity and integrity of those who helped create pride and community out of oppression. Village Elders proves the truth that profound social change is so often the by product of daily acts of individual courage." -- Urvashi Vaid, director of the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force