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Finding aid of The James White Review Association
Records
Coll2006-004
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Table of contents
Title: James White Review Association records
Dates: 1980-1999
Collection number: Coll2006-004
Creator:
Willkie, Phil, 1952-
Collection Size: 2 archive boxes
0.7 linear feet
Repository:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Correspondence, manuscripts, illustrations,
photographs, press releases, newspaper clippings, event posters, and financial
records documenting the activities of the James White Review Association,
(JWRA) from 1983 to 1999.
Languages: Languages
represented in the collection: English
The collection is open to researchers when ONE National Gay &
Lesbian Archives is open, and at other times by appointment. Access to the
Lists and addresses file is restricted, but may be granted at the discretion of
archives staff.
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Box #, folder # The James White Review Association Records,
Coll2006-004, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles,
California.
Gift, together with the James White Papers, the Tom Young Papers, and
the David M. Lindahl Papers, of Philip H. Willkie, March 21, 2004.
Collection processed by Michael C. Oliveira, November 10, 2006.
Processing this collection has been funded
by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission.
In March 1983, a group of gay male writers began meeting weekly at the
Minneapolis writing center, the Loft, for the purpose of improving their skills
and publishing their work. In October 1983, the first issue of
The James White Review (
TJWR) was published by the James White Review
Association (JWRA), under the editorship of Phil Willkie, Greg Baysans, and
Paul Edmond. Willkie was instrumental in the choice of name for the
publication, which commemorated his friend, the local poet James L. White, and
was also intended to obtain regional name recognition for the publication. The
name had the desired effect and gained
TJWR
recognition from the local literary establishment. Six thousand copies
of the first issue were distributed nationally, free of charge, to gay
bookstores, newspapers, and writers. Although the first issue contained only
regional materials,
TJWR's wide distribution
attracted over 170 submissions from throughout the U.S. and Canada.
TJWR's reputation grew throughout the
1980s, and it became recognized as one of the leading examples of the second
wave of gay journals, following publications such as
Fag
Rag, Gay Sunshine
, and
Mouth of the Dragon.
By 1985,
TJWR was receiving submissions of 200 to
250 poems and 25 to 40 prose pieces for each issue, and was publishing an
average of 25 poems and seven prose pieces. The issues were distributed to over
270 subscribers and were available at more than 70 retail locations. During the
summer of 1986,
TJWR conducted workshops on
writing for gay men in northwestern Wisconsin. By January 1987, the
subscription base had more than doubled to 600, including 25 foreign
subscribers. As AIDS impacted the Gay community,
TJWR provided an outlet for literary expression. In
1990, the Lambda Literary Awards recognized Willkie and Baysans with the
Publisher's Service Award for
TJWR's contribution
to the community. In 1991, Willkie and Baysans edited and published
The Gay Nineties: An Anthology of Contemporary Gay Fiction
.
By 1998, its 15th year of publication,
TJWR
had published the works of an estimated 500 writers and artists, and had a
subscription list of 1,700. On July 1, 1998, Willkie transferred publication
rights for
TJWR to the Lambda Literary Foundation,
Washington, D.C., which suspended publication in 2004.
Sources:
Beard, William Randall. "Gay Literary Journal Celebrates 10th
Anniversary."
Equal Time, March 17-24, 1994,
Q-2.
Bittmann, Joe. "Gambling for a 'New Generation.'"
The Washington Blade, January 30, 1987, 2, 13.
Hutera, Donald J. "Changing Perceptions of Gender: Gentlemen's
Quarterly."
Minnesota Daily, October 14, 1985,
14-15.
______________. "Anything From Anyone:"
The James
White Review
Aims to be a Comprehensive Gay Men's Quarterly."
New York Native, January 19, 1987, 27-28.
______________. "Leading Gay Lit Mag Moves to Washington."
Pulse, June 17, 1998, 6.
Kasel, Mark. "The James White Review Discovers New Directions."
Equal Time, February 20, 1985, 6,10.
"Lambda Literary Foundation: LL Awards Recipients: 1988, 1989, 1990,
1991." Lambda Literary Foundation, 2006. Available from
http://www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/previous_winners/paw_1988_1991.html
(accessed October 12, 2006.)
Peck, Claude. "Inventing New Forms: A Gay Literary Quarterly Named for
Poet James White Reflects a Range of Styles and Substances."
City Pages, 1983, 21.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection comprises correspondence, manuscripts, illustrations,
photographs, press releases, newspaper clippings, event posters, and financial
records documenting the activities of the JWRA from 1983 to 1999. The bulk of
the materials consists of correspondence, documenting the relationship between
authors and editors, as well as sponsored events and fund-raising projects;
these materials are arranged chronologically. The collection also includes a
small number of submissions, some with accompanying correspondence, arranged
alphabetically by the name of the correspondent. The newspaper clippings, event
posters, and press releases, arranged chronologically, relate to the activities
of JWRA staff, from fund-raises to readings across the country. Records for two
writers' programs sponsored by
TJWR survive: those
for the Jim Holmes a.k.a. Jacob Lowland writers' program and those for the Jim
White School Summer Writers' Program. The address lists include lists of
subscribers, authors, and invitees to special events and readings. The
remaining materials consist largely of fragmentary financial and legal
records.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gays in literature
Gays' writings
Holmes, Jim (James S.),
1924-1986
James White Review
Association
Lowland, Jacob (pseudonym for Jim
Holmes)
Poetry--Collections
Poetry--Publishing
Poets, American--20th century
Queries (Authorship)
White, James L.,
1936-1981
Willkie, Phil, 1952-
James L. White Papers, Coll2006-003, ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives, Los Angeles, California.
Tom Young Papers, Coll2006-005, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives,
Los Angeles, California.
David M. Lindahl Papers, Coll2006-006 ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives, Los Angeles, California.