Carolyn Weathers photographs and papers, 1961-2015

Summary

Creators:

Weathers, Carolyn, 1940-

Abstract:

Personal papers, professional records, and digitized photographs of LGBT and feminist activist Carolyn Weathers, 1961-2015. The collection includes documentation of the Alcoholism Center for Women, and information about Brenda Weathers, Jenny Wrenn, among others.

Extent:

3.8 Linear Feet 4 boxes + digital images

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] Carolyn Weathers Photographs and Papers, Coll2014-008, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

Correspondence, clippings, flyers, pamphlets, programs, event records, financial records, bankruptcy records, conference records, published materials, book reviews, writings, awards, contacts, meeting minutes, court records, research records, ephemera, photographic prints, and digitized photographs documenting the activities and interests of Carolyn Weathers, 1961-2015. The collection includes the administrative records of the Alcoholism Center for Women, and information about Brenda Weathers, Jenny Wrenn, among others.

Biographical / historical:

Carolyn Weathers was active in the gay and lesbian bar scene in the 1960s in San Antonio, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles in 1968 where she became involved in the emerging gay liberation movement. As a member of the Gay Liberation Front, Weathers held feminist issues workshops, helped form the Gay Women's Speakers Bureau, performed in agitprop events, and participated in protests such as the takeover of the Behavior Modification Conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles to protest the use of aversion therapy on gay people. In 1970, she joined the Lesbian Feminists group at the Crenshaw Women's Center in Los Angeles, where she was involved in protests and workshops on lesbian and feminist issues. She wrote "The True Story of Lesbianism by Frank Straight" and spoke at conferences, festivals, and other events. She became one of the first out lesbians on Los Angeles television when she appeared on Regis Phibin's "Tempo Show." She protested for abortion rights, women's equality, and the end of sexist/racist labor practices. In 1975, she joined her sister, Brenda Weathers, to protest against fiscal mismanagement at the Gay Community Services Center in Los Angeles and helped her establish the Alcoholism Center for Women (ACW). Weathers was a printer at the ACW Press and helped create promotional material to fight Anita Bryant and the Briggs Initiative. She worked at the café at the Women's Building in Los Angeles and was an original member of the Southern California Women for Understanding. In 1984, she inaugurated the Lesbian Writers Series at A Different Light Bookstore in Silver Lake. Weathers has written and published numerous works, including the books "Leaving Texas: A Memoir," "Shitkickers and Other Texas Stories," and "Crazy." In 1986, Weathers and her partner Jenny Wrenn founded Clothespin Fever Press to publish books by lesbian writers. In 1987, Weathers and Wrenn formed the Los Angeles Committee to Free Sharon Kowalski. Carolyn Weathers has remained active in LGBT and feminist causes, speaking to researchers and the community regarding LGBT and feminist history.

Acquisition information:

Donated by Carolyn Weathers in June 2012.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Kyle Morgan and volunteers, 2014. In 2017, upon request of the donor, some materials from this collection were separated to become two other distinct collections: Clothespin Fever Press Records (Coll2013-092) and the Los Angeles Committee to Free Sharon Kowalski Records (Coll2014-048).

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1. Personal and professional papers, 1970-2013

Series 2. Audiovisual resources, 1970-1992

Series 3. Digitized photo albums and photographs, circa 1910-2011

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Related material:

Denise Crippen Photographs, Coll2018-042, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Separated material:

Separated to the ONE Archives poster collection:

UGLA, University of Gay and Lesbian Achievers, Spring Semester 1988, The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center.

Separated to the ONE Archives pamphlet collection

About our Parents, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Los Angeles, 1986.

Kepner, Jim. Gay Los Angeles: The Early Days. Los Angeles: International Gay and Lesbian Archives, 1988.

Roberts, Shelly. Make News! Make Noise!: How to Get Publicity for your Book. San Diego: Paradigm Publishing Company, 1994.

Read This Before Coming Out To Your Parents, T.H. Sauerman, 1984.

Separated to the ONE periodical collection

Connexxus, v.2, no.2, 7, 9, 10 (1986).

Dare, Tennessee's gay and lesbian newsweekly, v.3, no.31 (August 3, 1990).

Feminist News, v.6, no.7 (July 1988).

GALTA News, Los Angeles, v.1, no.1 (February 1988).

Gay Flames Pamphlet, no.1-13. (includes information on the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention)

GLAS-LA, Gay and Lesbian Arab Society of Los Angeles, v.1, no.4 (September 1991).

Happenings, Whitman-Brooks, v.10, no.6 (July/August 1989).

Lesbian Central Newsletter, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center (October 1988).

Lesbian Herstory Archives, no.13 (June 1992).

Lesbian Tide, v.14, no.3 (October 1988).

San Diego Lesbian Press, v.5, no.6 (August/September 1990).

The Visionary, v.4, no.1 (March/April 1991).

Separated to the ONE audiovisual collection

Alcoholism Center for Women, Inc., part 1 and 2, December 4, 2008. (2 DVDs)

Alcoholism Center for Women jug band and lighten-up group sitting around playing live music, September 12, 1980. (open-reel videotape, Betacam, DVD)

Alcoholism Center for Women staff in-service training with Barbara Kearney, circa 1975. (open-reel videotape, VHS, DVD)

"The Alcoholic Woman," Ad Lib show, Althea Scott interviews Brenda Weathers, Pauline Baxton, Bea Jorgensen, and Jean S. Vandervort, 1975. (open-reel videotape, Betacam, and 3 DVDs)

Barbara Kearney at the Alcoholism Center for Women talking about chain drinking, undated. (open-reel videotape, VHS, DVD)

Ann Bradley, Robin Podolsky, Carolyn Weathers, and moderator Thais Rothman on KPFK radio IMRU, March 9, 1985. (audiocassette)

Brenda Kay Weathers memorial service, July 30, 2005. (DVD)

Brenda Weathers, Director of the Alcoholism Program for Women at the Gay Community Services Center, at the San Francisco conference of addiction treatment, circa 1974-1975. (open-reel audiotape, 1 CD)

Carolyn Retter of the Alcoholism Center for Women interviewed by Stony Richards, 1993. (audiocassette, CD)

Carolyn Weathers home videos, July 1995. (VHS)

Carolyn Weathers poetry reading (inaugural reading of the Lesbian Writers Series at A Different Light bookstore with organizer and host Ann Bradley), February 18, 1984. (VHS and DVD)

Carolyn Weathers reading excerpts from "Cheers Everybody!", "Crab Apple Summer," and Leaving Texas: A Memoir, March 26, 1989. (audiocassette)

Conversation with Laurie Drabble on Spring Conference, February 2, 1990. (audiocassette)

Dara Robinson, Marsha Salisbury, Nancy Robinson, and Carolyn Weathers on the early lesbian feminist movement from 1969-1971, IMRU, 1983. (audiocassette, 2 CDs)

Diane Mariechild, "Mother Wit for Children of All Ages," Healing Stars. (audiocassette)

Dyke TV, 100th show. (VHS and DVD)

First National Conference on Lesbian and Gay Aging, California State University, Dominguez Hills. Sharon Raphael, 1981. (3 audiocassettes)

The Historic March on Washington, 1987. (DVD)

"On Honky Tonk Trail...," a talk by Carolyn Weathers. Includes "You Bring the Bible" and "Cheers Everybody," undated. (2 audiocassettes)

Gay and Lesbian Authors at the Los Angeles Central Library, June 6, 1991 (also includes Karen Thompson on W57th Street, March 4, 1989). (DVD)

Gay Liberation Front, lesbian feminists reunion at ONE, July, 25, 2004. (DVD)

"Learning to Be," filmed at the Alcoholic Center for Women, June 1976. (1 DVD)

"Learning to Be," filmed at the Alcoholic Center for Women, May 17, 1976. (4 open-reel audiotapes, 2 DVDs)

"Learning to Be: Funknown," with a voice over introduction, women speaking, and final credits. (Betacam)

NALGAP (the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Addiction Professionals and their Allies) Conferences (includes a talk by Robert Williams titled "Shame and Particulars for Gay Men and Lesbians"), 1987-1988. (2 audiocassettes)

OutWrite Conference, San Francisco, 1990. (7 audiocassettes)

Party on Avenel Street, Los Angeles, with Kaye O'Brien, Carolyn Weathers, Nancy Kelly, and June Hurlee of the Gay Liberation Front; and Brenda Weathers taping caseloads; 1970. (audiocassette)

Pat Collins Show, April 1, 1974. Interview with supportive parents of lesbian and gay children (includes interview with Jeanne Manford, founder of PFLAG). (open-reel videotape, VHS, DVD, mini digital videocassette)

Rader's "The Gay 1980s," six part series, October 29-31, 1980. (U-matic)

S Diane Bogus reading poem "Lady Godiva." (audiocassette)

Strike against the Center, part 1 and 2, KPFK Gay Radio Collective, August 26, 1975. (open-reel audiotape, CD)

"To Jenny [Wren] from Carolyn [Weathers]," a little play for Christmas, December 17, 1985. (audiocassette)

Vicki Randle and Diane Lindsay singing and performing on piano and guitar, parts 1 and 2, circa 1976-1977. (2 open-reel videotapes, 2 VHS, 2 DVD)

Vicki Randle, "Naturally High," a benefit performance for the Alcohol Center for Women's hotline staged at the Women's Building on Spring Street, February, 28, 1976. (open-reel audiotape, CD)

"The Woman in your Life is You," Alcoholic Center for Women resident skit, October 4, 1980. (open-reel videotape, VHS, DVD)

Women's Music Tour, circa February 13, 1976. (2 open-reel audiotapes, 2 CDs)

Yolanda Retter interviews Brenda Weathers, October 30, 2004. (audiocassette, CD)

Separated to the Non-LGBT newspaper front page collection

Reader, Los Angeles' Free Weekly, "Sisters," v.10, no.28 (April 29, 1988).

Additional collection guides:

Clothespin Fever Press Records, Coll2013-092, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Los Angeles Committee to Free Sharon Kowalski Records, Coll2014-048, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of originals:

Carolyn Weathers has retained the original photographs from this collection.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Alcoholism counseling
Lesbian activists -- United States
Lesbian authors
Lesbian feminism -- Archival resources

Names:

Alcoholism Center for Women (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Weathers, Brenda
Wrenn, Jenny (Jennifer Joy Wrenn)

Restrictions:

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] Carolyn Weathers Photographs and Papers, Coll2014-008, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of this collection:

ONE Archives at the USC Libraries

909 West Adams Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90007, US

Contact:

(213) 821-2771

askone@usc.edu

Website