The history of San Francisco's Polk Gulch neighborhood is dynamic, joyous, heartbreaking, and wholly unique. It's a history that is also almost completely unexplored and, during a time of rapid neighborhood change, at risk of being lost. As part of a sponsored project of San Francisco's GLBT Historical Society, we seek people's stories of Polk Gulch, from the 1960s to 2000s.

Martin Meeker, an academic specialist at UC Berkeley's Regional Oral History Office, is advising the project. Joey Plaster, an independent oral historian and journalist, will be leading the project and recording people's stories with audio (no video) equipment. If you are interested in lending your voice, please contact him at polkstories@gmail.com.

We welcome stories from all walks of life on the street, of all genders and sexual orientations, including merchants, sex workers and clients, the formerly and currently homeless, social workers, bar regulars, and others. Interviews may be anonymous if you wish.

The project will culminate in an exhibit, a series of radio documentaries, a website, and a number of roundtable discussions at the GLBT Historical Society. All recordings will be archived at the Historical Society for future generations.

We hope that this project will create an enduring snapshot of the neighborhood, help diversify representations of GLBT people, dramatize issues important to the city and the nation as a whole, and help promote understanding in an area that is experiencing rapid change and tension.