Cecile Pineda papers, 1959 - 2021

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Summary

Creators:
Pineda, Cecile
Abstract:
Cecile Pineda (1932–2022) was an American author and theater director.
Extent:
55 Linear Feet and 21.48 gigabyte(s) (born-digital content)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Cecile Pineda Papers, M1176, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

35 holograph journals from 1959 to the 2020, tape and video recordings of the author's work, drafts of unpublished work, photographs, literary and professional correspondence, teaching files, course files, publishing files, personal files and miscellany.

The additional addendum includes materials that were created during the 1970s to 2021. This includes Theatre of Man files, manuscripts, original journals and the redacted photocopies, posters, audiovisual materials, computer media, photographs, literary and professional correspondence, signed books, research files, teaching materials, graduate course materials, oral histories interviews with Hurricane Katrina survivors, financial documents, conference pamphlets, public speaking and appearance materials, magazines, newsclips and article photocopies, protest letters, activism materials and miscellany. Box 110 includes the appraisal inventory with original descriptions of collection materials.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Harlem, New York City, Cecile Pineda (1934-2022) was a Chicana San Francisco Bay Area writer, educator and playwright who founded and directed the experimental theatre troupe Theater of Man from 1969 to 1981. In 1985, Pineda made her novel debut with the publication of Face, and the following year saw the publication of Frieze. Her creative work has received the National Endowment Fiction Fellowship, the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction and the Gold Medal from the Commonwealth Club of California. Additionally, Pineda's 1992 novel, The Love Queen of the Amazon, was named notable book of the year by the New York Times. Cecile Pineda's non-fiction novels include the Devil's Tango (2012), Apology to a Whale and Three Tides. Cecile Pineda's tenth and final novel was Entry Without Inspection, a memoir that reflects on her upbringing, life and identity in relation to the impacts of family ties and immigration.

In addition to her career as a novelist, Cecile Pineda was a lecturer of creative writing and literature in 1987 and launched The Cecile Pineda Newsletter in 2012 which covered on issues such as immigrant detention, incarceration, environmentalism and peace activism. Moreover, Pineda was a peace activist involved in anti-war and anti-nuclear demonstrations and protests with affinity groups and artists.

Acquisition information:
Purchased, 2000.
Processing information:

The Guide to the Cecile Pineda Papers finding aid was created in 2001 and includes processed materials from 1959-2000. The finding aid was revised in 2025 to include the additional material from the 1970s to 2021 with an updated biography about the life of Cecile Pineda until her passing in 2022. The material was arranged and described at the folder-level and box-level with related materials prior to its receipt at Stanford. The processing at Stanford involved rehousing the materials and grouping related materials from the multiple accessions. The original descriptions were generally maintained with additional context added when necessary.

Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged three business days in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: https://library.stanford.edu/libraries/special-collections.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual and born-digital materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Selected portions of various journals are restricted for 72 years from the date of creation of the journal. Photocopies with the selected sections deleted have been placed in the collection for researcher use.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Cecile Pineda Papers, M1176, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website