Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project
The Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) is a collection of interviews to document and appreciate the lives of lesbians born in the first half of the 1900s. The Project was created by Arden Eversmeyer.
| Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project Collection in the Sophia Smith Archive at Smith College | |
|---|---|
| Location | Smith archive located Northampton, MA |
| Established | 1997 |
| Collection | |
| Size | more than 500 oral histories |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://olohp.org https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/963 |
As of January 2022, the Project has conducted over 750 interviews. Interviewees are asked specific questions re their lesbian life. In an effort to put what they include about their lesbianism in context, they are not limited to sharing only about that subject. Much of the material is autobiographical in nature. The interviewees come from a variety of backgrounds and places, most, but not all, within the United States. The OLOHP is focused on interviewing women age 70 and older.
Each Herstory contains a transcript of the interview as well as secondary documents pertaining to the Herstory subject, such as photographs, artwork, and newspaper clippings.
Approximately 500 of the OLOHP interviews are currently archived in the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College.
Eversmeyer was inspired to gather these oral histories when she observed friends passing away and became concerned that their stories would never be shared. .[1]