This guide identifies manuscript collections and rare book collections that may be useful for scholars and researchers of LGBT studies and the history of sexuality in the U.S. Some of the entries are related to LGBT people and may be useful for studying specific LGBT histories. Other collections are not related to LGBT individuals, though they can inform research related to gay and lesbian life, literature, and political activism. For example, there is a growing academic interest in the presence of homosexuality and its influence on the art, literature, entertainment, and Black community in general in 1920s and ‘30s Harlem. We have several collections related to the Harlem Renaissance that offer insight into the people and culture of that time and place.
Researchers should also consult other resource guides in MARBL, particularly the Manuscript Sources for Women’s History, which contains collections related to feminist history and women’s activism that are not included in this guide. Also, an LGBT Studies research guide can be found online at http://web.library.emory.edu/subjects/studies/LGBT/lgbtsubjectguide.htm.
Another excellent research guide for secondary sources in a wide variety of subject areas is the New York Public Library’s Gay and Lesbian Studies Research Guide:
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/grd/resguides/gay.html
This guide is not intended to be a complete finding aid to the collections. It serves as a preliminary research tool, providing a brief description of holdings with basic information on size, inclusive dates, types of records, and broad subject areas. More detailed descriptions of the sources listed below are available in the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) and through EUCLID, the Emory Libraries’ online catalog. EUCLID contains bibliographic records for the majority of the manuscript collections held in MARBL as well as books and other printed material available at Emory University. EUCLID is accessible through the Internet at http://www.library.emory.edu. Finding aids for the manuscript sources are also available through MARBL's Web site at http://marbl.library.emory.edu/FindingAids/index.html. Please note that some collections may not yet have finding aids available and that this site is a work in progress.
Please note that not all manuscript collections are housed in MARBL. Some collections are located at an off-site storage facility and must be requested in advance. In addition, some collections have access restrictions. Researchers are encouraged to contact MARBL to insure that materials will be available. We are also happy to pull materials in advance of a research visit.
Auden, W. H. (Wystan Hugh), 1907-1973 (MSS 1046)
The collection; 1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Wystan Hugh Auden, a poet, was born in York, England, on February 21, 1907, to George Augustus (a medical officer) and Constnace Rosalie (a nurse) Auden. He attended Christ Church, Oxford, from 1925-1928, then served as a schoolmaster in England and Scotland from 1930 to 1935. In 1935 Auden married Erika Mann, a writer and the daughter of Thomas Mann, so that she could gain British Citizenship and escape Nazi Germany. Although the two never lived together, they remained married until Mann's death in 1969. In 1939, two years after he was awarded the King's Gold Medal for poetry, Auden left England for the United States, becoming a citizen in 1946. During the 1940s he won numerous prizes for his work, including two Guggenheim fellowships, a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and a National Medal for Literature from the National Book Committee. Between 1940 and 1961 Auden also served as a faculty member at numerous academic institutions, including the University of Michigan, Swathmore College, Bryn Mawr College, Bennington College, Barnard College, Smith College, and Oxford University. Throughout his career he collaborated with other artists including Christopher Isherwood and Louis MacNeice, and frequently produced libretti for musical works by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Mozart with his companion, Chester Kallman. Auden died in Vienna on September 28, 1973, and was buried near his summer home in Kirchstetten, Austria.
The collection consists of the papers of W.H. Auden, papers by others given to Auden, and publications about Auden's life and work from 1934 to 1988. Amongst these items are scripts for essays read over German radio by Auden in the 1960s, typescripts of two class lectures given by Auden, a large range of newspaper clippings of essays and poems by Auden, as well as reviews and commentary by other critics and readers of his work, and numerous programs for performances of Auden's plays and librettos in both the United States and England.
Also included in the collection is a preliminary agreement between the American Library of World Literature, W.H. Auden, and Anne Fremantle for "Protestant Mysticism," later published as The Protestant Mystics. Additional items include Chester Kallman's high school yearbook, correspondence from Elizabeth Sewell, George Martin, and Thekla Clark, a typescript with holograph corrections of the interview Auden gave to Arion, the corrected typescript of Auden's speech accepting the National Book Award, and fragments of texts by other writers and critics which Auden collected.
BALDWIN, JAMES (MSS 949)
Letters to David Moses, 1971-1983; .25 linear ft. (1 box)
James Baldwin (1924-1987) was born and raised in Harlem, New York. At age 14, Baldwin became a preacher at a small church in Harlem. Baldwin graduated from high school in 1942 and eventually moved to Greenwich Village. His focus shifted from religion to writing, and he became involved with other writers of the time, including Richard Wright. In 1948, fed up with America’s racism and homophobia, Baldwin moved to France, where he gained enough distance to write about the America he knew. Baldwin began living part-time in New York in 1957 and became an active participant in the civil rights movement. In the early 1960s, he moved back to the United States and continued to be an important voice for equality and universal brotherhood through his writing and his activism. His works have been noted for their homoerotic themes, as well as for their reflection of Baldwin’s views on social justice and inequality.
The collection consists of correspondence from Baldwin to David Moses from 1971-1983. They met at a party when Moses was twenty-one. From then on, Baldwin served as friend, mentor, and confidante to Moses. The letters from Baldwin to Moses span more than a decade and address personal and professional matters, including Baldwin’s current writing projects, as well as his health. The letters also offer insight into the creative, financial, and political challenges of writing and publishing.
BILLOPS, CAMILLE AND JAMES V. HATCH (MSS 927)
Archives; 19.5 linear ft. (39 boxes)
Camille Billops (1933- ) filmmaker and artist, has had an extensive exhibition, teaching, and academic career. Since 1968, she has been the art editor of Indiana State University’s Black American Literature Forum. James V. Hatch (1928- ), theatre historian, has held numerous academic positions, most notably as Professor of English and Theatre, City College and University of New York (1965-1993). With the rise of the civil rights movement and a concomitant increase in racial consciousness, a demand rose for courses in black American art, drama and literature. Billops and Hatch found that very little had been published on the history of the African American cultural arts, and much that had been published was out of print. They began collecting primary materials for their students. Billops began to photograph the works of black artists in exhibitions and private collections. Hatch began to collect published and unpublished plays, set designs, theater programs, and historical and biographical works. They also assembled a library of books, periodicals and clippings related to black cultural arts. Their work and their archives shed new light on movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, the role of black musicians, and the careers of filmmakers, actors, sculptors, photographers, animators, choreographers, vocalists, and painters. The thriving gay and lesbian subculture of the Harlem Renaissance influenced the broader community and culture and necessarily participated in this production of art, music, and literature. A complete set of the journal, Artist and Influence, is a part of the Emory collection.
BRICKTOP (MSS 831)
Papers, 1890-1932; 2 linear ft. (4 boxes, 1 oversized paper)
Bricktop (1894-1984), international cabaret performer and nightclub owner in Paris, Mexico City, and Rome, was born Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith, in Alderson, West Virginia, on August 14, 1894. A natural performer, Bricktop (so-named because of her red hair) began doing local song-and-dance shows as a teenager. She moved to Paris in 1924, where she performed for almost two decades, garnering international fame with the first in a series of “Bricktop’s” clubs. Bricktop went on to open clubs in Mexico and Rome and remained a sought-after international personality until her death in the U.S. on February 1, 1984. She ran gay clubs in Paris and New York and was friend and supporter of many lesbian and gay figures in the entertainment world. The collection consists of the papers of Bricktop from 1890-1982 (bulk 1950-1967). The papers include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, religious documents, financial records, legal documents and general ephemera.
Note: Related materials are held in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library.
CARMICHAEL, JAMES V., SR. (MSS 576)
Papers, 1913-1982; 42.5 linear ft. (87 boxes, 4 bound volumes, 24 oversized bound volumes, 71 oversized folders (no OP1, 45, 59-66), 1 oral history)
James V. Carmichael, Sr., graduate of Emory University (LL.B. 1933), practiced law in Marietta, Georgia (1933-1943; 1946). He served two terms as a Georgia legislator (1935-1940), and was a candidate for governor (1946). His papers include writings of his son, James V. Carmichael, Jr., who has worked extensively in the areas of library history and gay and lesbian studies.
CARMICHAEL, JAMES V., JR. (MSS 925)
Papers, 4 linear ft. (8 boxes)
James V. Carmichael, Jr. (1946- ), received his B.A. (1969) and Masters of Librarianship (1977) from Emory University, specializing in American Library History. He is Professor of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where his scholarship has focused on library history and gender and sexuality in librarianship. The collection includes correspondence, speeches, presentations, and printed material related to his work on gay publishing, male librarians, and gay and lesbian issues in the library.
CRAIG, CALVIN (MSS 612)
Papers, 1957-1975; 3 linear ft. (3 boxes, 1 oversized paper)
The collection consists of papers of Calvin Fred Craig from 1957-1975. The papers primarily pertain to Craig's involvement in the Ku Klux Klan, particularly while serving as its Grand Dragon. Materials include Klan broadsides, brochures, bulletins, and press releases, constitution and by-laws; membership and information cards; minutes and notes, printed material, photographs, and memorabilia. There are also materials related to the Klan’s opposition to homosexuality and “sex deviants,” as well as information regarding civil rights activism among lesbian feminist organizations.
CRAWFORD, MATT N. AND EVELYN GRAVES (MSS 882)
Papers and Library, ca. 1932-1967; 9.75 linear ft. (20 boxes, 8 oversized papers)
The Matt N. and Evelyn Graves Crawford papers include organization files, writings, collected printed materials, subject files, personal papers and Langston Hughes materials. The Langston Hughes materials include fifty-six items of correspondence to both Matt and Evelyn Crawford (1932-1967) and writings, including typescripts of Hughes’s works of poetry, prose, drama and music. Many of the items are signed; some include dedication notes. There is also a small collection of printed materials relating to Hughes as well as one publicity photograph (1932). It has been argued that homosexuality was an important influence on Hughes’s literary imagination and that many of his poems may be read as gay texts. His own sexual identity has been a point of much debate among Hughes scholars and biographers, as he never explicitly addressed the issue.
DUFFY, CAROL ANN (MSS 834)
Papers, 1985-1999; 4.75 linear ft. (7 boxes)
One of Britain’s most highly regarded poets, Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1955 and grew up in Staffordshire in the north of England. After graduating from Liverpool University in Philosophy, Duffy moved to London and published her first collection of poetry, Fifth Last Song, in 1983. In 1993 she won the Whitbread and the Forward prizes for Mean Time, and in 1995 she was awarded the OBE. Most of her love poems’ subjects are of unspecified gender. An exception is Oppenheim’s Cup and Saucer in Selected Poems (1994), which describes a lesbian seduction. In Café Royal in Mean Time (1993), male homosexuality is explored in a commemoration of Oscar Wilde. Duffy lives in Manchester with her partner, poet Jackie Kay. The collection consists of 18 notebooks dating from 1985 to 1999 containing drafts of poems and other writings from each of Duffy’s published works.
DUNAWAY, KATHRYN FINK (MSS 618)
Papers, 1951-1981; 15 linear ft. (15 boxes)
Dunaway (ca. 1906-1980) was a political activist from Atlanta who served as chairman of the STOP ERA Committee of Georgia. Her papers contain correspondence, subject files, and printed material focusing on women's issues. The collection also includes material on the STOP ERA Committee of Georgia, Georgia Federation of Republican Women, and Daughters of the American Revolution. Materials of particular interest are related to lesbian feminist organizations in Minnesota.
EMORY UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES. PRESIDENT’S COMMISSION ON LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER CONCERNS AT EMORY UNIVERSITY (RG 101/Series 28)
Records, 1992-1999; 2 linear ft. (2 boxes)
The President’s Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Concerns at Emory University is an advisory body to the President of the University. The records of the Commission consist of general committee records, subcommittee records, and clippings, the bulk of which were created from 1992-1994 prior to the beginning of the Commission.
GEORGIA WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION (MSS 647)
Records, 1888-1982; 26 linear ft. (58 boxes, 67 oversized folders, 2 audio cassettes)
The first Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in Georgia was founded in Atlanta after Eliza Stewart, one of those instrumental in the 1874 founding of the national WCTU, spoke to a group of Atlanta temperance advocates. After the initial contact, other national WCTU organizers, including Frances E. Willard, visited cities and towns throughout the state. By 1883 there were enough unions in the state to organize the Georgia Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The WCTU as a whole was primarily a temperance organization, but because its leaders, if not its members, identified alcohol as a root of most social ills, they participated in many of the social reform movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of particular interest are items related to moral reform and the moral education of children. While homosexuality is not explicitly addressed, the rhetoric of “natural” sexual development and warnings against moral degradation are reminiscent of the campaigns against homosexuality during the same time period.
HAMES, MARGIE PITTS (MSS 825)
Papers, 1969-1993; 98 linear ft. (117 boxes)
Margie Pitts Hames practiced law in Atlanta from 1962 until her death in 1993. After receiving her B.S. at Middle Tennessee State University, Hames attended Vanderbilt University School of Law where she received her J.D. in 1961. After graduation she worked with Fisher and Phillips in Atlanta on labor-management relations. She left the firm in 1968 and the following year began volunteer work for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a Ford Foundation project that worked to prevent confrontations between civil rights demonstrators and police. She opened her own firm in 1971. Hames actively engaged in cases involving abortion rights, women's rights, school desegregation, employment discrimination, gay rights, workers compensation, personal injury, social security claims, domestic relations, criminal defense, medical malpractice, defense, educational rights for gifted and disabled children, and general civil litigation.
Note: Special restrictions apply: some of the case files contain materials which may be restricted due to privacy issues- such files will need to be reviewed by an archivist before access is allowed.
HANSON, KENNETH O. (MSS 945)
Collection, 1945-1979; .25 linear ft. (1 box)
Kenneth O. Hanson (1922- ), American poet, was born in Shelley, Idaho. He attended University of Idaho (B.A., 1942) and University of Washington (1946-1954). He is currently professor of literature and the humanities at Reed College (Portland, Oregon), where he has taught since 1954. The collection includes correspondence with gay poet James Merrill.
HARRISON, EMILY STEWART (MSS 556)
Papers, 1829-1979; 17.25 linear ft. (35 boxes, 20 oversized folders, 1 oral history)
Harrison (1874-1973) was a teacher, journalist and environmentalist from Atlanta, Ga. The collection contains personal and business correspondence, writings, printed material, legal and financial records, and photographs documenting Harrison's work in rural and progressive education and environmental protection. The collection includes four decades of correspondence with Harrison’s good friend, Charlotte Hopkins. While the series holds only letters from Hopkins, this extensive and frequent correspondence provides a picture of an intense friendship as well as Hopkins’ reactions to Harrison’s visits.
JACKSON, DELILAH (MSS 923)
Papers, 1852-2001; 26.25 linear ft. (54 boxes, 62 oversized papers)
A life-long resident of Harlem, Delilah Jackson has collected photographs, correspondence, films, and scrapbooks of artists and performers of the Harlem Renaissance. The collection includes oral history interviews of many well-known entertainers, as well as souvenirs and other ephemera that she has collected over the years.
The Harlem Renaissance saw the emergence of a vibrant gay and lesbian subculture, and
many musicians and entertainers openly challenged traditional notions of gender and sexuality. For example, the collection includes a photograph of Phil Black, one of the many female impersonators of the time who were well received by both gay and straight audiences.
LOWE, DAVID (MSS 1072)
Papers, 1988-1992; 2 linear ft. (2 boxes)
David attended Emory from 1988 through 1992 and was very active in Emory's LGBT community. He was an officer of Emory's Lesbian and Gay Organization at that time called "ELGO". He helped coordinate the first display of the NAMES Project quilt at Emory, successfully lobbied for a distribution box at the DUC for Atlanta's GLBT newspaper, Southern Voice and narrowly lost the election for SGA president as an out gay man.
While a student at Emory, David was also a leader of ACT-UP Atlanta. The collection also holds materials relating to his AIDS activism in Atlanta in the late '80's and early 90's, including stickers, shirts, pins and other ephemera, photos, meeting minutes, and demonstration plans. He was arrested several times for his AIDS protests in which he raided the CDC, CNN and the capital in downtown Atlanta. At one memorable protest of the Southern Baptist Convention, the then Vice-Chair wrote a letter to the president of Emory, demanding his expulsion. Instead of expelling him, Emory honored him with a Humanitarian Award.
McCULLERS, CARSON (MSS 668)
Collection, 1941-1961; .25 linear ft. (1 box)
The collection of this Southern author consists of correspondence, articles, reviews, critical works, a biography, and some of her literary works. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from McCullers (1917-1967) to her friend, composer David Diamond, from her homes in Columbus, Ga., and Nyack, N.Y., and from the Yaddo Writers Colony. Letters discuss her family, her work (especially Member of the Wedding), and her relationship with her husband, Reeves McCullers. Known primarily as a Southern gothic author, McCullers has also been known for the ambiguous gender and sexuality categories present in both her work and her personal life.
McMILLAN, LOUISE (MSS 875)
Papers, ca. 1900-1950; 6 linear ft. (12 boxes)
Emma Louise McMillan was born October 28, 1890, and was raised in Marion, South Carolina. After high school, she attended Limestone College, a women’s school in Gaffney, South Carolina. After leaving Limestone (poor health kept her from completing her degree), Louise went on to attend the Baptist Women’s Missionary Union Training School in Kentucky, where she received nursing training. She worked briefly as a nurse and as a teacher before settling in Marion, where she lived the rest of her life with her sister. The extensive letters from her sister, college friends, and other family members offer insight into their thoughts on women’s education, suffrage, marriage, and business and financial matters. Of particular interest are the letters from various Limestone students, which describe the homosocial world of the women’s college and the intimate friendships that thrived there. There are also letters related to the lives and relationships of women who chose not to marry.
MERRILL, JAMES INGRAM (MSS 1001)
Collection, 1923-2000; 1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
James Ingram Merrill (1926-1995), American author and poet, was born in New York City on March 3, 1926 to Charles Merrill and Hellen Ingram Merrill. Merrill attended Amherst College, graduating in 1947 after serving briefly in the United States Army during World War II. Following graduation, Merrill taught at Bard College for a year before turning to writing and publishing. His 1966 collection of poems, Nights and Days, won the National Book Award. He earned numerous awards for his poetry, including the Bollingen Prize for Braving the Elements (1972), the Pulitzer Prize for Divine Comedies (1976), and a second National Book Award for Mirabell (1978). Merrill died of AIDS on February 6, 1995.
The collection contains materials related to James Ingram Merrill from 1923-2000. It includes correspondence, drafts of writings, photographs, tributes, and audiovisual material. Correspondence, photographs, and other papers collected by Hellen [Ingram Merrill] Plummer, James Merrill's mother, form the majority of the collection. Her correspondence contains letters and drafts of poetry written by James Merrill. The correspondence of Charles Crawford, a family friend, also contains correspondence from Merrill. The remainder of the collection includes correspondence of James Merrill to other individuals, a few scattered drafts of poems, memorial service programs, and video and sound recordings of Merrill reading his poetry and tribute services following his death.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK AND WHITE MEN TOGETHER (MSS 1071)
Records, 1980-1999; 1 linear ft. (1 box)
The National Association of Black and White Men Together (NABWMT) is a gay multiracial, multicultural, political and social organization founded in 1980. The organization, made up of numerous local chapters, holds social functions, discussion groups, and an annual conference.
The collection contains organizational records and newsletters from the National Association from circa 1980-1999. The collection also includes documents and newsletters produced by many of their local chapters including Atlanta where the founder of the organization lived until his death in 1990.
Neighbor's Network (MSS 1009)
Records, 1992-1996; 37 linear ft. (37 boxes)
Unprocessed Collection - Please contact MARBL in advance to see this collection.
The Neighbor's Network was an Atlanta community group that monitored local hate group activity from the 1980's to the 1990's. The collection contains the records of the Neighbor's Network from ca. 1980-2000. The collection inludes organizational records, monitoring reports on hate activies, photographs of hate group activities and collected pulbications.
There is no finding aid available at this time.
NETWORK Q (FIRM) (MSS 1010)
Records, 1992-1996; 37 linear ft. (37 boxes)
Network Q was the first weekly program about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals to be shown on public television. During the first two years of Network Q, the program was a subscription series of video tapes, and by 1994 they were being broadcast on 10 PBS stations across the country. By the end of their broadcast in 1996, they were being seen in all 50 states and in 11 foreign countries.
The program’s topics ranged from interviews with important national figures such as Allen Ginsberg and Martin Duberman, to more underground community based programming such as the Mr. International Leather Contest. Some of the more important programs for the gay and lesbian movement were the episodes devoted to the 1993 March on Washington, and the world’s largest display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Each program focused on a different city, and included profiles of openly gay activists and artist, book, film and theater reviews and other topics of interest to the gay and lesbian community.
The research aspect of Network Q goes beyond queer studies and the gay rights movement, by allowing students and researchers of film studies programs an in depth look at the entire process of television and film creation. For each episode, the collection consists of initial planning documents, correspondence with city officials and episode guests, travel itineraries, episode planners, location and production stills, unedited original footage, the edited film and the final product.
O'CONNOR, FLANNERY (MSS 59)
The Flannery O'Connor Collection;
1 linear ft. (2 boxes) and 2 oversized papers (OP)
This artificial collection of Flannery O'Connor letters, manuscripts, and printed items has been assembled from various sources (gifts and purchases) over many years. The earliest two items (circa 1937) relate to a childhood trip to Atlanta. The Dora Byron accession (3 items) relates to a proposed television appearance which O'Connor declined and to a reading she delivered at an adult evening course at Emory University around 1956. Also present are two photocopies of letters to Frank Daniel, letters to and from Marvin Whiting regarding a class visit to O'Connor's home, and two manuscripts of talks O'Connor delivered on the subject "How the Writer Writes" and "the problem of the southern writer." Also present is correspondence exchanged between David Estes (former Head of Special Collections) and O'Connor regarding her own personal papers.
In a series of eight letters to Joel Wells of the Critic magazine O'Connor discusses her own writing, the writing of others (James Gould Cozzens and J.F. Powers), an interview of O'Connor that appeared in the Critic, and other subjects. O'Connor's letters to Fred Darsey discuss a wide range of subjects from Darsey's flight from the hospital in Milledgeville, her own religious faith, Darsey's writing, her work, health, and daily farm life.
The collection also includes a series of letters between Robert Jiras, Flannery O'Connor, Regina O'Connor, and various film agents and producers (1956-1971) regarding a proposed film adaptation by Robert Jiras of O'Connor's short story "The River." This grouping also contains Jiras' story outline, a rough draft of the screenplay and a final copy of the screenplay.
O'CONNOR, FLANNERY (MSS 1064)
Letters to Betty Hester, 1955-1964; 1 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Born in Savannah, Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) moved to Milledgeville, Georgia, after the death of her father in 1941. She published her first short story, “Geranium,” in the literary magazine Accent in 1946. She went on to publish two novels, Wise Blood in 1952 and The Violent Bear it Away in 1960 and continued to produce short stories, most notably the collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955). She received numerous awards during her relatively short career, including grants from the Ford Foundation and the National Academy of Arts and Letters.
The collection includes a significant cache of letters from Flannery O'Connor to Betty Hester which spans nine years, from 1955 to 1964, and offers insight into O'Connor's approach to her faith and to her writing. There are approximately 250 letters and the majority of them are written from Milledgeville at a rate of 2-3 times a month. Reflecting the intellectual nature of their exchanges, the letters contain references to writers, philosophers, and psychologists, including Thomas Aquinas, Sigmund Freud, Caroline Gordon, Graham Greene, Baron Friedrich von Hugel, Henry James, Robert Lowell, Francois Mauriac, Katherine Anne Porter, Bryon Reece, and Simone Weil.
PATTERSON, LOUISE THOMPSON (MSS 869)
Papers and Library, 1909-1996; 17.5 linear ft. (34 boxes, 3 oversized folders, 1 bound volume)
Louise Alone Thompson Patterson (1901-1999) was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, the Black cultural and artistic movement in the 1920’s and 1930’s. She led a march in Washington, D.C. for the “Scottsboro Boys” in the 1930s and headed the Angela Davis Defense Fund in the 1970s. Of particular interest in the Louise Thompson Patterson papers are the materials pertaining to Patterson’s relationship with the Communist Party and files relating to her friendship with Langston Hughes from 1932 until his death. It has been argued that homosexuality was an important influence on Hughes’s literary imagination and that many of his poems may be read as gay texts. His own sexual identity has been a point of much debate among Hughes scholars and biographers, as he never explicitly addressed the issue. The Langston Hughes materials consist of correspondence, writings, and a small group of items about Langston Hughes.
The Patterson book library has been catalogued in EUCLID; titles may be located using Louise Thompson Patterson as an author search term.
PAULEY, FRANCES (MSS 659)
Papers, 1919-1992; 52.5 linear ft. (98 boxes, 3 oversized boxes, and 8 oversized folders)
Activist Frances Freeborn Pauley (1905-2003) began her social work during the Depression, and went on to serve as president of Georgia's League of Women's Voters. Pauley actively fought to keep Georgia schools open after the Brown v. Board of Education of 1954. She also worked with the Georgia Poverty Rights Organization. She was extensively involved in the civil rights movement in Georgia, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. More recently in the 1990s, Pauley worked with issues regarding the homeless, gay rights, and AIDS.
SMITH, LILLIAN EUGENIA (MSS 491)
Papers, 1940-1962; .75 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was an author from Clayton, Georgia who wrote the controversial novel Strange Fruit in 1944. Smith was also a supporter of the civil rights movement and served on the Congress of Racial Equality. She and her partner Paula Snelling edited and published the literary magazine South Today. This collection includes miscellaneous correspondence, speeches, articles, books, and newspaper clippings by and about Lillian Smith.
Note: The bulk of Smith’s papers are held at the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia.
SOUTHEASTERN ARTS, MEDIA, AND EDUCATION PROJECT (ATLANTA, GA.) (MSS 1015)
Records; 10.5 linear ft. (11 boxes)
The Southeastern Arts, Media & Education Project was started in 1984 with a mission to provide education and expression during the AIDS crisis. The organization sponsored plays, the Out on Film Festival, Amethyst (a literary magazine), the Arts for Pride festival, and other events. The gay newspaper, Southern Voice, was a part of the organization for its first two years. The collection consists of the records of the Southeastern Arts, Media & Education Project in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1986-1996. The collection includes correspondence, promotional materials and fliers related to Arts for Pride and the Out on Film festival, issues of Amethyst, newsletters, membership lists, grant applications, and board minutes. There is also a small amount of audio-visual material and photographs.
SPENDER, STEPHEN (MSS 838)
Papers, ca. 1940-1987; .25 linear ft. (1 box)
Poet Stephen Spender (1909-1995), born in London and educated at University College, Oxford, was mentored by gay poet W. H. Auden. Spender’s work includes, to some extent, complex themes of sexuality, and his personal relationships have garnered the attention of scholars in gay and lesbian studies. He edited Horizon with Cyril Connolly from 1939-1941 and then co-edited Encounter from 1953-1966. The collection contains correspondence of Spender during his editorships at both Horizon and Encounter, as well as some loose manuscripts of criticism and poems, a notebook, and a number of newspaper clippings about Spender (in Italian).
SPIVEY, VICTORIA (MSS 809)
Papers, ca. 1960-1976; 7.75 linear ft. (17 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
Victoria Spivey (1906-1976), African American blues artist, motion picture actress, and owner of Spivey Records, was born in Houston, Texas to Grant Spivey, a musician, and Addie Smith, a nurse. Her sisters Leona, Elton “Za Zu” and Addie “Sweet Peas” were also blues artists. At the age of 20 her first record, Black Snake Blues, was recorded in 1926 with Okeh Records. She recorded and performed in New York, Chicago, and Missouri through the 1930s with a range of prominent artists including Louis Armstrong, Lonnie Johnson, Lucille Hegamin, Dallas Tan Town Topics, Hunter’s Serenaders, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. After taking a semi-retirement in the 1950s, Spivey returned to performing in the United States and internationally in Europe and in 1962 began her own record company, Spivey Records. This collection consists of papers of Victoria Spivey and those gathered about Spivey by her last husband Len Kunstadt from ca. 1960-1976. The papers include personal, business, and biographical documents. Of particular interest are materials related specifically to blues music and artists, as there is a growing interest in the influence of gay and lesbian performers in the blues culture, as well as the themes of sexuality found in the music. The collection mainly documents the resurgence of her singing career and her involvement in Spivey Records.
STANSELL, ED W. (MSS 1065)
Papers, 1984-1997; 6 linear ft. (6 boxes, 2 oversized papers)
Ed (Edwin) W. Stansell, Assistant Dean at Emory University and gay rights activist.
The collection contains papers of Ed W. Stansell from 1984-1997, including posters, organizational records, and ephemera related to Stansell’s work with Atlanta, Georgia, gay rights activist and political organizations. Organizations represented in the collection include the Atlanta Campaign for Human Rights, AIDS Atlanta, Southeastern Arts Media Education Program, the Gay and Lesbian Rights Chapter of the ALCU of Georgia, the Greater Atlanta Political Awareness Coalition, and the Atlanta Lambda Community Center. The collection also contains material from the 1987 and 1993 marches in Washington, D.C.
WSB RADIO STATION (ATLANTA, GA) (MSS 663)
Collection, 1955-1980; 189 linear ft. (189 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
Licensed in 1922, WSB was the first radio station in the south. Originally owned by the Atlanta Journal, the station broadcast first from the roof of the newspaper's building, then from the Biltmore Hotel, and finally from the headquarters of WSB Radio and WSB-TV on West Peachtree Street. Governor James M. Cox of Ohio bought the Atlanta Journal and WSB Radio on 1939. The collection consists of sound recordings of news and other programming of WSB (Radio Station: Atlanta, Ga.) from the 1950s-1970s. Of particular interest are programs on gay bath houses, gay marriage/benefits, Anita Bryant, “Gays,” “Black Male Homosexuals,” and “A Different Lifestyle.”
Note: Restrictions on access and reproduction may apply.
The following is a list of publications relating to LGBT Studies that are held in MARBL:
AMETHYST: A JOURNAL FOR LESBIAN AND GAY MEN
Published in Atlanta by the Southeastern Arts, Media and Education Project. MARBL holds the complete run of this publication which began in 1987 and ran through 1997. The journal contains poetry, fiction and art by and about local artists in Atlanta. See also the Southeastern Arts, Media & Education Project records (MSS 1015) listed above.
MARBL's holdings consist of all 16 issues.
CHRISTOPHER STREET MAGAZINE
HQ75 .C48
Founded in 1976 and continuing until 1995, the monthly issues featured fiction, poetry, non-fiction, news, photography, and book reviews of interest to the gay community. This collection is not yet cataloged, however a title list is available for review to assist researchers in accessing the collection.
MARBL's holdings consist of210 of the 232 issues: Jul. 1976 - Apr. 1982; Jun. 1982 - Oct. 1983; Dec. 1983 - May 1994; No. 215 - No. 221; No. 224 - No. 229; No. 232.
FAG RAG
HQ75 .F35 1971
The Fag Rag which began in Boston Massachusetts was one of the earliest gay papers. There were three main people involved in this publication: Charles Shively, whose work and interviews appear prominently in most of the issues. Dennis Kelly who was a poet and whose work can be found in MARBL. The other so called founder of the Fag Rag was Ron Schreiber who was part of the Gay Liberation Front in the early to mid 1960. In 1966 he co-founded the publishing house Hanging Loose which still exists today.
MARBL’s holdings consist of 13 issues ranging from issue no. 2 in the Fall of 1971 through issue no. 29.
Gay Activist Newsletter
The official publication of the Gay Activist Alliance which was founded in New York City in December 1969 after the Stonewall riots. The Alliance was formed by dissident members of the Gay Liberation Front with the intent on forming a “non-violent” politically neutral, militant organization. The Alliance was most active from 1970 to 1974 and published the newspaper until 1980 and eventually dissolved the Alliance in October 1981.
MARBL’s holdings consist of 6 issues starting in May 1971 through March 1973.
Gay Male Pulp Fiction
This collection contains over 850 titles dating back to the early 50's. Many popular authors just as Joseph Hansen are included in this collection under their earlier pseudonym. This collection is not yet cataloged, however a title and author list is available for review to help with accessing this collection.
Gay Sunshine Journal
Started and published by Winston Leyland in the early 1970’s, the journal covered such “taboo” topics as gay sex history, politics and culture and included essays, poems and interviews from people such as Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Christopher Isherwood, and Gore Vidal to name just a few. In the mid 1970’s Mr. Leyland decided he wanted to do more, so he founded the Gay Sunshine Press and later in 1984 founded Leyland Publications. Winston Leyland was one of the most influential people in the post Stonewall gay liberation movement and many of the Gay Sunshine Press titles can also be found in MARBL.
MARBL’s holdings consist of a 34 issues ranging for issue no. 2 in 1970 through no. 46 in 1981.
Hag Rag
A lesbian feminist journal published in Milwaukee from 1986 to 1993. Each issue featured local news, political discussions, lesbian health articles along with television, film, and book reviews. A title list is available to assist researchers in accessing this collection.
James White Review
One of the leading queer publications of gay male literature, the James White Review began in 1983 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
MARBL’s holdings consist of 73 issues starting with Vol. 1, no. 1 through Vol. 21, no. 3 and 4.
The Ladder
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), considered to be the first lesbian rights organization was formed in San Francisco in 1955. The regular DOB publication was called The Ladder, started in 1956 with the help of ONE, Inc. and the Mattachine Society, with whom the DOB retained friendly relations. The magazine ceased publication in 1972. The name of the journal refers to Plato's pedagogic hierarchy, "the ladder of beauty".
MARBL’s holdings consist of 129 issues ranging from May 1957 through the final issue in September of 1972.
Mattachine Review
Started by the Mattachine Society's San Francisco chapter, this periodical focused on gay history and culture. The collection contains 41 issues of the magazine ranging from some of the earlist issues in 1955 through the early 60's. Although this collection is not yet cataloged, a title list is available to assist researchers in accessing the collection.
Metropolitan Community Church (MCC)
The First congregation was founded in Los Angeles in 1968 by the Rev. Troy Perry during a time when most Christian attitudes towards homosexuality were negative. Since that time MCC has grown to 250 affiliated churches in 23 countries.
MARBL’s holdings consist of the following regional MCC newsletters:
MCC Advance – Miami (5 issues from the late 60’s and early 70’s)
MCC News – Los Angeles (2 issues from the early 70’s)
Cross Currents – San Francisco (2 issues from the early 70’s)
Speaking Up – San Francisco (3 issues from the early 70’s)
One Magazine
ONE, Inc. was an early gay rights organization in the United States. The publication which emerged from the Mattachine Society focused on social, political and religious aspects of homosexuality. ONE Magazine’s first editors included founders of Mattachine Society and also the Knights of the Clock, a support group for inter-racial gay couples that begin during the 1950’s in Los Angeles.
ONE was incorporated on Nov. 15, 1952 by Tony Reyes, Martin Block, and Dale Jennings. Other founders were Merton Bird, W. Dorr Legg, Don Slater, and Chuck Rowland. Jennings and Rowland were also Mattachine Society founders.
In January 1953 ONE, Inc. began publishing ONE Magazine, the first U.S. pro-gay publication, and sold it openly on the streets of Los Angeles. In October 1954 the U.S. Postal Service declared the magazine 'obscene' and tried to have the magazine banned. ONE sued the U.S. Postal Service and won in 1958. The magazine continued until 1967.
MARBL’s holdings consist of 135 issues ranging from August 1953 through May 1966.
RFD
RFD is a reader-written magazine that focuses on queer country-living and alternative lifestyles. It was founded in 1974 and continues to publish its magazine on a quarterly basis from Liberty Tennessee. Over the course of its history, the publication and production of the various issues have been produced by the various RFD communities around the world, making it an internationally recognized publication. While the original plan was to focus on the lives of rural gay men to help build a since of community outside the larger cities, the magazine has evolved and is now associated with the Radical Faeries Movement.
MARBL’s holdings consist of a near complete run, beginning with the first issue, Autumn 1974.
Refugees from America: A Gay Manifesto
In 1970 Carl Whitman wrote what was to become one of the most important documents in the gay liberation movement. The Gay Manifesto. This is one of the original copies of that document and includes a typewritten preface by Whitman, written 4 months after the completion of the Manifesto.
Vector
Vector, based in San Francisco was published by The Society for Individual Rights (SIR) which formed in 1964. The initial magazines were simple newsletters format which provided a forum for discussion on gay politics and local trends in San Francisco. By 1968, SIR was the largest homophile organization in the country and the magazine took on a new glossy look and for the first time included a broader view of the movement that was underway.
MARBL’s holdings consist of a near complete run of this magazine beginning with the January 1965 issue and continuing through the July 1976 issue.
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