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Karla Jay Papers, 1961-1992
Contents
Summary
Title: Karla Jay Papers, 1961-1992 (bulk: 1975-1987)
Size: Thirteen linear feet (26 AB, 6 1/2AB, 3 FB,
1 RC)
Source: Gift of Karla Jay, 1995
Access: Some correspondence and other files closed
until 2070; audio tapes unavailable until access copies have been
made. Otherwise, no restrictions.
Finding Aid: Compiled by Laura K. O’Keefe, February
1997
Description: Correspondence, typescripts, and other
items, chiefly documenting Jay’s work as a professor of English
and as the author and co-editor of books on the experiences of
lesbians and gay men.
Biographical Note
Karla Jay was born Karla Jayne Berlin in Brooklyn, New York, on February
22, 1947, the second of two children of Abraham Berlin, who worked
for a dunnage company on the Red Hook (Brooklyn) docks, and Rhoda Berlin.
She attended the Berkeley Institute, a private girls’ school in Brooklyn,
and Barnard College, where she majored in French, graduating in 1968
after having taken part in the student demonstrations at Columbia University
that spring.
While she shared many of the goals of the radical left of the
late 1960s, Jay was uncomfortable with the male-supremacist behavior
of many of the movement’s leaders. In 1969, she became a member of
Redstockings, a newly-founded leftist-feminist group started by Shulamith
Firestone and Ellen Willis. At around the same time, she began using
the name Karla Jay professionally.
Jay, who had been aware of her feelings for women since high school,
came out to her consciousness-raising group in Redstockings. When activists
founded the Gay Liberation Front in the wake of the Stonewall riots
of June 1969, Jay was an early member, and became an active participant,
balancing attendance at meetings with working and attending graduate
school at New York University, majoring in comparative literature.
Interested since childhood in writing, Jay, with the gay activist
Allen Young, edited Out of the Closets: Voices of Gay Liberation,
which appeared in print in 1972 and met with a wide and appreciative
audience. Jay and Young followed it with After You’re Out;
Personal Experiences of Gay Men and Lesbian Women (1975), Lavender
Culture (1978), and The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak
Out About Sexual Experiences and Lifestyles (1979). It
was also during the 1970s that Jay first learned of the writers Natalie
Clifford Barney and Renée Vivien, members of the expatriate
community in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s . Her interest in their lives
and work led her to write her doctoral dissertation about them, which
Indiana University Press published in 1988 as The Amazon and the
Page.
Jay received her Ph.D. degree in 1984, and is a member of the
faculty of the English department of Pace University in New York. Her
recent publications include Lesbian Texts and Contexts: Radical
Revisions (1990), co-edited with Joanne Glasgow; Lesbian
Erotics (1995), and Dyke Life: A Celebration of the Lesbian
Experience (1995). She lives in New York City.
Scope and Content Note
The Karla Jay Papers consist of personal correspondence, business
and professional correspondence, typescripts, audio tapes, and other
materials. There is little documentation of her involvement with Redstockings
and Gay Liberation Front; the bulk of the collection pertains to her
work as a writer and an academic. Series 1, Personal Correspondence
(Boxes 1-10), includes letters from many prominent writers and gay
and lesbian rights activists. Series 2, Business and Professional Correspondence
(Boxes 11-16) contains Jay’s correspondence with her literary agent,
publishers, and alternative presses, as well as with academic and professional
organizations. Series 3, Typescripts (Boxes 17-29), consists of drafts
of Jay’s dissertation and her books; Series 4, Other Materials (Boxes
30-31), includes printed matter and Jay’s notecards for her dissertation.
Series 5, Audio tapes, is comprised mostly of interviews with Jay or
conducted by her in the 1970s and 1980s.
For more detailed information, see the series descriptions that follow.
Series Descriptions
Series 1. Personal correspondence, 1961-1989, and undated. Boxes
1-10
Arrangement: boxes 1-8: alphabetical; boxes 9-10: chronological.
This series consists of outgoing and incoming correspondence (chiefly
the latter) with relatives, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues of Jay,
mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. The contents of the alphabetical files are
more substantive than those in the chronological files, which consist mostly
of scattered letters and notes from acquaintances. Among the notable correspondents
represented in Boxes 1-8 are Rita Mae Brown, Barbara Deming, Jeanette Foster,
Barbara Grier, Anais Nin, Felice Picano, Adrienne Rich, and Gloria Steinem.
Of note in the file for "Parents" in Box 6 are letters from Jay to
her father and an aunt, 1976, in which she discusses her sexual identity.
Series 2. Business and Professional Correspondence, 1973-1989. Boxes
11-16
Series 2 includes Jay’s correspondence with publishers, periodicals in
which she published articles, files documenting her student years at N.Y.U.
and her early years teaching at Pace University, her involvement with the establishment
of the Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies at the City University of New York,
and her work with a grant agency, the Money for Women Fund.
Series 3. Typescripts, ca. 1972-1990. Boxes 17-29.
Arrangement: chronological.
The materials in Series 3 are typescripts and computer printouts of drafts
of Jay’s works. Box 22 also includes readers’ completed copies of the surveys
that were the basis for The Gay Report. Of additional interest are
the two drafts of Dyke Life (Box 28), which differ somewhat from the
published version.
Series 4. Other materials, ca.1980-1991. Boxes 30-31.
This series includes a typescript, "Making the World Safe for the
Missionary Position," by Kay Adams, for Lesbian Texts and Contexts;
two photographs of Jay, ca. 1995; a French lesbians’ magazine, La Grimoire ("The
Book of Spells"), a spiral-bound, photocopied journal of politics and
the arts, produced in limited quantities (Box 30); and Jay’s notecards for The
Amazon and the Page (Box 31).
Series 5. Audio tapes, ca. 1974-1992. Boxes 32-33.
The audio tapes include interviews with Jay and others, recordings of radio
programs, and academic panels. At this writing, there are not yet copies of
some of these tapes available for public use. Researchers should consult the
Manuscripts and Archives Division staff regarding the availability of particular
tapes.
Container List
|
BOX #
|
|
|
Series 1. Personal Correspondence
|
|
1
|
Margie Adam, 1975-1979
|
| |
Don Barrett, 1980-1982
|
| |
Kathleen Barry, 1984-1988
|
| |
Jessica Biondi, ca. 1964-1968
|
| |
Sandy Blixton, 1976-1988]
|
| |
Mary Lynn Broe, 1984-1989
|
| |
Rita Mae Brown, 1974-1989
|
|
2
|
B. Meredith Burke, 1969-1988 (2 folders)
|
| |
California trip correspondence, 1980
|
| |
Jeanie Chin, ca. 1965-1966
|
| |
Berthe Cleyrergue, 1985-1989
|
| |
Tee Corinne, ca. 1978-1979
|
| |
Louie Crew, 1975-1980
|
| |
Barbara Deming, 1975-1983
|
|
3
|
Jeanette Foster, 1975-1979
|
| |
Barbara Grier, 1975-1980 (2 folders)
|
| |
Monique Raphel High. See Monique Raphel (Box 7)
|
| |
High school friends, ca. 1961-1966
|
| |
Shere Hite (n.d.)
|
| |
Beth Hodges, 1975-1976
|
|
4
|
Christopher Isherwood, 1978
|
| |
Polly Kellogg, 1980
|
| |
Mimi Keiffer, 1976-1977
|
| |
Riki Klein, ca. 1982-1983
|
|
5
|
Julie Lee, 1975-1978
|
| |
Phyllis Lyon, 1980-1981
|
|
6
|
Anais Nin, ca. 1982-1983
|
| |
Welma Odendaal, 1979-1980
|
| |
Parents and other relatives, 1968-1985 (2 folders)
|
| |
Julia Penelope, 1975-1988
|
| |
Penpals, 1959-1962
|
| |
Felice Picano, 1983-1984
|
|
7
|
Monique Raphel, 1966
|
| |
Betty Renshaw, 1975-1986
|
| |
Adrienne Rich, 1978-1980
|
| |
Linda Rosen, 1974-1978
|
| |
Susan Saxe, 1982
|
|
8
|
Ann Allen Shockley, 1975-1988
|
| |
Mark Silber, 1974-1983
|
| |
Gloria Steinem, 1980
|
| |
John Stoltenberg, 1976- 1977
|
| |
Martha Thomas, ca. 1975-1976
|
| |
Shoko Tsukamoto, ca. 1976-1978
|
| |
Walter Williams, 1980-1981
|
|
9
|
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1960s-1979
|
|
10
|
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1980-1989
|
|
Series 2. Business and Professional Correspondence
|
|
11
|
Berenice Hoffman (literary agent), 1975-1982
|
| |
Indiana University Press, 1988
|
| |
Lavender Culture, 1977-1978
|
| |
Lesbian Tide, 1974-1976
|
| |
Lesbian-Feminist Study Clearinghouse, 1980
|
| |
Links Books, 1974-1980 (two folders)
|
| |
Philadelphia Gay News, 1982-1983 (two folders)
|
| |
Public Relations, 1983
|
| |
Women’s Paper (The Feminist), ca. 1982
|
|
12
|
Publishing correspondence, 1975-1982 (five folders)
|
|
13
|
Publishing correspondence, 1983-1986 (three folders)
|
| |
Pyramid/Jove Press, 1977-1978
|
| |
Jove Press, 1982
|
| |
Stories (for gay fiction anthology)
|
|
14
|
New York University, 1973-1982 (two folders)
|
|
15
|
Center for Gay and Lesbian Studies, CUNY, 1987-1989
|
| |
Conferences, 1984-1987 (two folders)
|
| |
Congress on Women, 1988-1990
|
| |
Modern Language Association, 1982-1984 (three folders)
|
|
16
|
Money for Women Fund, 1981-1985 (five folders)
|
|
Series 3. Typescripts
|
|
17
|
After You’re Out
|
|
18
|
Lavender Culture
|
|
19-21
|
The Gay Report
|
|
22
|
The Gay Report: readers’ responses to surveys
|
|
23-24
|
Lesbian Texts and Contexts
|
|
25-26
|
Doctoral dissertation: The Disciples of the Tenth Muse: Natalie
Clifford Barney and Renée Vivien
|
|
27
|
The Amazon and the Page
|
|
28
|
Dyke Life (two versions)
|
|
29
|
Lesbian Erotics (six folders)
|
| |
We Are Everywhere (later Lavender Culture; three folders)
|
|
Series 4. Other Materials.
|
|
30
|
Typescript: "Making the World Safe for the Missionary Position"
|
| |
La Grimoire (French women’s magazine, 1991)
|
| |
Photographs of Karla Jay, ca. 1995
|
|
31
|
Notecards for The Amazon and the Page
|
|
Series 5. Audio Tapes
|
|
Note: at this writing, only the tapes listed below that are preceded
by a five-digit cassette number are available for public use. Researchers
should consult with the Manuscripts and Archives Division staff concerning
access to the remainder of the tapes.
|
| 32 |
|
| xxxxx |
Margie Adam: KPFK studio [Los Angeles]; |
| 03383 |
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Fall 1974 |
| 03358 |
Margie Adam: "Here is a Love Song" |
| 03384 |
Ginny Apuzzo: National Gay Task Force, Dec.
21, 1982 |
| 03385 |
Margot Adler on WBAI, May 25, 1974 |
| 03386 |
Aviation Today, 1992 |
| 03281 |
Djuna Barnes, Radio France, Nov. 2, 1983. Contents
of tape are in French with music. |
| 03283 |
Rita Mae Brown, Mar. 31, 1982
Karla Jay's interview with Rita Mae Brown, author of Southern
Discomfort. They discuss her book and the responsibilities of
a lesbian author to her readers as well as herself. They also talk
about the political and social climate of America for lesbians and
gays, and ways of strengthening the homosexual community. Finally,
they pursue the topics of life and love, including same-sex and opposite-sex
relationships.
|
| 03387 |
Berthe Cleyrergue |
| xxxxx |
College English Association (CEA) panel |
| xxxxx |
Casse Culver, et al. |
| 03355 |
Demian, Northfield, Mass.: "The Return of Queer
Hour" |
| 03354 |
Andrea Dworkin, Feb. 21, 1982 |
| 03352 |
Andrea Dworkin, Jan. 21, 1983 |
| 03284 |
Jeanette Foster, June 5, 1975
Karla Jay's personal interview with Jeanette Foster, author of Sex
Variant Women in Literature. Foster tells the story of how two
lesbian lovers were treated in her college. They discuss her interest
and research in books about homosexuality and how it was hard to
find such information and get one's hands on it. Foster tells how
the idea came up for her book, the title of which she wanted to start
with the word "sex," and the problem she had publishing her book
as well as its original reception. She also brings up her work for
A.C. Kinsey and that at the University of Kansas City (now the University
of Missouri in Kansas City). Foster also mentions the difference
in lesbian identity between herself and Jay, based on their respective
generations.
|
| 03353 |
French lesbians |
| 03351 |
"Gay Break" radio show with KJ and Allen Young |
| 03388 |
Barbara Grier (two tapes) |
| 03389 |
Hawaii--Maui |
| 03390 |
Houchins/Butler/DeLauretis, MLA, 1990 |
| 03281 |
Françoise Iverin |
| 03391 |
Karla Jay, Mar. 23 [no year given] |
| 03392 |
Karla Jay, WXPN, Philadelphia, "Amazon Country" |
| 03393 |
Karla Jay: "Images of Lesbians in Fiction," Nov.
29, 1975 |
| 03394 |
Karla Jay and Rose Jordan, "The Lesbian Radio
Show," Oct. 19, 1983 |
| 03395 |
Karla Jay, Rose Jordan, et al.: "Should Men
and Women Work Together," Winter 1974. |
| 03396 |
Karla Jay, WBAI interview, Mar. 1979 |
| 03397 |
Karla Jay, WBAI, Aug. 27, 1979 |
| 03398 |
Jill Johnston interview |
| 03399 |
Lavender Jane |
| xxxxx |
Lesbian Herstory Night, June 25, 1975 (two tapes) |
| |
|
| 33 |
|
| xxxxx |
Lesbians in prison |
| xxxxx |
Lesbian therapists: Jean Mundy and Barbara Trecker |
| 03279 |
Audre Lorde, Oct. 5, 1983
This interview discusses Lorde's Zami as a group of stories
that needed to be told to fill a void that wasn't being discussed. Zami can
be seen as partial black history, recording what the 1950's were like
for black women and in particular black lesbians. Lorde defines herself
primarily as a poet and discusses the importance of lesbians taking
action on health care issues other than AIDS, cancer in particular
as a killer of many women. Other topics of discussion are: the nostalgic
interest in literature from the 1950's, Lorde's role in the 20th anniversary
celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's speech, other political
aspects of the lesbian and gay movement, and Lorde's article in Essence magazine
about anger between women and the things that hinder women from joining
together.
|
| xxxxx |
Melanie |
| 03282 |
Toni Morrison, MLA, Dec. 29, 1984
Toni Morrison reading from the manuscript of her novel, Beloved.
|
| 03280 |
Anais Nin/Michael Cacoyonnis
This interview of Michael Cacoyonnis is done by an unknown male about
his film and the implications of the themes it explores such as oppression,
militarism, and defamation, as well as the spirit of survival. They
go into detail about the role of women in a hostile aggressive masculine
world and the role of critics and censorship.
Side B
Interview with Anais Nin
Karla Jay's interview with Anais Nin discusses diary writing as a
genre and women's ability to express their feelings in society. They
also talk about European versus American homosexuality, lesbianism
as a genuine love for other women and not a reaction against men, and
the difference between same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.
|
| xxxxx |
"Paris from Wilde to Morrision" |
| xxxxx |
Paris subway music |
| xxxxx |
F. Pasquier, Aug. 10, 1982 |
| xxxxx |
Rowe Conference Center, "Lesbian couples," April
18, 1983 (two tapes) |
| xxxxx |
Rowe Conference Center, "Lesbian families." |
| xxxxx |
T. Russo, Jan. 24, 1976 |
| xxxxx |
Michele-Sylvie Santallier |
| xxxxx |
Sarah Schulman and Karla Jay |
| 03026-03028 |
Karla Jay, interviewed by Toby Marotta |
| 03356 |
Regiment of Women; Edward Bird |
| 03357 |
Lesbian Pride Week |
Melanie A. Yolles
December 1999
|
