Three collections are now available through a Mellon Foundation grant to the Bancroft Library, providing access to the papers of 20th-century women poets and poets from underrepresented communities.
nocturnes (re)view of the literary arts records
nocturnes (re)view of the literary arts (BANC MSS 2012/227) was a literary journal committed to publishing experimental/avant-garde critical and creative art from throughout the African Diaspora and other contested spaces. Founded by poet giovanni singleton, the journal was published annually in Oakland from 2001 to 2005. nocturnes (re)view has 4 published issues: “expanding the field of vision” (2001), “spirit” (2002), “blues” (2003), and “nature: human and other” (2005).
The collection features submissions from many prominent writers, including Wanda Coleman, Nnedi Okorafor, Elizabeth Alexander, Percival Everett, and Fred Moten. The collection also demonstrates the realities of running a small, independent press, from selecting and editing submissions to funding. Notably, Series 4: Grants highlights both the opportunities and the struggles of securing arts funding in the early 2000s.
Mary Rudge papers
The Mary Rudge papers (BANC MSS 2014/172) document the personal and professional life of poet, peace activist, and Alameda’s first poet laureate. Rudge’s work featured themes of peace, social justice, and Bay Area history, including numerous published and unpublished poetry collections, anthologies, and non-fiction works (including Occupy!!! A Reader’s Theater of Perspectives [2012] and Jack London’s Neighborhood [2013]).
An advocate for arts education, Rudge helped establish high school poet laureates in Alameda and performed locally and internationally with Natica Angilly’s Poetic Dance Theater Company. Her papers offer a unique perspective of community arts organizations in the Bay Area from the 1960s to the 2010s.
Red Jordan Arobateau papers
Red Jordan Arobateau (BANC MSS 99/77c) was a Bay Area author, playwright, poet, and visual artist known for his prolific body of street lit, transgender and lesbian erotica, and autobiographical work. Arobateau faced constant rejection from publishers, as demonstrated by the numerous folders of rejection letters in this collection. As a result, he began self-publishing in the 1970s and eventually established Red Jordan Press in the 1990s. Over his lifetime, Arobateau produced over 60 artworks and 80 works of poetry and prose addressing themes of poverty and working-class life, mixed-race identity, butch identity, and Christian spirituality.
The collection includes manuscript drafts of four self-published novels (The Daughters of Courage: A Novel; The Nearness of You/Sorrow of the Madonna; The Outlaws!; and Tranny Biker), along with published poems, articles, and notes. Researchers will find correspondence with notable figures, including Ann Allen Shockley, Joan Nestle, Jewelle Gomez, Tee Corinne, and editors from publications On Our Backs, Firebrand Books, and Women in the Moon Publications. The collection also includes publicity materials for a variety of Arobateau’s works, highlighting his impact as an openly trans, independent author and publisher.
