The collection contains poetry books written by Noni Howard, published by her New World Press, and audio-visual materials regarding Howard's activities in poetry circles and education. Of note is the video-recording of the First Annual Women's Poetry Festival of San Francisco which was organized by Howard.

Helen Eleanor Noni Howard was a lesbian poet, teacher, writer, publisher and therapist. She was born in Montreal, Canada in 1949, and studied at Bishop's University. She received two B.A.s (one in English Literature and the other in Comparative Religion) from Bishop's and was the editor of "The Mitre" for four or five years. Howard founded the New World Press Collective in 1974 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was the founder/editor of "Bloodjet" and "Prisma." Her books include "The Politics of Separation" (1974), "Almost Like Dancing" (1975), "The Anthology of the First Annual Women's Poetry Festival in San Francisco" (1977), "Share My Fantasies" (1996), and "Tiger Balm" (1997). She moved to California and the First Annual Women's Poetry Festival (1977) was her brainchild. In May 2004 she was awarded an honorary degree by Frontier University (of Nova Scotia) and in June 2004, she received a B.A. in Etudes Quebecoises from the same university. In March of 2005, she was named Principal of Frontier University (its first woman Principal). Noni Howard died in October 2012.

1 cubic foot

Copyright retained by the estate of Noni Howard.

The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. The 1/2-inch open reel videotape is not available due to playback equipment requirements.