Women At The Helm 2010

These dynamos lead some of America’s most influential nonprofit organizations—they are fighting the good fight and their work enriches our lives in countless ways.

Michelle Tea
Founder and Artistic Director, RADAR Productions

San Francisco author and queer literary icon Michelle Tea knows how to give back. As a successful writer and series curator, she shares the wealth of her experience through the nonprofit organization RADAR Productions, which she founded in 2003 to bring together her many literary ventures. Along with the organization’s long-running monthly San Francisco reading series, RADAR also hosts an annual writer’s retreat, offers a chapbook prize for poetry and organizes the international Sister Spit performance tours. Although the majority of the writers RADAR supports are queer, Tea is mindful about helping these artists reach a broader audience. “RADAR is queer, so the writers do not have to be,“ Tea explains. “It’s crucial to mix it up and keep queer artists in contact with straight artists and straight writing communities that often have access to parts of the literary world queer artists don’t. We do very cool programming and it attracts cutting-edge artists of all disciplines and identities. Ultimately, we support the cultivation of talent and bring our audiences top-quality work.”


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