Archiving for Access and Activism: An Interview with Interference Archive

By Emily Brooks

Interference Archive is a Brooklyn-based organization that collects and houses materials created as part of social movements. These materials, which include posters, flyers, publications, buttons, and much more, are stored and exhibited in an open stacks archival collection at 314 7th street in Park Slope. In addition to organizing and maintaining the collection, which is open to all, Interference’s volunteers also showcase the archival collections through exhibits and various community events aimed at supporting contemporary activism. This spring, I sat down with two of Interference’s volunteers, Ryan and Nora, to talk about how the space works and the role they see the archive playing in connecting social movements of the past with those of today.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Brooklyn, Contemporary Era, Politics, InterviewsGuest UserJune 20, 2019Emily Brooks, Park Slope, Interference Archive, Bev Grant, Poor People's Campaign, Ryan Buckley, Nora AlmeidaComment

The Girl on the Velvet Swing

Reviewed by Emily Brooks

In The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century, Simon Baatz explores the dramatic and violent relationship between three infamous figures in late nineteenth and early twentieth century New York City. The story of Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Thaw, a beautiful young performer, a famous middle-aged architect, and a notorious scion of a wealthy family, respectively, captivated their contemporaries and continues to appeal to historians more than a century later.

Reviews, Crime & Policing, Gender & SexualityGuest UserApril 25, 2019Emily Brooks, Simon Baatz, Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, Harry Thaw, Pittsburgh, Phiadelphia, Broadway, The Tombs, Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Dueling, Masculinity, Anthony Comstock, Madison Square Garden (MSG)Comment