An interview with Natalie Porter

You’ve been working on this book for many years. How did you stay motivated during the process?

In 2002, while writing my thesis paper on female skaters, I wanted to create some context around this group of friends I was interviewing called “The Skirtboarders.” They were motivating me through our collective zines and videos, and group skate sessions. I also wrote a brief chapter on the history of women’s skateboarding based on the limited information I could find.  But the more I uncovered over the years, the more I realized how many stories had been buried and ignored by mainstream skateboarding media and history books. Besides curiosity about these skaters, I was motivated by rage. The stories of older women and non-binary skaters are so fascinating, and it made me upset that they weren’t well-known or celebrated.

What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent trying to get in touch with an interview/research subject?

In the early 2000s, I was accumulating lists of names based on rumors and contest results of female skaters throughout history, but without social media and only the occasional vintage magazine being digitized, it was really challenging to make a connection. Plus, people change their names due to marriage or preferred gender, and there can be typos to contend with. Fortunately, once I got the Womxn Skate History archive up and running in 2022, even if I couldn’t track down the individual right away, there would be these miraculous emails and Instagram messages where the person (or a family member) discovered I had written a skeleton bio online and wanted to fill-in the blanks. Sometimes I waited 2 or 3 years before the skater Googled themselves and reached out, which was the case with Canon “Bunny” Price, Christy Jordahl (Hurst), Minh Duc Tran (Jasmin), Pam Judge (PJ MacKenzie), Stephanie Fernández, among others.

Based on your research, which long-standing skate organizations (be they media or companies) that are traditionally cis-male owned championed women, queer, and non-binary skating the most over the years?

I would have to go with Vans shoes simply because they started sponsoring amateur girls back in the mid-1970s like Sunshine Lee, Amy Pike Bradshaw, Yvonne Cucci, and Elaine Poirier and more prominent skaters like Deanna Calkins, Edie Robertson, Ellen Oneal, Gale Webb, Jana Payne, Terry Lawrence. And, obviously, Cara-beth Burnside who was the first female to have a signature shoe in 1999 thanks to Vans. They’ve been consistent but maybe could have done a better job including their female riders in advertisements over the decades. My favorite “champion” company is Toy Machine because sponsoring Elissa Steamer in the mid 1990s during a toxic era in regard to women’s participation was pretty badass.

How many of the subjects from the book would you say still currently skateboard? 

That’s tricky since some of them are no longer alive, but I feel like there’s a lot more acceptance and encouragement in the skateboard community for older skaters to return to skateboarding after an absence or take it up for the first time. I like accuracy, so I’ll pass on guessing!
If people no longer skate, in your opinion, would you say the industry and culture had something to do with it, or did they just stop on their own?
Every individual has their reason, but for women and non-binary skaters, there are additional barriers and expectations that society imposes, suggesting that they are not welcome in a cis male-dominated scene, that it’s inappropriate for someone their age to be acting “juvenile,” that it’s foolish and irresponsible for a mom to be having fun alongside their kid. Skateboarding is a reflection of society in many ways, which includes patriarchy, misogyny, homophobia, racism, etc. And sadly, I’ve also received stories that are a bit darker, such as sexual assault and grooming, that ended someone’s skateboard journey, which I do address in the book.

Who would you like to see with a deeper, biography-style profile from women’s skate history?

That’s really hard to choose, especially since I’m up to over 300 bios on the archive, and I have barely begun the 1990s and onward. But I’ll go with Stephanie Person as the first Black female professional skateboarder, who opted to tour and compete in Europe, rather than the U.S. There’s already a great interview by 1970s legend, Cindy Whitehead for her site Girl Is Not a 4 Letter Word where Stephanie shares stories like the time a member of the KKK tried to intimidate her at a skatepark. She’s so heroic!

What’s your favorite part of librarianism?

I think it’s honorable work since the library is a free public space, which should be welcoming to all with no requirements to buy anything or conform to a certain way of thinking. And, as a person who is curious about stories, I feel privileged to connect with folks from all walks of life, who have trusted me to hear them out and help them out.

As a librarian, which public resource being threatened right now do you think is the most important?

Today, there are so many paywalls on digital content and streaming services that some people can’t access quality newspapers or feel part of mainstream culture. In the past, libraries have been able to buffer that digital divide through subscriptions to databases or purchasing DVDs, but without proper financial support, libraries can’t afford to keep up with these offerings, and there’s no guarantee that the content will be made available in a tactile form that we can circulate. I think there should be a sliding scale for public libraries to better offer resources, even if it’s just a trendy Netflix series.

Why are libraries and librarians important?

Part of our motivation is to combat misinformation, whether that’s generated by AI or corrupt political powers, through free services like library workshops. I think that’s incredibly important today because otherwise, people are being manipulated and scammed. As well, there’s a contingent of our society who are fearful of diversity, whether that’s the perspectives of Black authors or Queer authors or the experiences of immigrants, and I know that some librarians have received death threats or threats to their career for standing their ground. Libraries face a difficult battle in preserving democracy, but I believe they are on the right side of history.

What’s your writing practice like?

The foundation of my writing is based on research and gleaning as much content as I can kind which will give substance to someone’s story. I’ve been trying to publish at least 3 bios a month on the archive, which often gets edited and redeveloped as new discoveries are made. And then, for the book, I opted to weave these stories together into something I hope is readable and interesting, rather than a traditional timeline or just Wikipedia bios. I was encouraged to have a first-person narrative that included my own story, so that the reader will trust me as an author and experience some of the highs and lows behind the scenes.

As an adult, how often do you go without skating before the urge hits and you need to feel some ground under wheels?

I aim to go to my local skatepark two or three times a week, but because I live north of Vancouver, Canada, in a remote location (my town is boat access-only, or a float plane if you’ve got the cash), if it’s raining or snowing, I’m not skateboarding. There’s nothing indoors. This means there’s at least 4 months of the year where I’m stuck inside with my research!

What story did you hate having to cut from the book?

I had wanted to acknowledge the legacy of Anna Dimitriadou Kruse. She was a young woman from Germany who was super talented in both street and bowl in the early 2000s but was murdered, along with her child, by her ex-husband. I didn’t want to shy away from topics like domestic violence and femicide, but the story seemed tacked on, and the bulk of the book is set in the 1960s-1990s. I definitely encourage folks to follow the link to honor her. Rest in Peace, Anna.

You are a part of the women’s skateboard history story now. Is that weird or exciting?

Wow! That’s kind of wild to think about! It’s funny because when I finished my thesis in 2003, it felt so contemporary. I never imagined it would be a historical document to reference, but now it is. And I guess that’ll be the same scenario with the book. It’s exciting.

Natalie has been doing publicity for the book, and it’s really cool to hear, in her own voice, break down the process, ideas, and trials of bringing this to life. If you haven’t done it already, buy the book now.

Check out Natalie on Mostly Skateboarding (September 14, 2025). Mostly Skateboarding is led by Templeton Elliot, who worked at the Skateboard Mag and has done so much for skateboarding in general.

You can also hear Natalie on Beyond Boards: Episode 105. If you aren’t aware of the awesome work that Quentin Delille is doing with Beyond Boards, it’s time to catch up, and Natalie’s episode is as good a place to start as any.

What others are saying about Natalie’s new book…

“A take-everywhere-and-read-it book that is an accomplished and accessible piece of research. Each chapter — which showcases the personal reflections, anecdotes, and backstories of remarkable women — is a banger. All thriller, no filler. Natalie Porter shreds through the grip-taped ceiling, which has often held back or obscured women’s contributions in skateboarding.” — Dr. Indigo Willing, sociologist and lead researcher of Skate, Create, Educate and Regenerate and co-author of Skateboarding, Power and Change

“With sharp research and a keen eye for the overlooked change-maker, Natalie Porter masterfully presents stories that document the fact that women have always been skateboarding, despite being routinely left out of the narrative. Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides entertains and enlightens — a must read.” — Betsy Gordon, curator of Ramp It Up: Skateboarding Culture in Native America and co-author of Four Wheels and a Board: The Smithsonian History of Skateboarding

“Reading Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides grounded me in a history I never knew I was part of. Natalie Porter has revealed just how many women came before me who built scenes, shaped culture, and pushed boundaries. This book reclaims a legacy that was always there but had been buried or erased. Thank you, Natalie, for giving us back our past and lighting the way forward.” — Annie Guglia, Olympic skateboarder