Julia Penelope papers, 1966-1999
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Summary
- Creator:
- Penelope, Julia, 1941-2013
- Abstract:
- Julia Penelope (1941-2013) was a lesbian feminist linguist, educator, and activist. Collection consists of writings and published works, subject files, correspondence, and other materials related to Penelope's career and activist work. These materials document feminist linguistics, lesbian culture, and lesbian history and publishing. Acquired as part of the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
- Extent:
- 40 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.01010
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists of writings and published works, subject files, correspondence, and other materials related to Penelope's career and activist work. These materials document feminist linguistics, lesbian culture, and lesbian history and publishing.
The History of Lesbianism series contains files created by Penelope while working on a book for Blackwell Publishers on this topic. The files contain rich and diverse information on lesbian individuals, groups, events, and issues throughout history. An unverified inventory is available for this series is available at https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m19b3n.
Work related to Penelope's writing and teaching career can be found in both the Articles, Essays, and Papers Delivered series and the Manuscripts series. These files contain drafts of writings leading up to publication. Files in the Manuscripts series also contain significant materials that were not included in final publications, such as stories submitted to the Coming Out anthologies.
Correspondence documents Penelope's personal relationships and professional work as a writer and faculty member. Penelope corresponded with numerous friends, activists, writers, and published, including Adrienne Rich, Mary Daly, and Joanna Russ.
Printed materials and Personal materials contain items related to lesbianism and language, as well as videotapes, photographs, and other items related to Penelope's life and career.
Accession 2000-0374 continues to document Penelope's life as a lesbian and feminist activist and academic. Materials include correspondence and financial records; lecture notes and writings by Penelope dealing with subjects that include linguistics, lesbian communities, lesbian separatists, and coming out; subject files; and book reviews of works by Penelope and others.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Julia Penelope (1941-2013) was a lesbian feminist linguist, educator, and activist. She was expelled from Florida State University in 1959 for suspected lesbianism, as well as from the University of Miami in 1960 for having men in her room. Penelope eventually obtained her B.A. from the City College of New York in 1966 and her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971. She was a founding co-coordinator of the Southeastern Gay Coalition (1972-3) and a founding member of the Lesbian Herstory Archives (1974). She published widely in lesbian, feminist, and academic journals and anthologies.
Sources: Susan J. Wolfe, "Julia Penelope," in Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia, ed. Bonnie Zimmerman (New York: Garland Pub., 2000), 577-578; Wikipedia, accessed 2023 August 30.
- Acquisition information:
- The Julia Penelope papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1995 and a gift in 2000 from Julia Penelope.
- Processing information:
-
This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition. An unverified inventory is available for boxes 1-12 is available at https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m19b3n.
Accession 95-059 processed by Diane McKay and Ginny Daley, 1995. Description added to collection guide by Leah Tams, August 2023.
Accession 2000-0372 processed and encoded by Ruth E. Bryan, January 2001. Revised by Leah Tams, August 2023.
Accessions described in this collection guide: 95-059, 2000-0374.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged into the following series: History of Lesbianism; Articles, Essays, and Papers Delivered; Correspondence; Manuscripts; Printed Materials; Personal Materials; and Accession 2000-0374.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
Contents
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Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Julia Penelope Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1r06c