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Bell (Alan) collection
Coll2022-009
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Alan Bell collection
Creator:
Bell, Alan
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2022-009
Physical Description:
1.67 Linear Feet
2 boxes.
Date (inclusive): 1984-2015
Abstract: Alan Bell is a graphic designer and publisher who founded the BLK Publishing Company and published a series of periodicals
specifically for Black gays and lesbians. The collection contains materials from the BLK Publishing Company.
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection is arranged by type.
Alan Bell is a graphic designer and publisher who began publishing periodicals for Black lesbians and gay men at the urging
of Black LGBT AIDS activists and to fill the need for reliable information and communication in Black LGBTQ communities.
Bell published a series of news and erotic periodicals including Gaysweek, Black Jack, Blackfire, Black Lace, Kuumba (a co-sexual
poetry journal), Black Dates, and most notably BLK magazine, which ran from 1988 to 1994.
Bell founded BLK Publishing Co., Inc. in 1988 to produce a series of company-owned magazines. They began offering graphic
design as a separate service in 1994, and later added other publishing-related services such as copy writing, editing, photography,
and print management.
In addition to running BLK, Bell also hosted a monthly safe sex party in Los Angeles for Black men which aimed to reduce the
spread of HIV/AIDS.
References: https://naesminc.org/hall-of-fame/alan-bell/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLK_(magazine)
https://www.blk.com/about.html
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Alan Bell, April 2015.
[Box/folder #, or item name] Alan Bell Collection, Coll2022-009, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
Collection processed by Beth McDonald, 2022. Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the California
State Library.
The collection, 1984-2015, contains materials from the BLK Publishing Company, including promotional items bearing the company's
logo, listings of publications related to LGBTQ+ and erotic materials, and a scrapbook of nude and erotic photographs from
magazines.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African American gay men
Publishers and publishing