Annis Pratt papers
Scope and Contents
The Annis Pratt Papers contain diaries (photocopies), and essays and class notes from Pratt's years as a Smith College student and as a M.A. student at the University of Wisconsin; her teaching career at University of Wisconsin; published and unpublished poetry and prose writings; correspondence home from Smith, from travels in Europe, and from UW; materials related to Pratt's participation in the Smith Centennial Project and her involvement in the her 35th Smith reunion; and records of the Women's Caucus of Modern Languages, and the Madison, Wisconsin branch of the National Organization for Women. Also included are materials pertaining to Pratt's advocacy for women's rights in academia, specifically regarding tenure. Writings and related materials include correspondence, contracts, notes, and drafts pertaining to her books, The Early Prose of Dylan Thomas (1965) and Dancing With Goddesses (1994), as well as drafts of short stories and an unpublished novel, The Marshlanders; articles, essays, and sermons written by Pratt in her position as lay minister for Prairie Unitarian Fellowship; as well as writings by others.
Dates of Materials
- Creation: 1954 - 2005
Creator
- Pratt, Annis (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the unpublished works by the creator of this collection. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Biographical / Historical
Annis Vilas Pratt earned her A.B. from Smith College (1958), her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin (1959), and her Ph.D. from Columbia University (1965). Her dissertation topic was the early prose of Dylan Thomas. After completing her Ph.D., Pratt taught English literature at Emory University from 1965 to 1967, at Spelman College from 1967 to 1970, and at the University of Wisconsin at Madison from 1971 until her retirement in 1990. Her prose and poetry have been published widely in books, articles, and professional journals, and she is often invited to read and review the work of other writers. Pratt has received numerous fellowships, grants and awards for her work, and frequently delivers lectures and presents papers to literary associations and conferences. She has also been actively involved in the National Organization for Women, the Women's Caucus of Modern Languages, and the National Women's Studies Association.
Extent
6.104 linear feet (10 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Author; Poet; Political activist; Professor, English. The Annis Pratt Papers contain diaries; writings; class notes from Smith College and the University of Wisconsin; published and unpublished poetry; correspondence; records of the Women's Caucus of Modern Languages; and materials pertaining to Pratt's participation in the Smith Centennial Project and to her involvement in the her 35th Smith reunion.
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.
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Annis Pratt, 2003-2006 and 2014.
Processing Information
Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 2003.
Processing Information
Between September 2022 and February 2023, Smith College Special Collections renumbered many boxes to eliminate duplicate numbers within collections in order to improve researcher experience. A full crosswalk of old to new numbers is available.
Subject
- University of Wisconsin--Madison--Faculty (Organization)
- Pratt, Annis (Person)
- Smith College -- Students (Organization)
Source
- Pratt, Annis (Donor, Person)
Genre / Form
Topical
- Authors, American -- 20th century
- College teachers
- Education
- Electronic records
- Journalists -- United States -- 20th century
- Poets, American -- 20th century
- Publications
- Women and religion
- Women authors
- Women authors, American -- 20th century
- Women authors, American -- 20th century
- Women poets
- Women poets, American -- 20th century
- Title
- Annis Pratt papers
- Subtitle
- Finding Aid
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger.
- Date
- 2008
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 07/26/2017: This resource was modified by the ArchivesSpace Preprocessor developed by the Harvard Library (https://github.com/harvard-library/archivesspace-preprocessor)
- 2017-07-26T17:48:19-04:00: This record was migrated from InMagic DB Textworks to ArchivesSpace.
- 2021-07-15: Content description added from accession inventory
Repository Details
Part of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Repository
