Lunch & Learn: Searching the Archives for Hidden Voices

Join us as researchers Hugh Ryan and Riah Lee Kinsey discuss their experiences navigating archival spaces while researching LGBTQ history.
About this Event

On Wednesday, October 21st, the NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) presents Reflecting on NYC History: A Community Forum, a full day of programming at the historic Hall of Records.

Join us at 1:00 PM for a conversation with author Hugh Ryan and archivist Riah Lee Kinsey. The speakers will discuss their experiences conducting archival research at a range of institutions, with a particular focus on their work at the Municipal Archives and Library.

Discover how their research has shaped their understanding of present-day New York and informed the ways they interpret LGBTQ history. The conversation will be moderated by archivist Tara Hart.

Join us either virtually (via Zoom) or in person (limited seats available).

For more information about the rest of our October 21st programming, click here.

About the Speakers:

Hugh Ryan is the award-winning author of When Brooklyn Was Queer (2019) and The Women’s House of Detention (2022). He teaches creative nonfiction in the MFA program at the Bennington Writing Seminars and hosts the Queer 101 Book Club with the world-famous performer Peppermint. For the last five years, he has worked with the NYC Department of Education (DOE) to create syllabuses, teacher guides, posters, lesson plans, and comics on LGBTQ+ history.

Riah Lee Kinsey, MLS is a Black queer scholar, archivist, and educator. Trained at the University of Delaware and the City University of New York (CUNY), he is currently the Public Programs Manager at Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY.

Kinsey’s interests include Black and Queer historical subjects, reparative museum and archival practice, and the material culture of the enslaved. As someone who has often struggled to find traces of himself in traditional histories, Riah is dedicated both to showing the expansiveness of what is possible to recover about the past and reminding himself and others that merely being present to continue the search is proof enough of the enduring legacies of all marginalized people.

Tara Hart serves as Director of the Barnard Archives & Special Collections, where she oversees the long-term stewardship, accessibility, and ethical care of materials documenting Barnard College and broader histories of feminist activism, art, and scholarship. Her writing has appeared in Archive Journal, Metropolitan Archivist, and GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies.