Lesbian Feminist Poetry, Writing, and Organizing Archive Including Judy Grahn, Adrienne Rich, Janis Ian, 1969-1977

Judy Grahn Adrienne Rich Janis Ian

Archive

[LGBTQ][Lesbian Activism][Intersectional Feminism] Lesbian feminist print materials archive, 1969–1977, chronicling lesbian writing, political organizing, and identity within the women’s liberation and lesbian feminist movements. This grouping brings together literary, musical, and activist texts produced during the height of the second wave feminism movement and the emergence of lesbian feminist institutions in the United States. The materials explicitly address women’s liberation, lesbian identity, and grassroots organizing, with particular emphasis on art, performance, and political activism. Archive includes:

[1] Ian, Janis. Who Really Cares. New York: The Dial Press, Inc., 1969. Early poetry collection by singer-songwriter Janis Ian, with ownership signature to front endpaper, reflecting circulation within feminist or literary communities.
[2] Grahn, Judy. Edward the Dyke and Other Poems. Oakland: The Women’s Press Collective, 1971. Stapled booklet combining poetry, short stories, and illustrations, explicitly grounded in lesbian identity and community-based feminist publishing. The titular story, The Psychoanalysis of Edward the Dyke, is a prescient satire about the challenges faced by queer individuals who present outside of the gender binary.
[3] Crooks, Nancy. Womankind. n.p., n.d. (circa 1974). Feminist poetry booklet bearing inscription by the author dated Alfred, New York, May 19, 1974. Ownership inscription and gift inscription to inner front cover and fron endpage.
[4] Women Only concert flyer. Holly Near and Meg Christian in concert. New York: Lesbian Feminist Liberation, n.d. (circa mid-1970s). Printed flyer advertising a women-only performance at St. Paul’s Church, Columbia University, including reference to childcare provision and organizational sponsorship by Lesbian Feminist Liberation, with interior listings of feminist services, events, and community resources.
[5] Rich, Adrienne. Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying. Pittsburgh: Motheroot Publications, 1977. Pamphlet first appearing in Heresies, articulating feminist critiques of language, truth, and patriarchal structures; includes publication statement linking the text to Pittsburgh Women Writers and feminist workshop networks.

Together, these materials document the infrastructure of lesbian feminist culture as it moved from informal networks into organized institutions during the late 1960s and 1970s. The presence of Women’s Press Collective printing, Motheroot Publications, and Lesbian Feminist Liberation situates the archive within a decentralized but highly active print and performance economy that sustained feminist discourse outside mainstream publishing. The Holly Near and Meg Christian flyer, explicitly marked “Women Only,” aligns with the rise of separatist feminist spaces and the development of women’s music circuits, while the texts by Rich and Grahn articulate parallel theoretical and poetic interventions into gender, sexuality, and language. Moderate wear throughout including edge wear, toning, scattered staining, and chipping; bindings intact where applicable; overall fair to good condition. A feminist grouping illustrating the convergence of creative writing, music, and activism in lesbian feminist culture of the 60s and 70s.

Item #23071

Price: $880.00