Restrictions on Access
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Preferred Citation
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Processing Note
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Terry Wolverton papers
Creator:
Wolverton, Terry
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.0445
Physical Description:
50.8 Linear Feet
(114 boxes, 2 flat boxes, 7 shoe boxes, 1 oversize
folder)
Date (inclusive): 1966-2015
Abstract: Terry Wolverton, born in 1954, is a
poet, writer, editor, teacher of writing, performance artist, and management consultant. She
has also worked as a promoter of the arts, primarily at the Los Angeles Woman's Building,
and served in management positions at the Woman's Building, a feminist non-profit arts and
education center in Los Angeles. The collection consists of research material; teaching
materials; letters and notes from her students; professional correspondence; notes, drafts,
and manuscripts; publicity material, photographs, and reviews; and art collected, much
connected to the Woman's Building.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access
special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on
this page.
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access special collections
materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All
other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not
hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Terry Wolverton papers (Collection 445). UCLA Library Special
Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Terry Wolverton; Gift; 2005, 2016.
Processing Note
Processed by Dan Luckenbill in 2005-2006, with data entry by Brooke Chappell.
Additions processed by Julie Park in 2017-2018 under the supervision of Courtney Dean.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Terry Wolverton was born in Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 23, 1954. Wolverton is a
performance artist, poet, writer, editor, teacher of writing, instructor of Kundalini yoga
and meditation, and management consultant. She has been an activist for women's, lesbian,
and gay causes. Her teaching has included developing classes for students who are HIV
positive.
Wolverton studied at the University of Detroit (1972-1973), majoring in Psychology and
Theater, the University of Toronto (1973-1974), and the Sagaris Institute, Lyndonville,
Vermont (1975). She received her B.A. in Theater, Creative Writing and Women's Studies from
Thomas Jefferson College, Allendale, Michigan (1978), with further study at the Los Angeles
Woman's Building Feminist Studio Workshop (1976-1978). She worked as news writer, freelance
copywriter, and publicist 1977-1980. She worked at the Woman's Building, a feminist
non-profit arts and education center in Los Angeles, from 1977-1989 where she was
development director 1984-1988 and executive director, 1988-1989. Beginning 1977 she has
taught adult education classes at the Woman's Building, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian
Center, Connexxus Women's Center, UCLA Extension, and California Institute of the Arts.
Beginning 1982 she has been the president of ConsultHer, a management consulting firm.
Beginning 1997 she has been the founder of and instructor at Writers at Work, a private
creative writing center. She has served on the board of the Monette-Horwitz Trust Advisory
Committee, 1998-2005.
Wolverton began her professional creative work as a performance artist, writing or
collaborating on the texts and appearing in the performances. She has published numerous
articles and reviews in both Los Angeles and national periodicals; books of poetry, fiction,
and memoir; and has edited many anthologies of lesbian and gay poets and writers, some
specifically of Los Angeles writers. S
Wolverton has edited 20 volumes, beginning 1990 with
Harbinger: Poetry and Fiction
by Los Angeles Writers
, and including
Blood Whispers: L.A. Writers on
AIDS
(1991),
His: Brilliant New Fiction by Gay Writers (1995, 1997,
1999),
Hers: Brilliant New Fiction by Lesbian Writers (1995, 1997, 1999), and
Circa 2000: Gay Fiction at the Millennium (2000) and
Circa 2000:
Lesbian Fiction at the Millennium
(2001).
Wolverton's books include
Blue Moon (poetry and prose, 1977),
she was
cracking rocks with a hammer
(poem, 1991),
Black Slip (poetry,
1992),
Bailey's Beads (novel (1996),
Mystery Bruise (poetry,
1999),
Greatest Hits: Terry Wolverton (poetry, 2001),
Insurgent Muse:
Life and Art at the Woman's Building
(memoir, 2002), and
Embers
(novel in poems, 2003). Among her performance art scripts and texts are works from 1979 to
the present, including
In Silence Secrets Turn to Lies / Secrets Shared Become Sacred
Truth
(1979), the collaborative work
An Oral Herstory of Lesbianism
(1979),
Me and My Shadow (1983), and
Under Eden (2001).
Scope and Content
The bulk of Terry Wolverton's papers pertain to her performance works and writings
(performance and book reviews, poetry, interviews, non-fiction, memoir, fiction, and edited
works), documented variously by research material, notes, drafts, manuscripts, publications,
programs, correspondence, photographs, promotional materials such as posters and flyers,
audio and video recordings, and post publication material such as reviews, notices, and some
letters from readers. There are copies of many works published in periodicals. Wolverton's
teaching of writing is extensively documented with notes for lectures, rosters, and samples
of student work submitted. The collection also includes materials pertaining to the Woman's
Building, including posters and works of art by women artists. The 2016 additions include
material relating to Wolverton's career as a writer, consultant and teacher, involvement
with the Woman's Building, and personal life.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Biographical, 1970-2004
- Subseries 1.1: University education, 1970-1974
- Subseries 1.2: Activism, 1974-2000
- Subseries 1.3: Outreach activities, 1983-2001
- Subseries 1.4: Conferences, etc., 1984-2003
- Subseries 1.5: Award/Honors, 1986-2004
- Subseries 1.6: About Terry Wolverton, 1985-2002
- Series 2: Professional files, 1966-2001
- Subseries 2.1: Audio and video art, 1988-1997
- Subseries 2.2: Art interests, 1966-1999
- Subseries 2.3: Promotion, 1977-2001
- Subseries 2.4: Teaching, 1979-1997
- Series 3: Performances and writing, 1970-2004
- Subseries 3.1: Reviews, 1977-2000
- Subseries 3.2: Performance texts, 1979-1996
- Subseries 3.3: Nonfiction, 1970-2003
- Subseries 3.4: Performances, 1973-2003
- Subseries 3.5: Poetry, 1977-2003
- Subseries 3.6: Fiction , 1983-2000
- Subseries 3.7: Writings, 1979-2003
- Subseries 3.8: Editing, 1976-2001
- Subseries 3.9: Interviews, 1978-2004
- Series 4: Writings and artworks collected by Wolverton, 1976-1998
- Subseries 4.1: Women's art collected, 1976-1998
- Subseries 4.2: Women's writings collected, 1985
- Subseries 4.3: Collected audiovisual materials, 1981-1996
- Series 5: Additions, 1971-2015
- Subseries 5.1: Biographical, 1973-2009
- Subseries 5.2: Nonfiction writing, 1999-2008
- Subseries 5.3: Fiction writing, 1986-2011
- Subseries 5.4: Poetry writing and editing, 1994-2012
- Subseries 5.5: Performances and writing, 1983-2014
- Subseries 5.6: Consulting and teaching, 1979-2015
- Subseries 5.7: Woman's Building, 1971-2012
- Subseries 5.8: Digital and audiovisual material, circa 1990-2010
Collection is primarily ordered chronologically.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Audiovisual materials in this collection will
require assessment and possible digitization for safe access. All requests to access special
collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this
page.
COLLECTION CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Special equipment or further processing may be
required for viewing. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in
advance using the request button located on this page.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Wolverton, Terry -- Archives
Lesbian authors -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Women educators -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archives
Women performance artists -- California -- Los Angeles --
Archives
Wolverton, Terry