Meet Antonia Crane, Writer/Professor/Activist in Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonia Crane.

Antonia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It was the 1995 pre-tech, perma-fog, post-punk, home of Silence=Death ACT UP, Queer Nation, Food Not Bombs, underground lesbian sex clubs, needle exchange, San Francisco. I was moments from getting evicted. Each month, I begged the landlord for one more week until finally, I came home to a note on my door from my roommates asking me to move out.

I was 25 and scary-broke, working minimum wage at a clothing store, where I sold my used t-shirts on my lunch break to buy a burrito next door. After work, I sat in chilly yellow church basements holding hands with gay men and women praying for sobriety, transcendence and rent control. I’d recently kicked meth and was startlingly alive even though, I was reeling from loss after dozens of my friends died from AIDS. I’d slashed my wrist detoxing off meth and ended up in Davies Medical Center with a social worker and stitches. I wanted to be a writer.

When money was tight, I slinked back into the strip clubs, preferably the Lusty Lady on Kearney in North Beach, a woman owned and operated peepshow behind glass with a reputation for hiring private school sex workers — well groomed chicks who had savings accounts, skateboards and cats. They were astute as customers crammed into booths and filmed us without our knowledge or consent and they started a labor war. It took two long years of organizing, picketing, fighting management’s by-the-book union-busting tactics but we unionized and became SEIU Local 790: The Exotic Dancer’s Alliance. We did what no strip club owner believes strippers will ever do, we had each other’s backs and cared for one another. Many years later, I remained sober and returned to school to finish my MFA in Creative Writing. I published a memoir, “Spent” about my mother’s death and my journey through the sex industry. I worked for 3 different after-school programs and tricked at-risk youth into writing personal essays. I taught incarcerated teenage girls essay, poetry and screenwriting, then they obtained Art and English credits towards their GED. I was brought in to help high schooler’s write about their loss when the 17-year old was stabbed to death by her estranged boyfriend (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/01/local/la-me-1001-school-stabbing-20111001). I had them write a letter to their hero (alive or dead) about their feelings and problems and had them answer each others letters and published them in a magazine. I have brought that exercise into classrooms I have taught at UCLA for the past 3 years as well as other workshops. I am a freelance writer and teacher at UCLA, where I will be teaching Intermediate Essay this Spring. It’s my favorite thing to teach! (https://www.uclaextension.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=149207327)

Also, I’ve written a feature with Transparent director, Silas Howard about the union effort which we are revving up to make. I wrote, produced and casted a sex worker episode for Stephen Elliott’s funny, sad, wonderful mini web series “DRIVEN” starring Breeda Wool and Sam Ball. It’s coming out soon. I am most excited about the women of color organizing and kicking ass in New York for NYCStripperStrike because we are ready to organize and implement changes that favor sex workers for once. I am currently rebel rousing in Los Angeles attempting to organize allies and strippers and sex workers to fight against unfair labor practices, racism, wage theft and the profound stigma within our industry. One way, I am dedicated to thwarting stigma is to make short films about the sex industry. I am in the process of directing a few of those now and seeking resources to make that possible. Sex workers are more than capable of telling our own stories. We are coming for you, Hollywood.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, my mother died a week into grad school so I had to peel myself out of grieving hard and get to class. It ended up being the perfect place to place my fury: writing is the most healing thing I have ever done. Also, it’s hard to get support and resources to make film and support oneself writing. I am being too soft. It feels impossible to get into the writer’s room and support myself by writing. Even though, the “bad guys” are being fired, it’s still extremely hard and competitive. Luckily, I like a challenge.

Being a writer, professor and an activist – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets me apart from other writers is, I have 26 years in the sex industry, mostly stoned cold sober. I have endless stories and experiences to draw on and I am proud of that. I’m proud that I have extremely tender, human experiences to develop and am ready to see it through. If this would have happened right out of grad school, like it did for a couple of my talented and lucky peers I would not have been ready for it.

I’m known for writing about feminism and the sex industry. With years of social work and education in the field, I am ready to marry my activism with my writing and make cool shit about and for the sex industry.

I’m told I’m a great editor and friend. Also, I was told by a student that as a teacher, I care about progressing your story and digging deep for the deepest most uncomfortable truths. I don’t care to be pleased as a teacher or authority figure, per se. It’s about the work.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
It’s cool when people approach me out of the blue and say, “I’m a sex worker and I loved your book.” I love connecting with fellow people in the industry and providing support and empathy. That feels like a win.

My dream is still to be in a writer’s room in an energetic, supportive, fun environment. I’d be really happy to make the stripper movie of my dreams for you with Silas Howard. It takes a while! I want to make the TV series of my dreams and keep creating culture that reflects my workforce and experiences in an accurate way. That would feel like a huge success.

Contact Info:

• Address: 4932 Echo Street Apt. 20
  Los Angeles, CA 90042
• Website: http://www.antoniacrane.com/
• Phone: 323-301-2306
• Email: antoniacrane@gmail.com
• Instagram: @antoniacrane
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antonia.crane
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/antoniacrane

Image Credit:
Tonantzin Warmouth, Jacque the Stripper

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