Nearly every week during the 1970s – on the night the Village Voice hit newsstands – clusters of women gathered on the newspaper’s steps, eagerly awaiting the latest column by dance critic-turned-lesbian-feminist provocateur, Jill Johnston. In the decade prior Johnston had been the writer who chronicled the emergence of postmodern dance in New York, particularly the West Village’s Judson Church movement, and by the seventies she had become the most prominent voice of lesbian feminism, especially in the wake of her 1973 book, Lesbian Nation.

Though many of her fans still treasure her published writing, searching out dog-eared copies of her 1971 Marmalade Me, Johnston’s prolific writing has been mostly unavailable and underexamined for decades. In recent years, Johnston has staged a return: her writing has appeared in a new collection, academic and popular writers have rediscovered her, and artists in the US and abroad have made art inspired by her writing and lesbian celebrity.

These events honor Jill Johnston’s commitment to experimentation in all things writing, lesbianism, and life – through performance, conversations, film, and more.

Curated by Clare Croft, author of “Jill Johnston in Motion: Dance, Writing, and Lesbian Life” and editor of The Essential Jill Johnston Reader.”

All events are free and open to the public. RSVP and learn more below. Please note event locations. 

Thursday, February 6

Bureau of General Services – Queer Division | Thursday, Feb 6 @ 7PM

Jill Johnston in Motion: Clare Croft In Conversation with Ksenia Soboleva

Clare Croft reads from her new book, Jill Johnston in Motion, which focuses on the dance critic turned lesbian provocateur Jill Johnston. Following the reading Croft will be in conversation with Ksenia Soboleva.

Location: Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, 208 West 13th Street, Room 210

Free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event. 

Friday, February 7

Center for Ballet and the Arts | Friday, Feb 7 @ 3PM

Performance Criticism Workshop with Clare Croft

In this workshop, dance critic and scholar, Clare Croft, guides writers through a series of exercises exploring the relationship between writing and motion, description and embodiment. No previous experience with dance or dance writing is required.

Location: Center for Ballet and the Arts, 16 Cooper Square

Free and open to the public. RSVP required.

721 Broadway, 6th Floor | Friday, Feb 7 @ 6PM

Film Screening: "JJ" (2023)

French artists Pauline Boulba and aminata labor screen their new film JJ (2023), an experimental ode to Jill Johnston inspired by feminist classic, The Watermelon Woman (1996). Post-screening conversation to follow, with the artists.

Location: 721 Broadway, 6th Floor

Free and open to the public. RSVP required.

Saturday, February 8

NYU Skirball | Saturday, Feb 8 @ 1PM

The Essential Jill Johnston

Three panels on Jill Johnston‘s work and legacy in dance, criticism, and lesbianism.

Location: NYU Skirball, 566 La Guardia Pl. 

Free and open to the public.