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Finding Aid to the Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore Papers, 1990-2018
GLC 110
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Title: Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore Papers
Date (inclusive): 1990-2018
Date (bulk): (bulk 1996-2018)
Identifier/Call Number: GLC 110
Creator:
Sycamore, Mattilda Bernstein
Physical Description:
7 cartons, 4 oversized folders, 1 map folder
(8 Cubic Feet)
Contributing Institution:
James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-557-4567
info@sfpl.org
Abstract: Mattilda is a writer and activist concerned with various issues within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.
The major subjects include assimilation, gender, identity, and politics. The collection contains manuscripts, 'zines, published
articles and books, photographs and audiovisual materials.
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English; one item is in Italian.
The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk
hours.
Copyright retained by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore.
[Identification of item], Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore Papers (GLC 110), LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore in three accessions, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Sycamore donated 2 cartons of writing on
October 17, 2016, and an additional 2 cartons on February 14, 2018.
Mattilda has been known by various names throughout her life: Matt Bernstein Sycamore, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, and just
Mattilda. She was the editor of her high school yearbook and its literary magazine, and has been involved with activism for
GLBT issues, AIDS, and politics. She participated with ACT UP and was the co-founder of "Gay Shame" with one other person.
She's an avid diarist and writer, and has lived in a variety of cities including New York and San Francisco. She is the author
of
The End of San Francisco
(2013),
The Freezer Door
(2020), and the novels
So Many Ways To Sleep Badly
(2008),
Pulling Taffy
(2003), and
Sketchtasy
(2018). She's also the editor of five anthologies:
Tricks and Treats: Sex Workers write About Their Clients
(2000);
That's Revolting: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation
(2004);
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity
(2006);
Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving
(2004);
Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification, and the Desire to Conform
(2012).
The collection includes manuscript writings, subject files, photographs, diaries, 'zines, books and published articles, and
realia. The majority of the collection consists of heavily edited drafts of
The End of San Francisco,
Sketchtasy,
The Freezer Door, and the submitted and edited drafts and correspondence for the anthology
Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? The collection also contains a number of 'zines, such as
Gay Shame and
Swallow Your Pride, which Mattilda produced, books, articles and reviews written by Mattilda, and several published interviews of Mattilda.
There is an almost complete run of the journal
Make/Shift: feminisms in motion.
The collection is roughly grouped into series: Manuscripts and Writing; Subject Files; 'Zines; Photographs; Diaries / Journals;
Books and Magazines; Audiovisual Materials; and, Realia and Memorabilia.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Assimilation (Sociology).
Conformity.
Gays -- Identity.
Gender indentity.
Masculinity.
Sycamore, Mattilda Bernstein -- Archives
Zines.