Women Writing Women's Lives Records
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Founded in 1990, Women Writing Women's Lives is an ongoing seminar of about sixty women engaged in writing book-length biographies and memoirs, affiliated with the Center for the Study of Women and Society and the Center for the Humanities at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Members meet monthly to present work for discussion, share ideas, and hear about the work of outside presenters. The collection consists of administrative files, subject files, and notes and lectures from the group's monthly meetings.
Historical Note
Founded in 1990, Women Writing Women's Lives is an ongoing seminar of about sixty women engaged in writing book-length biographies and memoirs. Its members include academics, poets, journalists and novelists. Women Writing Women's Lives is under the aegis of the Center for the Study of Women and Society and the Center for the Humanities at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Monthly meetings, planned by a Steering Committee, are arranged in order for members to present work for discussion, share ideas, and hear about the work of outside presenters.
Sources:
Women Writing Women's Lives (WWWL) Seminar. http://web.gc.cuny.edu/womencenter/wwwl/
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into three series. Series I: Administrative and Committee Records contains the bulk of the collection and is arranged in alphabetical order. Series II: Claire Morris Stern Records is arranged in the order in which the archives received the materials from this donation. Series III: Session Records has been arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the materials of Women Writing Women's Lives and its members. The collection is primarily comprised of proceedings from monthly meetings, but also includes materials such as membership questionnaires, correspondence, photographs of members and meetings, and subject files. The collection also contains correspondence and ephemera from Women Writing Women's Lives special events including anniversary celebrations and speaking events. The collection also contains a number of CDs and VHS recordsing of images and videos from several WWWL events.
The collection also contians the administrative files of Claire Morris Stern, who was a founding member of the organization served as the chair of the Archive Committee. Her files contain correspondence, photographs, and materials related to special events including the Women Writing Women's Lives 20th Anniversary celebration.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Women Writings Women's Lives were transferred to New York University in 2004 by Katherine Chamberlain. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Women Writing Women's Lives Records; TAM 316; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Women Writing Women's Lives donated a collection of their records in 2004. Photographs from this collection were originally separated and established as the Women Writing Women's Lives Photograph Collection (PHOTOS 226). These photographs were reincorporated into the Women Writing Women's Lives Records in 2013. In 2008, a donation of 57 photographs was made by Claire Morris Stern, chair of the WWWL Archives Committee. An additional donation was made by Norah Chase in 2010. In 2013 Claire Morris Stern sent a donation of her personal files, which were added to this collection. An additional three boxes of WWWL's records from 2002-2015 were donated in 2015. In 2019 an accretion of administrative and seminar documents from 2017-2018 were donated by Julia Van Haaften. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2004.001, 2004.008, NPA.2008.045, NPA.2009.027, 2013.044, 2015.038, 2017.073, and 2019.035.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Separated Materials
Materials related to the donation of Women Writing Women's Lives Records to Tamiment have been removed from the collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Photographs separated from this collection during initial processing and from new accessions were established as a separate collection, the Women Writing Women's Lives Photographs (PHOTOS 266). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Women Writing Women's Lives Records (TAM 316). In 2019 an accretion of administrative and seminar documents were intellectually incorporated into Series I and III in accordance with the collection's existing arrangement structure.
Revisions to this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: Administrative and Committee Files, 1989-2008, inclusive
Language of Materials
Scope and Content Note
The General Files consist of administrative records such as membership applications and questionnaires, financial records, and minutes of the Steering Committee meetings. Clipping and subject files on topics related to women's biography and biographers and photographs of members at a 2008 meeting (where Salli Bingham was the guest speaker) are also included.
Anniversary Programs - 5th Anniversary Symposium, Mar 17, 1995, inclusive
Anniversary Programs - 10th Anniversary Conference, Dec 8, 2008, inclusive
Anniversary Programs - 15th Anniversary Celebration, Oct 28, 2005, inclusive
Anniversary Programs - 20th Anniversary Program - Tamiment, May 3, 2010, inclusive
Anniversary Program -- 25th Anniversary Conference, 2015
Annual Survey Results (Samples), 2002-2003, inclusive
Archives Committee, 2003-2008, inclusive
Articles (mostly on Women and Biography), 1990-1997, inclusive
Attendance Lists, undated , 1993, inclusive
Attendance Lists and Seating Charts, 2002-2011, inclusive
Bernhardt, Debra: Memorial, May 1, 2001
Bernikow, Louise, 1996, inclusive
Book Covers of Publications by Members, undated
Brochure - Old and New Versions, 2002-2007, inclusive
Conference, 10th Anniversary, Dec 8, 2000
Contact Lists, 1997-2002, inclusive
Contact Lists, 1997-2013, inclusive
Cook, Blanche Wiesen, 1995, inclusive
Correspondence, 1993-2000, inclusive
Correspondence, 2001-2003, inclusive
Correspondence, 2002-2011, inclusive
Correspondence, 2010-2014, inclusive
Cover Letter and Questionnaire Drafts for Mailing, Aug 2002, inclusive
Dona Munker New Chair Women Writing Women's Lives (CD containing 48 images and 2 videos), Fall 2011, inclusive
Finances, 1991-2001, inclusive
Floppy Discs (administrative files), 1996 , 2002, inclusive
Flyers, 1995, inclusive
Grant Proposal (New York Council for the Humanities), 2000-2001, inclusive
Gail Hornstein Speaking to the Women Writing Women's Lives Seminar on the subject of Agnes's Jacket (CD containing 1hr 50 minute audio recording), May 4, 2009, inclusive
History and Origins (misc. notes on co-founders)
Issues/Controversies, 2009, inclusive
Issues: "France", 2006, inclusive
Issues: "Ideologically Skewed", 2003, inclusive
Issues: "Intimidated", 2002, inclusive
Issues: "Plagiarism (as it affected B. Wineapple and Carolyn Burke)", 2005, inclusive
Jane Cumberbatch - Joseph F. Murphy Institute Liaison to WWWL, 2002-2015, inclusive
Mary Ann Caws on CUNY GC President Frances Horowitz's "Woman to Woman" (VHS), Dec 8, 2000, inclusive
Member Obituaries, 2017-2018, inclusive
Membership Applications (not comprehensive), 1996-2011, inclusive
Membership Applications: A-J, 1992-2001, inclusive
Membership Applications: K-M, 1992-2001, inclusive
Membership Applications: N-Z, 1993-2002, inclusive
Membership Directory, 2003-2004, inclusive
Membership: General, 1992-2002, inclusive
Membership Lists, 1991-1998, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1994, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1995, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1996, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1997, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1998, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 1999, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 2000, inclusive
Membership Questionnaire, 2001, inclusive
Memoir Course (never materialized), 2007, inclusive
Menus, undated, inclusive
Mission Statement, 2002, inclusive
Mission Statement, Guidelines, Group Archives, 1995-2004, inclusive
News Articles, 1994-1998, inclusive
Notes: General, 1991-1995, inclusive
Obituary/Memorial Material, 2001-2003, 2012, inclusive
Outreach Committee, 2004-2007, inclusive
Photographs from Meeting, May 5, 2008, inclusive
Photographs of Members, undated
Photographs of members, 2005-04-05
Policies and Procedures, 2011-2014, inclusive
Recording of Meeting (on CD), May 4, 2009, inclusive
Restaurants, 2004-2006, inclusive
Sample Form Letters, 2001-2003, inclusive
Sign-in Sheets, 2017-2019, inclusive
Special Events, 2011-2014, inclusive
Special Reports, 2011-2014, inclusive
Steering Committee Business, 1991-1995, inclusive
Steering Committee Business, 1996-1999, inclusive
Steering Committee Business, 2000-2003, inclusive
Steering Committee Correspondence, 1991-1995, inclusive
Steering Committee Correspondence, 1996-1999, inclusive
Steering Committee Correspondence, 2000-2003, inclusive
Steering Committee Documents, 2017-2018, inclusive
Steering Committee Meetings, 2006-2014, inclusive
Steering Committee Notes, undated, inclusive
Summer Survey, 2011-2014, inclusive
Tamiment Women's Lives (2 CDs containing 1hour 24 minute recording), May 3, 2010, inclusive
Topics, 1996-2001, inclusive
Women Writing Women's Lives Event Photographs, 2004-2007, inclusive
Writings on Biography: General, 1989-1998, inclusive
Series II: Claire Morris Stern Records, 1990-2010, inclusive
Extent
Redstockings, 2010
Early Organizational Records: Materials Inventory, 1992-2001, inclusive
Early Records, 1990, inclusive
Meeting Photographs, May 3, 2010, inclusive
20th Anniversary Meeting Materials, 2010, inclusive
Women Writing Women's Lives Brochures, undated
Member Publications, 2010, inclusive
Bingham Correspondence, 2007, inclusive
20th Anniversary Celebration, May 3, 2010, inclusive
10th and 20th Anniversary Materials, 2000, 2010, inclusive
Correspondence re: Meetings and Speakers, 2006-2007, inclusive
Correspondence re: Interviews with Founders, 2005-2007, inclusive
Series III: Session Records
Language of Materials
Scope and Content Note
The Session Records contain announcements, attendance sheets, lectures and notes from the organization's monthly meetings. Names of lecturers are indicated in the folder title.