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{"value"=>"30060", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 642", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b22258368", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
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{"value"=>"1960-2005", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1960/2005"}
- unittitle
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{"value"=>"Cheryl Clarke papers"}
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{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"11 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"4.37 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
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{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Cheryl Clarke is a Black lesbian poet, writer, critic, scholar, and activist. This collection is a testament to her life's work as a Black, lesbian, feminist activist and demonstrates her commitment to promoting Black lesbian visibility and voices through writing as activism."}
- langmaterial
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{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
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{"value"=>"Clarke, Cheryl, 1947-", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
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{"value"=>"<p>Cheryl Clarke is a Black lesbian poet, writer, critic, scholar, and activist. She was born on May 16, 1947, and raised in Washington, D.C. At the age of sixteen, she participated in the 1963 March on Washington with her parents. Clarke attended Howard University from 1965-1969, at the height of the Black Power Movement, and she became interested in studying the concept of Blackness. After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in English, she attended graduate school at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. In 1974, she obtained a Master of Arts in English from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where she later earned a Master of Social Work in 1980, and a Doctorate degree in Literatures in English in 2000.</p> <p>As an active member of the Rutgers community since 1969, Clarke worked as director of the Office of Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities on the New Brunswick Campus from 1992-2009. She subsequently served as Dean of Students for the Livingston Campus until her retirement in 2013. As a member of the graduate faculty of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, she taught courses on Black women writers, the Black Freedom Movement, and LGBT Black writers of the AIDS epidemic.</p> <p>A prolific poet, essayist, and writer, Clarke is a central figure in the tradition of American Black lesbian poetry. She began writing poetry while studying at Howard University in the late 1960s, at the height of the Black Power and Black Arts Movements.</p> <p>In 1977, she became a member of the Combahee River Collective, a Boston-based Black feminist lesbian organization, and attended their first Black feminist retreat in July 1977. Clarke later became involved with Kitchen Table: Woman of Color Press, a feminist press founded by Barbara Smith in 1980. Smith, a Black lesbian feminist writer and member of the Combahee River Collective, was inspired by her friend Audre Lorde to create a press that would publish the work of women of color. Clarke contributed \"Lesbian: An Act of Resistance\" to <span class=\"title\">This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color</span> in 1982, which was republished in a second edition by Kitchen Table in 1983. In her essay, Clarke asserted that lesbianism was a radical act of political resistance against a white supremacist, heterosexist, and patriarchal society.</p> <p>In 1981, Clarke joined the Editorial Collective of <span class=\"title\">Conditions: A Feminist Magazine of Writing by Women with a Particular Emphasis on Writing by Lesbians</span>. <span class=\"title\">Conditions</span> was an annual literary journal founded in 1976 by Elly Bulkin, Jan Clausen, Irena Klepfisz, and Rima Shore that published the works of feminist and lesbian writers like Barbara Banks, Enid Dame, Audre Lorde, Chirlane McCray, Cherrie Moraga, Sapphire, and Shay Youngblood. During her time on the Editorial Collective, Clarke helped edit, proofread, and publish nine issues with the all-lesbian collective, which included Dorothy Allison, Jewelle Gomez, Carroll Oliver, Mirtha Quintanales, and Barbara Smith. Clarke served as a member of the Editorial Collective until 1990, when the magazine ceased publication.</p> <p>In 1982, Clarke self-published her first book of poetry, <span class=\"title\">Narratives: Poems in the Tradition of Black Women</span>, which was republished the following year through Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press. The poems in <span class=\"title\">Narratives</span> were staged as live performances from 1983 to 1985, by the Narratives Performing Company, a theatre company founded and directed by Clarke's sister, Breena Clarke, which included Linda Powell and Gwendolen Hardwick. Clarke's subsequent three poetry books, <span class=\"title\">Living as a Lesbian</span>, <span class=\"title\">Humid Pitch: Narrative Poetry</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Experimental Love</span>, were published by Firebrand Books, a feminist and lesbian publishing house established by Nancy K. Bereano in 1985. In 2006, Clarke released a collection of her works, <span class=\"title\">The Days of Good Looks: The Prose and Poetry of Cheryl Clarke, 1980-2005</span>.</p> <p> In addition to her poetry, Clarke is a prominent literary critic who has reviewed the work of other Black, lesbian, and feminist women writers such as Alice Childress, Alexis De Veaux, Audre Lorde, Paule Marshall, Toni Morrison, Cherry Muhanji, and Ann Petry. In 2004, she published <span class=\"title\">\"After Mecca\": Women Poets and the Black Arts Movement</span>, a critical monograph on the Black women writers of the Black Arts Movement based on her doctoral dissertation. Her essays, reviews, and articles have been published in journals such as <span class=\"title\">The Advocate</span>, <span class=\"title\">African American Review</span>, <span class=\"title\">Belles Lettres</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Black Scholar</span>, <span class=\"title\">Black Women's Fiction</span>, <span class=\"title\">Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters</span>, <span class=\"title\">Gay Community News</span>, <span class=\"title\">Lambda Book Report</span>, <span class=\"title\">Sinister Wisdom</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Soujourner: The Women's Forum</span>.</p> <p>Clarke's written work has been anthologized in <span class=\"title\">Black Like Us: A Century of African-American Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Fiction</span>, <span class=\"title\">Black Women's Blues: A Literary Anthology</span>, <span class=\"title\">Does Your Mama Know? An Anthology of Black Lesbian Coming Out Stories</span>, <span class=\"title\">Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology</span>, <span class=\"title\">I Do/I Don't: Queers on Marriage</span>, and <span class=\"title\">This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color</span>.</p> <p>In addition to her writing career, Clarke has been an active member of many Black, lesbian, LGBT, and feminist organizations in New York and New Jersey. She has served on the boards of New York Women against Rape (NYWAR), a non-profit rape crisis organization; the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the CUNY Graduate Center; the New Jersey Women and AIDS Network; the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice; the Lesbian Health and Research Center Advisory Board; and the Newark Pride Alliance. As an activist, Clarke has helped organize and participate in various conferences, institutes, and events for Black, LGBT and feminist organizations such as the James Weldon Johnson Institute Working Group at Emory University and the Festival of Woman Writers.</p>"}
- scopecontent
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{"value"=>"<p>The Cheryl Clarke papers, 1969-2005, document Clarke's career as a poet, writer, critic and scholar who served as magazine editor, academic administrator, and public speaker. The collection is a testament to her life's work as a Black lesbian, feminist activist and demonstrates her commitment to promoting Black lesbian visibility and voices through writing as activism.</p> <p>The collection consists largely of personal and professional correspondence and manuscripts, including drafts of her essays, articles, speeches, and poetry. The collection is organized into three series: Personal papers; Writing; and Professional papers.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Cheryl Clarke papers are arranged in three series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/30060#c1594271'>Personal papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>ca. 1974-2005</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Personal papers series contains a biographical file with resumes, bibliographies, and autobiographical statements, as well as article clippings about Clarke and her writings, speeches, and general professional work. The Correspondence subseries features personal and professional exchanges with prominent Black LGBT writers and activists such as Joseph Beam, Jewelle Gomez, Audre Lorde, and Barbara Smith, organized by correspondent, as well as a general collection of personal and professional correspondence.</p> <p>The Collected materials subseries consists of print media from various Black, feminist, LGBT, and political publications and organizations, including journals, magazines, newspapers, and booklets. The subseries is organized by publication and organization chronologically. Of note are a promotional booklet for the African Arts Fund, an organization founded, in 1985, to assist South African artists, and poet Amiri Baraka's manifesto, \"Afrikan Women Unite...to Struggle\", presented at the Afrikan Women's Conference in 1974. Also included are funeral programs and a general file of organizational literature and clippings.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/30060#c1594299'>Writing</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1969-2005</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Writing series comprises the bulk of the collection. This series contains drafts, professional correspondence, and clippings of Clarke's written work, including her poetry, articles, essays, scholarly reviews, and speeches, as well as the organizational records of <span class=\"title\">Conditions</span> Magazine.</p> <p>The Early works subseries features a typescript copy of \"The Life and Times of Assata Shakur, 1973-1977\", written for the New Brunswick Committee for the Defense of Assata; an annotated typescript draft of the essay \"Women, Blacks, Gays...the WAR Goes on...\", and correspondence with the editor of <span class=\"title\">Chrysalis: A Magazine of Women's Culture</span>.</p> <p>The Published works subseries, includes manuscripts, drafts, correspondence, reviews, and clippings related to her four books of poetry, <span class=\"title\">Narratives: Poems in the Tradition of Black Women</span> (1982), <span class=\"title\">Living as a Lesbian</span> (1986), <span class=\"title\">Humid Pitch: Narrative Poetry</span> (1989) and <span class=\"title\">Experimental Love</span> (1993), as well as her book of criticism, <span class=\"title\">\"After Mecca\": Women Poets and the Black Arts Movement</span> (2005), and her collected works, <span class=\"title\">The Days of Good Looks: The Prose and Poetry of Cheryl Clarke, 1980-2005</span> (2006). Additionally, there is a file for general poetry manuscripts.</p> <p>The Articles and essays subseries contains twenty-seven published articles and essays, organized chronologically by date, which include drafts, correspondence, and clippings. The work focuses on Black, feminist, and LGBT themes, tackling racism, sexism and homophobia. There is also a general essay file.</p> <p>The Reviews subseries consists of Clarke's scholarly book reviews and literary criticism essays of academic and creative works by other Black, lesbian, and feminist writers, such as Alice Childress, Alexis De Veaux, Audre Lorde, Paule Marshall, Toni Morrison, Cherry Muhanji, and Ann Petry. This subseries features drafts, manuscripts, clippings, and correspondence organized chronologically by publication date.</p> <p>The Anthologies subseries features drafts and manuscripts of anthologized essays, poems, and stories as well as related correspondence and clippings organized chronologically by publication date.</p> <p>The Speeches subseries contains annotated drafts and published excerpts of speeches for various conferences, talks, and events held at institutions such as the City University of New York (CUNY), Bates College, the Henrik-Martin Institute, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Frequent topics include the Black lesbian identity, anti-Black racism, LGBT issues, feminism, activism, and academia. This subseries is organized chronologically by date and also features related correspondence.</p> <p>The Dissertation subseries includes annotated drafts and a final version of her doctorate thesis, \"'After Mecca': The Impact of Black Women on Black Poetry after 1965\", as well as degree candidacy forms and correspondence for the Graduate School-New Brunswick at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.</p> <p>The Unpublished works subseries features material for the Black Women Writers Project with Evelyn Hammond, such as interviews and correspondence with Black female writers like Becky Birtha, Carol Olivia Herron, and Barbara Smith. In addition to <span class=\"title\">Balancing the Egg: A Lesbian Conversation</span>, a conversational essay anthology coedited with Elizabeth Walber, the subseries contains three unpublished short stories, miscellaneous drafts, research material, and rejection notices, organized chronologically by date.</p> <p>The <span class=\"title\">Conditions</span> subseries consists of the editorial, financial, contractual, and publishing records of <span class=\"title\">Conditions: A Magazine of Writing by Women with an Emphasis on Writing by Lesbians</span>. Clarke served as part of the magazine's Editorial Collective from 1981 to 1990. This subseries also contains office files that include correspondence with staff, contributors, and subscribers; meeting minutes; printed material; and a photocopy of the journal, as well as grant funding applications and subscriptions.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/30060#c1594427'>Professional papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>ca. 1977-2005</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Professional series documents Clarke's involvement with various LGBT and feminist organizations, including the ASTRAEA National Lesbian Action Foundation, the CUNY Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS), the Geraldine Dodge Foundation's Poetry Festival, and New York Women Against Rape. She was an active member of these organizations and her contributions are represented by the correspondence, planning materials, and programs in the Organizations subseries. The Conferences and Events subseries contains material related to Clarke's participation in Black feminist organizations and writers' conferences, and include handwritten notes, correspondence, meeting minutes, programs, and promotional material for Black Feminist Retreats, Black Women Writer's Today, OutWrite, the Womyn of Color Forum, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, and Fire and Ink. Of note are a typewritten copy of Audre Lorde's \"The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action\", delivered at the Modern Language Association's \"Lesbian and Literature Panel\" in 1977, as well as Clarke's Audre Lorde Memorial Lecture at the 1996 OutWrite Conference. The series also includes files from her administrative career at Rutgers University; correspondence with her publisher, Nancy Bereano of Firebrand Books, other editors and publishers; and various letters of commendation and invitations to events.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is organized into three series: (1) Personal papers; (2) Writing; and (3) Professional papers.</p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gift of Cheryl Clarke, 2005.</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
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{"value"=>"<p>Trasnferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs</p>"}
- processinfo
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{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Nora Soto, 2016.</p>"}
- date_start
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1960
- keydate
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1960
- date_end
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2005
- date_inclusive_start
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1960
- date_inclusive_end
-
2005
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"[Item], Cheryl Clarke papers, Sc MG 642, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}