Victoria Noe
Thanks for joining me here. I’m Victoria Noe. I came to writing rather late in life. In fact, it’s my fourth career.
I moved to Chicago in 1977 after grad school to work in the vibrant Off-Loop theatre movement as a director, stage manager and administrator. By the mid 1980s, I’d segued into fundraising, writing grants and creating special events for arts, social service and AIDS organizations.
In the spring of 2006, I was deep into my third career as an educational sales rep to Chicago Public Schools, a business that allowed me the flexibility I needed after our daughter was born in 1994. At a coffeehouse around the corner from her school, over our usual green teas, I told my friend Delle Chatman that I had an idea for a book: stories of people who were grieving the death of a friend. As always she was supportive and enthusiastic, despite the fact that I’d never written a book before. She was also in remission from ovarian cancer. Six months after that conversation, she died.
It took a while to keep my promise. Now and then I’d hear her voice: “You wouldn’t have to worry about that if you’d write the damn book.” After a few false starts, I finally got serious in 2009, after a concussion ended my sales career. It was a steep learning curve, but I loved interviewing people who wanted nothing more than to honor friends whose lives impacted their own. I broke up the book into a series of six small ones, which became the Friend Grief series. At the time the first ones were published in 2013, there was little written about this kind of grief. The response was gratifying, and I assumed when the series finished that my writing career would be over. I was wrong.
I ran into Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy City Times, Chicago’s weekly LGBT paper, in the summer of 2011. To honor the 30th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic, she was running weekly essays from people in the community. She asked me to write one, too, about my experiences in the late 1980s-early 1990s. I was skeptical about whether I would even remember much; I’d burned out in 1994 when our daughter was born. But again, I was wrong. As soon as I sat down at the computer, the memories surged along with the emotions: loss, frustration, rage. That’s when I knew one of the books in the series would be about friends lost to AIDS.
That book brought me back to the AIDS community, not as a fundraiser this time, but a writer and activist. I soon found myself joining ACT UP/NY and participating in actions. My essay, “Long Term Survivor”, about those of us who lived through the dark, early days of the epidemic, won the 2015 Christopher Hewitt Award. I began writing and speaking about the emotional challenges faced by long-term survivors. But I still believed my writing career was winding down.
After listening to a panel presentation by the women of ACT UP/NY in 2015, I realized that the extensive literature of the AIDS epidemic ignored the accomplishments of women. And though some have acknowledged the critical involvement of lesbians, especially in the early years, none had focused on straight women. So, I went back to work.
In 2019, Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community gave long-overdue recognition to women around the world who have changed the course of hte epidemic, largely in obscurity. Like my other books, it was built on a solid base of personal interviews and archival research. And it forced me to tell my own story, too. It has been one of the great joys of my life to introduce these women to the world. Look for a second edition in September, 2025!
In late 2020, I started on a new book. I thought it would be a reworking and updating of the Friend Grief series, adding a few stories about COVID. But it evolved into a book just about people grieving friends lost during - but not only as a result of - COVID. What Our Friends Left Behind: Grief and Laughter in a Pandemic was released in September, 2023.
What's next? Unstoppable: Straight Women on the AIDS Frontlines - coming in September, 2025!
In addition to ACT UP/NY, I’m a member of Alliance of Independent Authors and Chicago Writers Association.
As I said, this is my fourth career. Will there be a fifth? Will I write more books? Or both? If you’re curious, join my Patreon group for all the latest on what I'm doing. If you prefer, sign up for my mailing list or follow me on Facebook or Bluesky. I promise whatever it is, it won’t be boring.
Thanks again for joining me here!
Upcoming Appearances/Events
Date | Venue | Address | ||||||
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Date:
June 7, 2025 10:00am - 3:00pm |
Venue: The Novel Book Fair |
Address:
310 W. Division St. Chicago, IL |
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Notes: Join me and other great Chicago authors to stock up for summer reading! | ||||||||
Date:
September 6, 2025 10:00am - 5:00pm |
Venue: US Conference on HIV/AIDS |
Address:
Washington, DC |
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Notes: Book launch for my next book! Details TBA! | ||||||||
Date:
September 14, 2025 3:00pm - 4:30pm |
Venue: Bureau of General Services Queer Division |
Address:
LGBT Center - 208 W. 13th St. New York, NY |
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Notes: Book launch! Join me for a lively conversation with Krishna Stone of GMHC! There will be food, too! | ||||||||
Recent Appearances/Events
Date | Venue | Address | ||||||
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Date:
May 5, 2025 9:00am - 3:00pm |
Venue: 2025 Women as the Face of AIDS 20th Anniversary Summit |
Address:
New York, NY |
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Notes: Krishna Stone from GMHC and I are presenting a workshop "'Hidden Figures': The Work of Straight Women in the HIV and AIDS Epidemic" at the 20th Anniversary Iris House Summit. | ||||||||
Date:
September 7, 2024 12:30pm - 3:00pm |
Venue: Printers Row Lit Fest |
Address:
Chicago Writers Association tent Chicago, IL |
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Notes: Join me at the Midwest's largest free outdoor lit fest! All of my books will be available for purchase at special Lit Fest prices! | ||||||||
Date:
August 24, 2024 10:00am - 2:00pm |
Venue: Local Author Fair - Elmhurst Public Library |
Address:
125 S. Prospect Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126 |
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Notes: Join me and a lot of other great local authors for the Elmhurst Public Library Author Fair! | ||||||||
Date:
June 23, 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm |
Venue: Chicago Women's History Center |
Address:
410 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 403 Chicago, IL |
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Notes: Join me for the first author event hosted by Chicago Women's History Center: a panel discussion on Chicago Women Writing about HIV/AIDS with Rae Lewis-Thornton and Rosa E. Martinez-Colon. | ||||||||
Date:
January 10, 2024 2:30pm CT - 3:30pm CT |
Venue: Grief Let's Talk About It Podcast |
Address:
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Notes: Talking about friend grief on Tony Lynch's Podcast. Watch on Streamyard with recording to follow. | ||||||||
Date:
November 12, 2023 2:30pm - 4:00pm |
Venue: The Lit Studio |
Address:
3726 W. Montrose Ave. Chicago, IL |
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Notes: Join me for my Chicago book launch, in conversation with Linda Bubon, co-founder of Women & Children First bookstore! Please RSVP:https://www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/event/site-event-what-our-friends-left-behind-victoria-noe | ||||||||
Date:
October 22, 2023 3:00pm - 4:30pm |
Venue: Bureau of General Services - Queer Division |
Address:
208 W. 13th St. New York, NY |
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Notes: Join me at the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division in the LGBT Center a book signing of What Our Friends Left Behind and a discussion of the impact of COVID on HIV/AIDS long-term survivors. I'll be joined by Charles Sanchez and all are welcome! | ||||||||
Date:
October 14, 2023 12:00pm - 5:00pm |
Venue: Write Women Book Fest Author Expo |
Address:
Comfort Inn Conf. Ctr., 4500 Crain Hwy. Bowie, MD |
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Notes: Come join me and dozens of amazing women writers at the Author Expo for a book signing and lots of swag! Discounted tickets when you use CODE: NEWSFLO2023 Tickets here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-write-women-book-fest-author-expo-reader-event-tickets-572092844097 | ||||||||
Date:
September 30, 2023 12:00pm - 4:00pm |
Venue: IWPA Fall Writer's Workshop - Oak Park Library (Maze branch) |
Address:
845 Gunderson Ave.I'l Oak Park, IL |
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Notes: Join me for the Illinois Women's Press Association Fall Writers Workshop. Presentations and networking for authors at any career level. I'll be one of the authors doing a reading from my new book. And it's free! | ||||||||
Date:
September 24, 2023 2:00pm - 3:30pm |
Venue: Nerinx Hall |
Address:
Webster Groves, MO |
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Notes: This is a private event | ||||||||
Date:
September 9, 2023 12:30pm - 3:00pm |
Venue: Printers Row Lit Fest |
Address:
Chicago Writers Association tent Chicago, IL |
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Notes: I'll be signing all my books in the CWA tent at Printers Row. More info at printersrowlitfest.org! | ||||||||
Date:
April 30, 2023 9:00pm ET - |
Venue: Friend Grief with Martie McNabb |
Address:
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Notes: Martie McNabb and I are once again leading a virtual gathering for the Global Grief Conference to discuss friend grief during COVID. | ||||||||
Date:
April 11, 2023 12:00am - |
Venue: Friend Grief Discussion |
Address:
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Notes: Interview on Kathy Gleason's "As I Live and Grieve" podcast, where we discuss the challenges of grieving friends during a pandemic. | ||||||||
Date:
January 18, 2023 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Venue: What Our Friends Left Behind |
Address:
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Notes: Join me and Martie McNabb for a virtual show and tell about our friends who died during COVID. Central time. | ||||||||
Date:
November 16, 2022 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Venue: "What Our Friends Left Behind" |
Address:
Virtual |
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Notes: Have you lost a friend during COVID? Join us to share stories about the friendships that shaped our lives, and how the pandemic complicated our grief. RSVP's strongly encouraged. | ||||||||
Date:
November 12, 2022 12:00pm - 3:00pm |
Venue: Schaumburg Township District Library Author Fair |
Address:
130 S. Roselle Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60193 |
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Notes: Join us for Schaumburg Library's annual local author fair! | ||||||||
Date:
November 5, 2022 10:00am - 1:00pm |
Venue: Sterling Public Library Author Fair |
Address:
102 W. 3rd St. Sterling, IL 61081 |
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Notes: Join us for Sterling's annual author fair! | ||||||||
Date:
September 11, 2022 10:00am - 2:00pm |
Venue: Printers Row Lit Fest |
Address:
Printers Row Chicago, IL |
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Notes: Join me in the Chicago Writers Association tent! I'll have all my books for sale. | ||||||||
Date:
July 23, 2022 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
Venue: Buddy Shop |
Address:
Chicago Cultural Center Chicago, IL |
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Notes: "Chicago Women Writing about HIV/AIDS" discussion | ||||||||
Date:
April 29, 2022 3:00pm - 4:30pm |
Venue: Let's Reimagine/Global Grief Conference |
Address:
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Notes: Join me and Marti McNabb for a free Show & Tale: Passed & Present about losing friends/family during COVID. RSVP is required.Time listed is CDT | ||||||||
Date:
January 5, 2022 TBA - |
Venue: World AIDS Museum and Educational Center |
Address:
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Notes: Spotlight Interview | ||||||||
Date:
December 1, 2021 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Venue: Show & Tale: HIV & AIDS |
Address:
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Notes: Time listed is Central Time | ||||||||
Date:
November 15, 2021 11:15am - 11:30am |
Venue: Write a Book - Learn the NEW Way to Grow Your Business and Gain More Customers! |
Address:
London |
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Notes: Time listed for my presentation is Central Time | ||||||||
Date:
September 12, 2021 10:00am - 2:00pm |
Venue: Printers Row Lit Fest |
Address:
Printers Row Chicago, IL |
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Notes: I'll be in the Chicago Writers Association tent with all my books. Join us! | ||||||||
Date:
September 12, 2021 5:00pm - 6:00pm |
Venue: Printers Row Lit Fest |
Address:
Printers Row Chicago, IL |
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Notes: "What We Learned in Our First Pandemic: Chicago Women Writing about AIDS" - Panel discussion with Tracy Baim, Rae Lewis-Thornton, and Heidi Stevens | ||||||||
Date:
July 27, 2021 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Venue: Let's Reimagine |
Address:
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Notes: "Grieving Friends During COVID" is a virtual conversation led by myself and Martie McNabb for anyone who has lost a friend during the pandemic. | ||||||||
Date:
July 24, 2021 11:00am - 4:00pm |
Venue: Bishop Hill Author Fair |
Address:
Bishop Hill, IL |
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Notes: | ||||||||
Date:
July 10, 2021 10:00am - 4:00pm |
Venue: Beachside Authorfest |
Address:
918 W. Main St. Lake Geneva, WI 53147 |
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Notes: Virtual appearance only | ||||||||
Date:
June 3, 2021 TBD - TBD |
Venue: Write More Light podcast |
Address:
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Notes: | ||||||||
Date:
April 17, 2021 12:00pm - 1:30pm PT |
Venue: "Reconnect!" Honoring Our Experience Zoom Gathering |
Address:
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Notes: Presentation on HIV long-term survivors and COVID | ||||||||


Blog Categories
- HIV
- women's history
- AIDS
- Friend Grief
- Friendship
- Grief
- Celebrity deaths
- grieving styles
- aging
- grieving
- George Harrison
- The Concert for George
- Names Project
- Disenfranchised grief
- Kenneth Doka
- “Family Ties”
- friends
- 9/11
- bereavement
- Valentine's Day
- Eric Clapton
- Facebook memorials
- men's grief
- Big Chill
- Delle Chatman
- Slides
- friendgrief
- cumulative grief
- Dying Matters
- end-of-life decisions
- Kathleen Pooler
- intuitive grieving
- survivor guilt
- gay community
- Longtime Companion
- grief support
- public grief
- Aurora Winter
- Elizabeth Taylor
- life stories
- online grief support
- StoryCorps
- Everybody's Talking About Surprises
- Kristina McMorris
- mass blogging day
- Caring Bridge
- FDNY
- Rudy Giuliani
- eulogies
- Fr. Mychal Judge
- father’s day
- types of grievers
- Memorial Day
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- International Friendship Day
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- Amy Dickinson
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- grief websites
- social media day
- Mesirow
- anger
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- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
- stages of grief
- National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
- ovarian cancer
- Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
- Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness
- Marines
- Medal of Honor
- Sgt. Dakota Meyer
- Winnie the Pooh
- 10th anniversary of 9/11
- Ground Zero
- British Gardens
- Damon DiMarco
- Tower Stories
- 110 Stories
- “The Guys”
- genealogy
- Story Corps
- Voices of September 11
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- “Living in the Material World”
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- 50/50 movie
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- holidays
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- complicated grief
- Michael J. Fox
- “The Lives They Lived”
- New York Times
- World AIDS Day
- Davy Jones
- girlfriends
- Deanna Watson
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- Jeff Zaslow
- boomers
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- Huffington Post
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- Patricia Smith
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- loss
- virtualdavis
- Google+
- Cup of Joe for a Joe
- Green Beans Coffee
- social media
- virtual friends
- instrumental grieving
- first responders
- nuns
- Dr. Beth Erickson
- Dr. Karen Gail Lewis
- Anna Quindlen
- memoir
- Plenty of Cake
- Justyna Palka
- Karl Sprague
- The Short Distance
- Jeanne Veillette Bowerman
- Ramblings of a Recovered Insecureaholic
- Slavery by Another Name
- Hospice of the Valley
- Legacy.com
- Marty Tousley
- Aurora
- shootings
- high school
- reunions
- AIDS Quilt
- birthdays
- Creativity and Crisis
- Smithsonian Folkways Festival
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- Fr. Michael Duffy
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- United in Anger
- Ringo Starr
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- How to Survive a Plague
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- internet
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- Nelson Mandela
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- Pride Parade
- Belgrade
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- Tim Hetherington
- Which Way is the Front Line From Here?
- Hadiya Pendleton
- Our House
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- The Last One
- Audrey Tautou
- Delicacy
- funerals
- ThrowbackThursday
- Chicago Tribune
- Metropolis Coffee
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Jared Leto
- Matthew McConnaughey
- Afghanistan
- William Swenson
- Glencoe
- music
- National Suicide Awareness Month
- Stop Soldier Suicide
- New York City
- NYPD
- Audrey Pellicano
- Madeline Sharples
- storytelling
- Idina Menzel
- If/Then
- #BEA14
- Author Hub
- Friend Grief and the Military
- NYC
- self-publishing
- BGSQD
- moral injury
- Army
- Captain Jennifer Moreno
- Kyle White
- CAPS
- Printers Row Lit Fest
- Arthur M. Fischman
- Meryl Ain
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- The Living Memories Project
- American Women Veterans
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- grief police
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- Sean Strub
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- shaming
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- Josephine Stewart
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- teaching
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- baseball
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- editing
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- CarePartners
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- Trudy James
- AIDS/Lifecycle
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- Susan Freed
- interviewing
- Rebecca Skloot
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- The Muse and the Marketplace
- HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day
- Gays Against Guns
- research
- Hamilton
- marketing
- Jessica Cage
- Oswego
- Penned Con
- Success
- Las Vegas
- Librarians
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- terrorist attacks
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- Luvvie Ajayi
- Nasty Women
- Pat McKinzie
- Jeremy McCarter
- John McPhee
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Rania Zeithar
- word of the year
- Gus Kenworthy
- Pip Kenworthy
- Winter Olympics
- Paul Bauer
- Police
- Rachel Maddow
- Rebecca Makkai
- The Great Believers
- Alliance of Independent Authors
- Build Book Buzz
- Big Gay Ice Cream
- Bosie Tea Parlor
- IndieLab
- PenAmerica
- To Absent Friends
- Savoy Hotel
- Bonaventure House
- Armistead Maupin
- binge-reading
- Tales of the City
- Peter Tork
- Andrew Velez
- A&U Magazine
- TPAN
- Stonewall Inn
- Nursing
- US Conference on AIDS
- Carol D. Marsh
- Nurses on the Inside
- Remaking a Life
- Taking Turns
- COVID-19
- coronavirus
- CALOR
- Rosa E. Martinez-Colon
- Krishna Stone
- #PublishingPaidMe