Alta Gerrey's Obituary
Alta, founder of Shameless Hussy Press, poet, gallerist, and café aficionado died at age 81.
“my history books lied to me, they said I didn’t exist.”
alta
Alta Gerrey, who used only her first name, was an influential feminist poet of the second-wave. She started the first feminist printing press in the United States when she and her friends couldn’t get published by the male-dominated publishing industry.
Started Shameless Hussy Press in 1969.
Didn’t use her last name, only going by alta, because the patriarchy — for official documents she signed J.P. Alta which stood for Just Plain Alta.
Manually ran a hand crank press out of her garage.
Wrote and published a series of lesbian poems in 1970 called Letters to Women.
Wrote and published a series of poems to men in 1989, Deluged with Dudes.
The first publisher for Ntoske Shange’s Tony-winning poem, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.
First publisher for Mitsuye Yamada, whose book Camp Notes about Japanese internment was the first of its kind.
First publisher for Susan Griffin and other writers.
Grew up in a piano shop in Reno, Nevada.
Her father and brother were blind, and her brother, BillArt, became a world-famous inventor.
Shared joint custody of her daughters with poet John Oliver Simon and fully accepted her kids’ relationship with his wife, Jan Simon, continuing to share custody with her even after Jan and John split up.
Loved cafés, conversation, and coffee drinking. Particularly frequented The Med on Telegraph Avenue which became like a second home. At one point regularly drank over a dozen espressos a day.
Traveled the world, and wrote a book about her trips Traveling Tales. Loved Paris, London, and was super interested in China and Chinese history.
Was always anti-war and a huge fan of Barbara Lee.
Becoming a regular at a restaurant or café was her superpower. By her second visit she would know folks’ names, where they were from, and some pertinent facts about their lives. She was truly interested in everyone she met, and people could really feel it.
Had an art gallery, Alta Galleria, and represented local artists as well as artists from China.
When asked about what was most important for her quality of life, she said listening to baseball and eating ice cream. If she had those two, she was happy.
Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal was a sacrosanct part of her day, though she often napped through it.
The Financial Times was her favorite paper, and her favorite part of that paper was the column by Janan Ganesh. Heaven was an FT and a cappuccino.
A lifelong student, she studied in Cambridge and took classes at the senior center.
She called herself the fashion leader of 49th Street in Oakland, where she lived for her later years. Her motif was multiple shirts, and she usually wore at least 5 shirts, many of which had handy pockets for pens, notebooks, glasses, and of course her phone.
She was an avid photographer, and loved to document her neighborhood. She made several booklets and cards out of her photos often accompanied by a poem.
She considered herself a Christian and loved the teachings of Jesus, but also enjoyed the teachings of other faiths and felt the presence of other deities. One of her favorites was Kuan Yin, who appeared to her at a scary moment. She said to Kuan Yin, “But I’m a Christian!”
She was full of joy and determination to live life to the fullest. She wanted to live forever, and didn’t want to waste a moment.
She died on March 10, 2024 at her home with her daughter Kia by her side. She is survived by her daughters Lorelei Bosserman, Kia Simon, and her granddaughter Tesla Moyer.
There will be a celebration of her life at noon on April 21st, 2024, at the Chapel of the Chimes 4499 Piedmont Ave, Oakland.
What’s your fondest memory of Alta?
What’s a lesson you learned from Alta?
Share a story where Alta's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Alta you’ll never forget.
How did Alta make you smile?