Lesléa Newman papers
Collection
Identifier: SSC-MS-00588
Scope and Contents
The Lesléa Newman Papers consist of drafts of writings; first editions of all her books; subject files about gay and lesbian rights; audiovisual materials documenting Newman's public appearances and readings, lectures and speeches; original book covers; correspondence and fan mail; contracts; clippings; postcards; workshop materials; publicity materials for Newman's books; and material re: Newman's tenure as Northampton poet laureate.
Dates of Materials
- 1970 - 2016
Creator
- Newman, Leslea (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection closed until donor's death.
Conditions Governing Access
Until we move into New Neilson in early 2021, collections are stored in multiple locations and may take up to 48 hours to retrieve. Researchers are strongly encouraged to contact Special Collections (specialcollections@smith.edu) at least a week in advance of any planned visits so that boxes may be retrieved for them in a timely manner.
Conditions Governing Use
To the extent that she owns copyright, Lesléa Newman has retained copyright in her works donated to Smith College. Copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For those few instances beyond fair use, or which may regard materials in the collection not created by Lesléa Newman, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.
Biographical Note
Lesléa Newman was born November 5, 1955 in Brooklyn, New York, to Florence and Edward Newman. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 1977 and is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance, and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear. She is also the author of many books for adults that deal with lesbian identity, Jewish identity and the intersection and collision between the two. Other topics Ms. Newman explores include AIDS, eating disorders, butch/femme relationships and sexual abuse. Her award-winning short story, A Letter To Harvey Milk has been made into a film and adapted for the stage.
Newman has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. Heather Has Two Mommies was the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and has followed up this pioneering work with several more children's books on lesbian and gay families: Gloria Goes To Gay Pride, Belinda's Bouquet, Too Far Away to Touch, and Saturday Is Pattyday. Lesléa Newman lived in Northampton, Mass. for many years.
Extent
21.5 linear feet (19 boxes)
0.48735 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
English
Overview
Lesléa Newman is an American author and editor whose writing explores lesbian, feminist, and Jewish themes and their intersection. The collection contains materials documenting her professional career as a writer, speaker, and teacher, including drafts of writing, correspondence, speeches, and audiovisual material.
Arrangement
This collection has been added to over time in multiple "accessions." An accession is a group of materials received from the same source at approximately the same time. Note that in most cases, container numbers start over at 1 with each new accession.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
As a preservation measure, researchers must use digital copies of audiovisual materials in this collection. Please consult with Special Collections staff or email specialcollections@smith.edu to request the creation of and access to digital copies.
This collection contains materials received from the donor in digital form that are not currently available online. Please consult with Special Collections staff to request access to this digital content.
This collection contains materials received from the donor in digital form that are not currently available online. Please consult with Special Collections staff to request access to this digital content.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Lesléa Newman.
Accruals
Periodic accruals to collection are expected.
Processing Information
The contents of computer media in this collection has been copied to networked storage for preservation and access; the original directory and file structure was retained and file lists were created.
- Audiotapes
- Awards
- Books
- CD-ROMs
- Computer media
- Contact sheets
- Contracts
- Electronic mail
- Electronic records
- Financial records
- Galley proofs
- Interviews
- Jewish women
- Lesbian activists
- Lesbian and queer women
- Lesbian community
- Lesbian feminism
- Lesbians -- Fiction
- Lesbians -- United States
- Lesbians -- United States
- Lesbians in literature
- Manuscripts
- Newman, Leslea
- Northampton (Mass.)
- Notes
- Photographs.
- Poems
- Postcards
- Reviews
- Slides
- Speeches.
- Videotapes
- Women and religion
- Women authors
- Women authors, American
- Writings
- articles
- clippings
- correspondence
- memorabilia
- notebooks
Creator
- Newman, Leslea (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid to the Lesléa Newman papers
- Status
- Legacy Finding Aid (Updated)
- Author
- Scott Biddle
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2017-07-26T17:48:24-04:00: This record was migrated from InMagic DB Textworks to ArchivesSpace.
- 2018-12-17: Finding aid updated to current standards and published
- 2020-04-21: Added accessions 07S-85, 12S-29, and 16S-113
- 2020-06-17: Description added for born-digital content.
Repository Details
Part of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Repository
