Alison Amoroso papers, 1982-2021

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Access note. Collection contains audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access. Access note. Collection contains electronic records that...
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture and Amoroso, Alison, 1965-
Abstract:
The papers of Alison Amoroso (Duke alumna 1987), founder/editor of Teen Voices magazine, activist, and public health advocate. The bulk of the papers relate to Teen Voices and its parent foundation Women Express Inc.
Extent:
1.8 Linear Feet (One Paige box, 1 half Hollinger box (1 DVD, 2 quarter-inch data cartridges), 1 oversize folder)
521 Megabytes (19 files)
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.11911

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of Alison Amoroso document her professional life and activism. In the small series of personal papers is a notebook from a Psychology of Women seminar Amoroso took while an undergraduate at Duke, a CV and cover letter, personal research, and awards she has received. This series also includes an inventory of collection items with helpful contextual notes provided by the donor that are relevant to the entire collection. The digital holdings also contain the recording of an undated oral history interview of Alison Amoroso.

The bulk of the collection focuses on her work with Women Express Inc., which she founded. Women Express Inc. published the magazine Teen Voices, which was written for and by teenage girls. The records in this series include financial and staffing records, newsletters, organizational planning records and reports, promotional material, and press for Amoroso and Teen Voices. There is also a video of staff and volunteers in the Teen Voices office preparing an installment for mailing in the early 1990s.

Another series contains volumes of and files about publications that Amoroso wrote, contributed to, or edited. These include Unwanted Hair and Hirsutism: A Book for Women by Amoroso, Our Bodies Ourselves, Finding Our Way: The Teen Girl's Survival Guide, and periodicals.

The last series documents Amoroso's civic and political engagement reflected in the organizations she has been a member of or was associated with including the Independent Press Association, Ms.magazine, the Atlanta Coalition Against Tobacco (ACT), Sister Song, and the City to City Leadership Exchange.

Both the Personal Papers series and Teen Voices subseries contain digital records consisting of scanned documents, an oral history recording, and a video of the Teen Voices office in the 1990s.

Biographical / historical:

Alison Amoroso (b. 1965) is a writer, magazine publisher/editor, activist, therapist, and health educator. A Duke alumna (1987), she obtained a B.S. in psychology and later an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She cofounded and edited Teen Voices magazine, a groundbreaking popular and educational magazine by, for, and about teenage girls. Previously a sexual abuse therapist and child abuse social worker, she has served on the boards of many nonprofits that seek to enhance the quality of life for women and girls.

Source: Biography & Genealogy Master Index (accessed via Ancestry.com, 2025 April 10).

Acquisition information:
The Alison Amoroso papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2000 with an addition in 2021.
Processing information:

Processed by Ren Bickel, March 2025.

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2000-0019, 2021-0045.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series: Personal papers; Women Express Inc.; Writing and editing; Organizations.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note. Collection contains audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Access note. Collection contains electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Alison Amoroso papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1tf1k