Fay Chiang Papers
Call Number
Dates
Creator
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Abstract
Fay Chiang (1952-2017) was a poet, writer, visual artist, and activist. She was the director of Basement Workshop, an Asian American arts organization, and the author of numerous works spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction including In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives. In addition to her writings, Chiang also worked with numerous non-profit groups which combined cultural and educational work with community activism. The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) consists of materials created and collected by Chiang documenting her writing career, involvement with various socio-political arts organizations including Basement Workshop, activism on behalf of Asian Americans, and some aspects of her personal life. Materials in this collection include photographs, personal correspondence, journals, notebooks, address books, project files for arts and community activism efforts, original drawings, administrative documents, and original writings in various formats and stages of completion. The collection also includes a small number of objects and video recordings.
Biographical Note
Fay Chiang (1952-2017) was a poet, writer, visual artist, and activist. She was a first-generation Chinese American raised in Jackson Heights, Queens and she spent much of her life in the East Village. Chiang was the author of numerous works spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction including In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives. In addition to her own writings, Chiang was active within New York City's literary community and was part of Poets and Writers. Poets and Writers, founded in 1970, is a nonprofit organization focused on providing support, fostering professional development, and creating a literary community amongst creative writers. Chiang served as the organization's president from 1998-2000. She worked closely with its Writers Exchange (WEX) Program, which was established in 1984. It was the WEX program's goal to introduce emerging writers to specific literary communities. Chiang also worked closely with Poets and Writers' literary readings and workshop community outreach programs.
Chiang also worked with numerous non-profit groups whiuch combined cultural and educational work with community activism. She was the director of Basement Workshop between 1975-1986, an Asian American political and artistic organization founded in New York City's Chinatown. Basement Workshop existed between 1970 to 1986 and was focused upon community service, education programs, and trying to reconcile Asian and Asian American cultural identities. Basement Workshop organized workshops, published magazines and newsletters, and hosted various performances. Chiang was also involved with Project Reach, a substance abuse prevention and anti-discrimination training group for all ages, genders, and races, and Zero Capital, a collective of international artists, activists, and youths collaborating together on social and political projects.
Chiang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and received continued medical treatment until her death in 2017.
Arrangement
The materials in the collection are arranged in a single file listing with all material listed alphabetically by topic.
Scope and Contents
The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) consists of materials created and collected by Chiang documenting her writing career through both published and unpublished works; her involvement with the arts, political, social outreach, and literary organizations; activism on behalf of Asian Americans; and some apsects of her private life. Themes of Asian and Asian Americanness, art, politics, and her activism are overarching and intersecting themes represented throughout this collection.
The collection contains published copies of In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives; manuscript drafts of these books, some with revisions; correspondence with her editors about the publication of these books; Chiang's notes about these works; and transcripts of interviews about her written works. Chiang's poetry was also featured in issues of the Mom's Egg Review (MER), a literary art journal about motherhood, and Bowery Women: Poems, a collection of poems written and published by the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. In addition to published works, the collection contains copies of individual poems such as "Orchard Street" and "Chinatown"; original plays such as Two Boots and a Ball Gown and Laundryman; drafts of her writings and unfinished pieces; and research materials and handwritten notes with her ideas. In her handwritten diaries and journals, Chiang documented her daily life, her inner thoughts, ideas for written pieces, and sometimes drawings. Both Chiang's published and unpublished works span poetry, fictional essays, plays, and non-fiction articles, all of which reflect topics that were of interest to the author. In addition to Chiang's published works, the collection contains several commercially published books written by other individuals that either discuss Fay Chiang or contain personlized messages to her.
Recorded readings of Chiang's books In the City of Contradictions and Miwa's Song, as well as audio and video interviews of Chiang discussing her career as a writer, are included in the collection.
Fay Chiang was affiliated with various organizations throughout her life including Basement Workshop, Poets and Writers, Project Reach, and Zero Capital. Materials related to these organizations include correspondence and memoranda; program flyers and event advertisements; photographs and posters; handwritten notes; administrative papers including budgets, membership rosters, grant applications, and funding paperwork; original artwork and writings; organization publications and newsletters; and mission statements. Together, these documents provide an overview of Chiang's activities with each organization, while also demonstrating her continued commitment to social justice, community building and outreach, and art.
Chiang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and received continued medical treatment until her death in 2017. Chiang discusses the long-term impact this illness had on her and her family's life, as well as her daily struggles living with cancer in various poems and essays found in this collection .
Finally, the collection includes family photographs, some of which are in the form of born-digital files and scrapbooks; personal correspondence; journals, notebooks, and agenda books; address books; and some personal ephemera, such as her high school yearbook, awards, and mixed music CDs from friends – all of which provide insight into Chiang's personal life and some details about her family.
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
All journals and diaries, housed in Boxes 19-31, are restricted until January 1, 2098. All incoming and outgoing correspondence written during the period of between January 1, 1988 and January 1, 2017, including letters and printed-out emails, is restricted until January 1, 2047. Certain materials may be released prior to January 1, 2047 with written permission of the donor. This correspondence is housed in Boxes 31-38.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Fay Chiang, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Fay Chiang Papers; TAM 748; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Xian Chiang-Waren in April and September 2018, and March 2020; the accession numbers associated with this gift are 2018.104, 2018.112, 2019.083, and 2020.021.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.
Audiovisual materials that have not been preserved 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 Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Separated Materials
At the time of processing, two copies of Generasian Magazine (NYU - Asian American Student Affairs magazine) were transfered to New York University's University Archives and added to New York University Archives Collection of Publications and Ephemera (MC.334).
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in archival boxes and folders, retaining original order. Materials were described on the collection-level with a box-list. Optical discs were removed from their original locations using a separation sheet and inventoried, but were not forensically imaged, analyzed, or described.
The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) were processed and described by an archivist in the spring of 2023. Materials were placed in new archival folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when possible, but most folders were renamed to better reflect the folder's contents. Materials were then arranged alphabetically by file title. Related materials were grouped together intellectually and physically, when possible. Photographs and negatives were removed from their original housing and placed into archival sleeves. Seven VHS tapes were assigned unique AV identifing numbers, placed in a single archival box, and intellectually incorporated into the finding aid. One scrapbook was stabilized and rehoused by New York University's Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department.
Materials including personal family photographs, medical documents, financial documents, family materials, artifacts, and duplicate materials were removed from the collection and returned to the donor.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. Five optical discs containing audio were forensically imaged and analyzed using Exact Audio Copy; four optical discs and one floppy disk containing documents and photographs were forensically imaged and analyzed using FTK Imager; and three optical discs containing video were were forensically imaged and analyzed using Isobusters. After review, four of the born-digital files were removed from the collection.
Revisions to this Guide
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3rd Annual Asian/Asian American Jazz and Cultural Festival, 1986
3rd Annual NYC Asian American Studies Conference, 2009
7 Continents 9 Lives - Announcement of Book Publication, 2010
7 Continents 9 Lives - Biographical Note, 2009
7 Continents 9 Lives - Drafts, 2009-2010, inclusive
7 Continents 9 Lives - Press, 2009
19th Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, 1998
Activist Imagination (Kearny Street Workshop), 2008
Address Books and Rolodexes, circa 1994-2015, undated, inclusive
Afternoon Shower Performance Photos (Ohio Theater, Soho), 1983
Agendas and Calendars [RESTRICTED], 1995-2014, inclusive
Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations, 1998-2000, inclusive
Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations -- Correspondence [RESTRICTED], 1998
Amerasia Journal, Vol. 3 No. 1, 1975
America's Many Voices Performance, 1982
Amious Curiae: The Execution of Chung-Yi Miao, 2008
Apicha Community Health Center, 2002
Artist in Residence Grant - Jean Chiang, 1996
Asian American Arts Design (Magazine of the Asian American Arts Alliance), 2001
Asian American Leadership Conference (Yale University), 2009
Asian American Organizations, undated
Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education Conference (APAHE), 2002
Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute (New York Univerisity), 1997, 2003-2006, inclusive
Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute (New York Univerisity) - AIR Welcome Event: Fay Chiang, 2003
Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) Institute (New York Univerisity) - Correspondence [RESTRICTED], 2005
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, 1995
Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Spoken Word and Poetry Summit, 2007
Asian Tactical Theater, 1973
Award - Conference on Chinese American History, NYU, 1999
Basement Workshop, 1976-1986,1997-1998, inclusive
Basement Workshop - Anniversary, 2009
Basement Workshop - Arts Initiative: A Legacy Project of Basement Workshop , 2016-2017, inclusive
Basement Workshop - Basement Yearbook, 1986
Basement Workshop - Charlie Chin and Fay Chiang Photographs, 1976, 2002, inclusive
Basement Workshop - Correspondence [RESTRICTED], 2016
Basement Workshop - Godzilla: Asian American Arts Network Exhibit at New Museum, 1998
Basement Workshop - "Hiroshige's Eagle" (paintings by Fay Chiang), 1977
Basement Workshop - Interview Transcript with East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU), 2008
Basement Workshop - Interview Transcript with Fay Chiang and Yuh-jen Lu, 1997
Basement Workshop - Race and Culture in Nonprofits: The Transformation of New York Asian American arts organizations, 1971-2004 (Bo-Seon Shim), 2006
Bob Avakian, 2007
Book List, undated
Boricua College - Women Writers Poetry Series, 2008
Bowery Poetry Club, 2006
Bowery Women Poems , 2006
A Capitalist Meltdown of the Global Kind (Poetry by Regie Cabico), 2009
Chee Chin, 2008
The Chinese of America, 1785-1980 (Him Mark Lai, Joe Huang, Don Wang), 1980
Chinese-American Planning Council, 2015-2016, inclusive
Conference Materials, 1990
Correspondence - Bo Seon Shim [RESTRICTED], 2004, 2013, inclusive
Correspondence - Condolence Cards (Fay Chiang's Death) [RESTRICTED], 2017
Correspondence - Condolence Cards (Fay Chiang's Mother's Death) [RESTRICTED], 1999
Correspondence - Ding Kong [RESTRICTED], 2000, 2007-2011, inclusive
Correspondence - Don Kao [RESTRICTED], 2002, 2007, inclusive
Correspondence - EFA (Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts) Project Space [RESTRICTED], 2015
Correspondence - Fay Chiang to Oprah Winfrey [RESTRICTED], 2011
Correspondence - General, 1967-1987, inclusive
Correspondence - General [RESTRICTED], 1988-2017, inclusive
Correspondence - HOWL Poetry Reading [RESTRICTED], 2011
Correspondence - Jack Tchen [RESTRICTED], 1998, 2003-2009, inclusive
Correspondence - Janine Pommy Vega [RESTRICTED], 1998
Correspondence - Jean Chiang [RESTRICTED], undated
Correspondence - Mark Waren [RESTRICTED], 1996, 2007-2008, inclusive
Correspondence - Miki Akamatsu [RESTRICTED], 2004, 2009, inclusive
Correspondence about Mine Okubo [RESTRICTED], 1998-1999, 2004, inclusive
Correspondence - Mom Egg Review [RESTRICTED], 2008-2009, inclusive
Correspondence - New York City Asian Student Conference [RESTRICTED], 2009
Correspondence - New York Newsday [RESTRICTED], 1994
Correspondence - New York Poetry Festival [RESTRICTED], 2011
Correspondence - The Poem Archive [RESTRICTED], 2013
Correspondence - Poetry Festivals [RESTRICTED], 1998-1999, inclusive
Correspondence - Publishers [RESTRICTED], 1996, 2000-2015, inclusive
Correspondence - Richard Oyama [RESTRICTED], 1999-2007, inclusive
Correspondence - Rosemary, 1970-1971, inclusive
Correspondence - Seoul International Writers Festival [RESTRICTED], 2012
Correspondence - Siddhartha Joag [RESTRICTED], 2003-2011, inclusive
Correspondence - Taiyo [RESTRICTED], 2003, 2005, 2008, inclusive
Correspondence - Teru [RESTRICTED], undated, 1996
Design Festa Live Stage - Tokyo, 2015
Diaries and Journals [RESTRICTED], 1982-2003, inclusive
Diaries and Journals [RESTRICTED], 2003-2017, undated, inclusive
East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECASU), Georgetown University, 2003
EFA (Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts) Project Space - "Speaking Portraits: A Conversation with Stolen Lives and Families", 2015
Family Photographs, circa 1980s-2000s, inclusive
Digital materials
Fay Chiang Biographies, circa 1990s, 2007, inclusive
Fay Chiang's Business and Identification Cards, undated
Fay Chiang's High School Yearbook, 1969
Fay Chiang's Resumes, undated
Digital materials
A Gathering of the Tribes, No. 11 , undated
Guerilla Art, undated
Handwritten Notes, undated
Hunter College - Fay Chiang Undergraduate, 1969-1970, 1974, inclusive
Hunter College - Teaching, 2001
Hypnagogic Review (Aleksandar Zograf), 1996-1998, inclusive
Icons of Presence: Asian American Activist Art (Leland Wong, Jim Dong, Nancy Ham), 2008
In the City of Contradictions, 1981, 2006, 2016, inclusive
Digital materials
In the City of Contradictions and Miwa's Song - Excerpts, 2000
In This Life - Drafts, 2003
In This Life - Manuscript, 2004-2005, inclusive
Interviews, 2009
Digital materials
Interviews - Fay Chiang, Bill Zimmerman, and Students from Philisophy 378 (Stony Brook University), 2004
Interviews - Fay Chiang and Doug Moy, 2004
Video
Interviews - Fay Chiang, Margo Machida, and Taiyo Ebato, 2001
Interviews - Fay Chiang and Srilata, 2012
Interviews and Poetry Readings, 1988
Digital materials
Janine Pommy Vega, 1998
Japanese American Community Services - Cecelia Nakamura Arts Fund Application for Funding, undated
Karen Su, 2009
Laundryman, 1984
Ledwig House Writers Residency, 2011
Louis Reyes Rivera LifetimeAchievement Award, 2007
The MacDowell Colony - Literature (Winter/Spring), 2014
Mia Vita, 1986
Mine Okubo, 2000-2003, inclusive
Mine Okubo - Citizen 13660, 1983
Miwa's Song, 1982, 2006, inclusive
Digital materials
The Mom Egg Review, 2006-2017, inclusive
The Mom Egg Review - Fay Chiang Poems (Excerpts), 2006-2016, inclusive
Mott to Mulberry (Written & Directed by Herman Lew, features Fay Chiang), undated
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Duration: 33 minutes
Video
Neighborhood Voices, undated
New York Chinatown History Project, 1998
New York City Arts Coalition, 1999
New York Foundation for the Arts, 1997, 2007-2008, inclusive
New York Foundation for the Arts - Art Fellowship, 2014
New York Foundation for the Arts - Writing Samples, 2006
New York Newsday, undated
New York Poetry Festival, undated
New York State Council for the Arts, 1998-1999, inclusive
New Work - Draft, 2015-2016, inclusive
Non Fiction Literature Work Sample Inventory, undated
The NuyorAsian Anthology - Asian American Writings About New York City (Bino A. Realyu), 1999
Obon By the Hudson (Richard Oyama) - Draft, 2003
Orchard Street Wellness and Advocacy Collective, undated
Ordinary Women, 2003
Original Art, undated
Original Art for Fay Chiang by Ding Kong, 2013
Original Art - Fay Chiang and Xian Chiang-Waren, undated
Original Poetry, 1982-2016, inclusive
Scope and Contents
These folders contain copies of Fay Chiang's original poetry. Poems include: "Untitled," "Notes from Japan," "My Changing City," "What It Means to Be an American," "Song for Xian," "How Shall I End My Days," "Wind for Xian," "Diving," "Flight," "In the City of Contradictions," "Outside my Window," "Samuel," "Daughter for Xian," "Mrs. Oltrani," "Father II," "In This City for Taiyo," "A Strange Dream," "Change," "For Xian on her 27th Birthday," "Cold Duck and Beer in the Toilet Tank," "Moonrise," "Sonnet: Silence," "Autumn," "World," "Reinvention," "Kin for Dong," "Portraits," "Air," "Some Thoughts on the 1995 Budget Cuts," "Basketball," "Stories (Story #1)," "What Did My Mother Think of All of This (Story #2)," "Chinatown," "A Big Round Wooden Table," "Grandma," "Jya," "Mrs. Ho," "In Chiapas," "In the Dim Afternoon Light," "Orchard Street," "Mask," "Tall Grasses Rippling in Wind," and "Landmarks and Geography."
