Guide to the Sheila Ortiz-Taylor papers CEMA 13
Todd Chapman, assisted by Judy Klaus, Alexander Hauschild. Completed March 2000, additions made June 2009 by Chip Badley and
Callie Bowdish, 2012 migrated to EAD by Adam Schnee. Additions and revisions made January 2024 by Rebecca Vasquez
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara 93106-9010
special@library.ucsb.edu
Title: Sheila Ortiz-Taylor papers
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 13
Language of Material:
English
.
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description:
4.8 Linear Feet,
(11 document boxes, 1 half-document box)
Creator:
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila
Date (inclusive): 1957-2006
Abstract: The Sheila Ortiz-Taylor collection contains material relating primarily to her work as a writer and a teacher. The collection
takes up four linear feet and is continually being added to by Ortiz-Taylor, as her work as a scholar and writer continues.
Most of the material in the collection focuses specifically on her novels and includes her drafts of these novels, many of
them annotated for correction. The scope of the manuscript, as well as the notes on revisions to be made, are invaluable as
they illuminate her method and style during the writing process. The collection contains samples of Ortiz-Taylor's writing
from her work as a university student, and later, to her recognition as a noted and critically acclaimed novelist. Because
of this comprehensive sampling of her work, the collection gives valuable insight into Ortiz-Taylor's growth as an icon of
Chicana writing.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by subject into five series:
- Series 1: Personal and Biographical information
- Series 2: Correspondence
- Series 3: Writings
- Series 4: Reviews and Publicity
- Series 5: Video and Audio Recordings
Acquisition Note
Donations from Sheila Ortiz-Taylor, between 1996 to 2015.
Biography
Sheila Ortiz-Taylor is a critically acclaimed Chicana novelist, poet and lecturer, and winner of the Martin Luther King Jr.
Distinguished Service Award (1997). Born in Los Angeles in 1939, Ortiz-Taylor began writing poetry and plays as early as junior
high school. She says of her upbringing: "Daughters of a tap dancer and a yo-yo painter, my sister and I were sitting ducks
for the muses, who handed her a paint set and me three yellow pencils." Upon graduation from high school, Ortiz-Taylor enrolled
at UCLA where she completed one year as an English Major with a Spanish Minor. The following year, in 1958, She was married
and relocated to Iowa where she worked as a nurse's aid with handicapped children and as a secretary. She returned to Los
Angeles and enrolled again as a sophomore in 1960 where she won the Mabel Wilson Richards Fellowship. In 1961, she transferred
to California State University, Northridge, where she graduated with a Bachelors degree in English, (Cum Laude), and was named
Outstanding Student of Language and Literature in 1963. After a summer of travel in Europe, Ortiz-Taylor returned to UCLA
where she eventually received her M.A. in 1964 and her Ph.D. in 1972.
During the period from 1964 to 1972, Ortiz-Taylor also worked on her book
Emily Dickinson, a Bibliography. This piece was heralded as one of the most complete and essential bibliographies of its kind. Ortiz-Taylor continued to
contribute bibliographical pieces to
American Literary Realism and to
Twentieth Century Literature and it was during this time that she became the proud mother of two daughters, Andrea Bo Clendenning and Jessica Ann Clendenning.
Eventually, through perseverance and hard work, Ortiz- Taylor became an important and critically acclaimed novelist. Her work
includes the novels
Faultline (Naiad, 1982,1995),
Spring Forward/Fall Back (Naiad, 1985),
Southbound (Naiad, 1990), and
Coachella (University of New Mexico, 1998), as well as a volume of poetry,
Slow Dancing at Miss Polly's (Naiad, 1989) and the memoir Imaginary Parents (University of New Mexico, 1996).
The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States called
Faultline "the first Chicana lesbian novel."
Ortiz-Taylor was a Professor of English at Florida State University where she also served as Director of Women's Studies.
She has received numerous awards for her work; she has been writer-in-residence at the Guadalupe Cultural Center, the Cottages
at Hedgebrook, the Hambidge Center, the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, and the Fundación Valparaíso. A former Fulbright Fellow,
she has also been recipient of the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant and a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship.
Her awards include but are not limited to, the Teaching Incentive Program Award (1994 and 1999), the William R. Jones Most
Valuable Mentor award (1994-1995), the University Teaching Award 1995-96, (Graduate level), and the Professional Excellence
Program Award, 1996-97.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research. Audiovisual materials must be reformatted for access. Please contact the Department
of Special Research Collections in advance to request access.
Use Restrictions
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University
of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and
is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], Sheila Ortiz-Taylor papers, CEMA 13. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara
Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
Series Description
Series 1 Personal and Biographical information.
Series one is arranged as one series, in order of its creation where possible, and following chronological order where ever
possible. The series covers the period from 1963 to 1997. It begins with Ortiz-Taylor's travel journal from a trip to Europe
in 1963. Included is a journal which was periodically maintained from 1963 to 1965. This second journal contains quotes and
some story ideas as well as samples of Ortiz-Taylor's early writing style. Series one contains several interviews with Ortiz-Taylor,
covering such topics as, lesbian mothers and other aspects of her novels. These interviews help to describe her thought process
during the writing of her novels, for example explanations on various themes she works with in her writing, and comments on
writing in general. Lastly, series one contains a lecture written for a women's workshop on her experiences in becoming a
published writer. This first series is contained within the first box of the collection. The material in this series is arranged
from biographical information throughout the collection, which relate to this subject.
Series 2 Correspondence.
The majority of the letters in series two were written to Sheila Ortiz-Taylor during the years 1992-2006. These letters were
sent to her by the general public in response to her published books. Small collections of letters refer to Ortiz-Taylor's
relationship with Naiad Press, publisher of
Faultline, Slow Dancing at Miss Polly's, Southbound, and Spring Forward/Fall Back. The correspondence is arranged in four folders within the first box. Series two is further divided into two sub series,
Correspondence with Publishers and General Literary Correspondence.
Series 3 Writings.
This series, consisting of seven sub series, is by far the largest of the collection. There are seven sub series spanning
six boxes. The first is,
Published works: manuscripts 1972-1996 consisting of four manuscripts/drafts of her published works arranged chronologically from Faultline in 1972 to
Coachella, in 1998. The second sub series
Published works from journals and periodicals 1977-2003 contains excerpts of her work printed in various magazines and journals. Sub series three is self explanatory;
titled
Miscellaneous Books, consisting of two foreign language versions of
Faultline and one book of poetry entitled
North of Wakulla, annotated with comments to Ortiz-Taylor from her peers in literature. Also included in this sub series is the lesbian theme
calendar,
Lesbian Muse. Sub series four,
Unpublished works: manuscripts 1970-1999 contains manuscripts of Ortiz-Taylor's as of yet unpublished work arranged in chronological order. There are five complete
draft manuscripts, as well as academic papers Ortiz-Taylor wrote while in college. These papers reveal some of Ortiz-Taylor's
thought process in the writing of her unpublished dissertation
Surrealism in the Picaresque Novel. The fifth sub series,
Unpublished academic papers and stories, spans most of box 7 and contains 23 of Ortiz-Taylor's academic papers. Annotated by professors and spanning a variety of
subjects from 1957 to 2006 (some of the papers are undated). This portion of the collection shows in detail the formation
of Ortiz-Taylor's intellectual foundation in English literature. The sixth sub series,
Bibliographic Contributions is a detailed accounting of her work in several bibliographic publications as well as correspondence relating to her bibliographic
work. The seventh and final sub series,
Miscellany contains free-writes and plot mapping giving an indication of Ortiz-Taylor's work habits.
Series 4 Reviews and Publicity.
This series deals specifically with the reviews and critiques of Sheila Ortiz-Taylor's books and her relationship with Naiad
press, the primary publisher of her work. It is separated into critiques dealing specifically with Naiad press and each book
in chronological order of their publishing.
Series 5 Video and Audio Recordings.
Series five contains one video and one audiotape. Both tapes were made at Florida State University, and detail the contributions
Ortiz-Taylor has made to that university. The videotape is excellent visual documentation of her Martin Luther King award
for teaching excellence.
Series 1: Personal/Biographical
1963-1997
Interviews with Sheila Ortiz-Taylor
1986-1997
box 1, folder 3
1. a)
Community News, (with Peters, Jeff G.)
January 1997
box 1, folder 3
1. b)
Community News, (with Peters, Jeff G.)
December 1996
box 1, folder 3
2. Topic: Lesbianism
April 18, 1990
box 1, folder 3
3. Topic:
Spring Forward Fall Back (with Brophy, Mary T.)
December 21, 1987
box 1, folder 3
4. Topic:
Faultline (with McLane, Tania)
March 18, 1986
box 11, folder 8
Interview for OLOC (
Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) Archives
May 17, 2012
box 11, folder 4
Lecture delivered at OLOC (
Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) conference
August 2010
box 1, folder 1
Diary (European trip)
June 27 – August 4, 1963
box 1, folder 2
Journal (Quotes, sketches, notes and poems)
1963-1965
box 11, folder 3
Journal for the new edition of
Clarissa
January 5, 2004
box 11, folder 6
Journal for
Homestead
December 12, 2006
box 11, folder 5
Journal for
OutRageous
1996
box 11, folder 7
Journal for
Assisted Living
July 1999
box 11, folder 3
Final Report, NEA fellowship
March 7, 2009
box 11, folder 3
Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography
box 1, folder 4
Lecture by Taylor to Women's Workshop, Azalea Grill
January 20, 1989
box 10
Photographs from Friends (2 photos from friends)
box 11, folder 8
Photographs of Sheila Ortiz-Taylor (2 headshots)
circa 2006
box 12, folder 1
Biography, by Karen Christian
box 12, folder 5
Sheila Ortiz Taylor timeline
1995
Series 2: Correspondence
1981-2006
Correspondence with Publishers
1981-2005
box 1, folder 5
Outgoing
February - July 1985
box 12, folder 1
UNM Press re: "Extranjera"
1997
General Literary Correspondence
1981-2006
box 1, folder 7
Grants and awards
1985-1996
box 1, folder 8
Correspondence with readers, incoming
1981-1998
box 7, folder 11, box 11, folder 1
General Correspondence
2002-2006
box 12, folder 4
Professional correspondence
1995-2001
Scope and Contents
Correspodence from students and scholars, regarding speaking events and conferences, letters of recommendation, and other
miscellaneous correspondence.
Series 3: Writings
1957-2006
Published works: Books
1972-1996
box 11
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Assisted Living
2007
box 11
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Coachella
1998
box 11
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Homestead
2011
box 11
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
OutRageous
2006
box 10
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Spring Forward/Fall Back
box 9
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Southbound: The Sequel to Faultline
box 9
Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila.
Slow Dancing at Miss Polly's
box 11
Richardson, Samuel
Clarissa: or the History of a Young Lady with introduction by Sheila Ortiz-Taylor
2005
box 9
Ed. Joan Nestle – Naomi Holoch.
Women On Women 2: A New Anthology of American Lesbian Fiction
box 10
Apalachee Quarterly. Volumes 36-37
box 10
Apalachee Quarterly. Number 28
box 10
Lesbian Voices. Volume 4, Number 2
box 10
Ed. Francisco A. Lomelí – Karin Ikas.
U.S. Latino Literatures and Cultures: Transnational Perspectives
box 10
Ed. Corbett, Edward P.J.
College Composition and Communication. Volume 29
box 10
Ed. MacEnulty, Pat.
Sun Dog: The Southeast Review. Volume 13, Number 1
box 10
Ed. Stelboum, Judith P.
HLFQ: Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly. Volume 4, Number 3
box 10
Ed. Valencia, Alejandra Sánchez.
Tema Y Variaciones de Literatura 14: Espejos y reflejos: literature chicana
box 10
Ed. J.H. Blair.
¡Caliente! The Best Erotic Writing in Latin American Fiction
Published works: manuscripts
1972-1996
Faultline ms.
May 23, 1972.
box 1, folder 12
Bound copy (44,000 words)
1980
box 2, folder 5
First draft (originally called "Home Movies")
Chapters 1-15
box 3, folder 1
Bound draft for publishers titled "First Draft"
February 20, 1994
box 3, folder 2
Third Draft. (Named, Imaginary Parent: A Memoir, Working copy) Chapters 1-11
box 3, folder 3
Chapters 12-23 (Chapter 24 missing.)
box 3, folder 6
Final publication page proofs, Book One
July 1996
box 4, folder 1
Publisher's blueline copy
1996
box 4, folder 2
Talk given by Sheila Ortiz-Taylor on
Imaginary Parent
undated
box 4, folder 2a
Two drafts of presentation
"Coachella: The Novel as Community" Delivered at UNC Chapel Hill
Winter 1999
box 4, folder 3
Early drafts (2) n.d. Draft 7 (37,718 words)
July 1996
box 4, folder 6
Pages 121-182. Draft 10. Titled "First Edition"
1998
box 7, folder 12
Early draft n.d. (36,898 words), Pages. 1-44
undated
box 12, folder 3
OutRageous aka Extranjera ms.
2003
Scope and Contents
Draft 11.
Published works from journals and periodicals
1977-2003
Miscellaneous contributions
box 4, folder 10
Episodic Structure and the Picaresque Novel in
The Journal of Narrative Technique
box 4, folder 10
La Frontera in
Two Worlds Walking
box 4, folder 10
Dyke Patrol in
Common Lives Lesbian Lives
box 4, folder 10
Selections from
Imaginary Parents: A memoir in
The Americas Review
box 4, folder 10
Southern exposure in
Sinister Wisdom 34
box 4, folder 10
A Friend of the Family (A chapter from the novel,
Faultline) in
Focus, a journal for lesbians
box 4, folder 10
Rearview Mirror in
New Visions, Fiction by Florida writers
box 4, folder 10
Faultline; excerpt published in
Christopher Street Magazine
box 4, folder 10
Esther Williams Sister, published in
Innisfree magazine
box 7, folder 18
Strip in
Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly
2003
North of Wakulla. Annotated anthology of poetry
box 4, folder 11
German edition of
Faultline
box 4, folder 11
Spanish Edition of
Fautline
box 4, folder 11
Lesbian Muse. Lesbian theme Calendar
Unpublished works: manuscripts
1970-1999
box 5, folder 1
"Harley." Chapters 1-7
1970-1972
box 5, folder 2
Chapters 8-20. "Captain Jack and the Flying Girl."
box 5, folder 3
Preliminary draft. Pages 1-14
box 5, folder 5
Draft 2. Pages 1-17. "The Flying Girl; Ace of Hearts." (Renamed from original ms.: Captain Jack and the Flying Girl.) 3,746
words
box 5, folder 6
Pages 1-18. "Extranjera."
box 5, folder 7
Early draft Chapter 1 and Chapter 22
box 5, folder 8
Journal. Draft Three
9/5/96- 9/4/98
box 5, folder 9
Pages 1-74. Chapters 1-18 (Some chapters renumbered)
box 5, folder 10
Pages 75-173. Chapters 17-39. (Some chapters renumbered)
Draft Seven (49,166 words)
6/11/99
box 5, folder 13
Chapters 25-45.
"Suprarealism in the Picaresque Novel." (An unpublished critical study based on Ortiz-Taylor's dissertation
box 6, folder 1
Chapters 1 & 2. Pages 1-62
box 6, folder 2
Chapters 3 & 4 plus notes for Chapters 1-6. Pages 63-164. (Pages 63-164 missing)
box 6, folder 5
Notes Chapter 5 plus miscellaneous notes
box 6, folder 6-7
Miscellaneous notes. Drafts (annotated)
box 6, folder 10
Academic works relating to "Suprarealism in the Picaresque Novel"
box 6, folder 11
Correspondence to publishers
box 11, folder 1
Worksheets for
Confessions of Anna Howe (incomplete novel)
Unpublished Academic Papers and Stories
box 7, folder 1
"The Dramatic Function of two Minds Deceased"
May 29, 1961
box 7, folder 1
"Virginia Woolf's
Mrs Dalloway"
April 18, 1961
box 7, folder 1
"Carmichael and Kilman: Their Raison D'Être"
April 18, 1961
box 7, folder 1
"Plot and Character in
Pride and Prejudice"
11/28/61
box 7, folder 1
"Marriage in "
Pride and Prejudice"
12/7/61
box 7, folder 2
"Time as a Structural Device in the Novels of Virginia Woolf"
1/18/62
box 7, folder 2
"E. A. Robinson and the Spectrum of Tragedy"
4/30/62
box 7, folder 2
"Virginia Woolf: A Heuristic Study"
1/7/62
box 7, folder 2
"An Analysis of the Prose styles of Ben Jonson and John Donne"
4/9/62
box 7, folder 2
"Tragedy and Sad Countenance"
May 14, 1962
box 7, folder 3
"A Figure of the
Trotaconventos in Spanish Courtly Love Literature"
May 14, 1962
box 7, folder 3
"Courtly Love in Chaucer's
Troilus and Criseyde and Dante's
Vita Nuova"
May 1, 1963
box 7, folder 3
Isabel the Archer: A Study in Military Imagery"
1/17/63
box 7, folder 3
"Romantic and Tragic Modes in
Mrs Dalloway"
5/8/64
box 7, folder 3
Reconciliation of Opposites in
The Bridge"
5/1/64
box 7, folder 3
"Mill, Tennyson, and
The Philospher-Poet"
7/6/64
"The Story-Weaver at His Loom: Plot in
Our Mutual Friend"
6/11/71
box 7, folder 4
"The Woman in the yellow dress"
1980
box 7, folder 19
Papers "Doing Mestizaje in the Third Space"
2006
box 7, folder 5
"Techniques of American Color Fiction"
undated
box 7, folder 5
"Platonic Structure in Saul Bellow's, "Looking for Mr Green."(Also accompanying letter to Studies in Short Fiction, Newbury
College, 1971, from Ortiz-Taylor)
undated
box 7, folder 5
"That Great Sect: Marriage in the Novels of E.M. Forster"
Bibliographic Contributions
1967-1976
box 7, folder 6
"Emily Dickinson Annual Bibliography for 1975"
box 7, folder 7
Correspondence incoming, relating to Ortiz-Taylor's contribution to bibliographical works
box 7, folder 8
Citations of Ortiz-Taylors bibliographical work
1970-1976
box 7, folder 9
Samples of Ortiz-Taylor's bibliographical works
1967-1972
box 7, folder 10
Collection of Ortiz-Taylor's notes, free-writes and plot-mapping
box 7, folder 20
Novel Worksheets –
Coachella
1995
box 7, folder 21
Novel Worksheets –
Extranjera/OutRageous
1996-2003
box 7, folder 22
Novel Worksheets –
Assisted Living
1999-2005
box 7, folder 23
Novel Worksheets –
Clarissa
2004
box 7, folder 24
Educational Materials – Lectures
2000-2001
box 7, folder 25
Educational Materials – Lectures
undated
box 7, folder 26
Educational Materials – Lectures
undated
box 7, folder 27
Educational Materials – Lesbians Inscribing Racial and Cultural Identity
undated
box 12, folder 1
Worksheets, etc. –
Imaginary Parents
1994
box 12, folder 5
Writings exercises, drafts, miscellaneous
1995-2000
box 12, folder 2
Drafts, edits, marketing, publisher correspondence - various mss.
1994-1999
Series 4: Reviews and Publicity
1980-2006
box 8, folder 2
Relations with publisher, Naiad Press
1986-1991
box 8, folder 3
Relations with publisher, Naiad Press
1980-1985
box 8, folder 4
Overview of
Faultline by Ortiz-Taylor
box 8, folder 5
Copy of Ortiz-Taylor's promotional/history scrapbook of publication of
Faultline
box 8, folder 6-7
Reviews and publicity
1982-1990
box 8, folder 8
Reviews and publicity (outsize)
1981-1983
Spring Forward Fall Back
1985-1986
Slow Dancing at Miss Polly's
1989-1990
box 8, folder 12, box 11, folder 2
box 8, folder 13, box 11, folder 1
box 8, folder 14
Miscellaneous, reviews and publicity
Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady
box 9, folder 1
Events Publicity
2002-2004
Series 5: Video and Audio Recordings
1997
Florida State University audio tape
1997
Florida State University television video recording
1997
box 9
Presentation of the Martin Luther King Award
box 12
Sheila Ortiz Taylor interview
Scope and Contents
Interviewer, Mary T. Brophy.
box 12
Nov. notes: Southbound, 2
box 12
Bear Talk, 1-2, Summer '93
1993
