Barbara Esrig

I was born in New York City, and raised in New Jersey.  After living in Boston, Ohio, California, and Oregon, I came to Gainesville, Florida, in October 1979, and I have lived here ever since.

I’ve been writing since the age of six, when I discovered how to put words together to express myself, first in diaries and journals. Soon, it was poetry, letters, short stories, and longer stories. Writing has been my vehicle, my lifeline.

For twenty years, I served as writer-in-residence for arts in medicine, a hospital-based program. I took oral histories from the patients there, listening to amazing stories and learning about their journeys. I heard their special memories and their wisdom every day. What could be more perfect for a writer?    

I have had many challenges that test my guardian angels, who throw up their hands with each new one, look up at the sky, and shout in Yiddish, “Yet ganuk shein (enough already).” I make them work overtime, and they always take up the gauntlet to persevere. I thank them daily.                                                                         

See also:

Barbara Esrig, “The Gainesville Women’s Health Center, 1974-1997,” Sinister Wisdom 93 (Summer 2014): 42-43.

Barbara Esrig, “A Nurse’s Experience in a Progressive Women’s Health Center,” Sinister Wisdom 93 (Summer 2014): 50-52.

Barbara Esrig, Robin Toler, and Rose Norman, “Lesbian Feminist Visual Artists in Gainesville, FL,” Sinister Wisdom 104 (Spring 2017): 113-21.

Barbara Esrig, “Gainesville’s Lesbian Variety Show: Not Just Another Talent Context,” Sinister Wisdom 104 (Spring 2017): 139-43.

Barbara Esrig, “Women Unlimited, Gainesville, Florida,” Sinister Wisdom 109 (Summer 2018): 21-23.

Barbara Esrig, interviews with Rosalie Miller and Marsha Strong, Sinister Wisdom 109 (Summer 2018): 137-42.

Barbara Esrig, “Lavender Menace and Gainesville Dykes,” Sinister Wisdom 117 (Summer 2020): 77-81.

Barbara Esrig, “Chocolate Cheesecake,” Sinister Wisdom 124 (Spring 2022): 114-16.

Marilyn Mesh and Barbara Esrig, “Jewish Lesbian Support Group and Seders,” Sinister Wisdom 124 (Spring 2022): 117-20.