Joan Nes­tle is work­ing-class Jew­ish les­bian, writer, edi­tor, teacher, activist and co-founder of the Les­bian Her­sto­ry Archives in New York City. She is the author of A Restrict­ed Coun­try, win­ner of an Amer­i­can Library Asso­ci­a­tion Gay and Les­bian Book Award, and A Frag­ile Union, a Lamb­da Lit­er­ary Award recip­i­ent. She edit­ed over a dozen award-win­ning col­lec­tions. She lives in Aus­tralia with her lover, Di Otto.