Guide to the Hortense J. Spillers papers, 1966-1995

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2019

Collection Overview

Title:	Hortense J. Spillers papers
Date range:	1966-1995
Creator:	Hortense J. Spillers
Extent:	26.5 linear feet (23 record center cartons, 2 file boxes, 2 5x8 notecard boxes, 2 file boxes, 2 half file boxes, 1 clamshell box, and 1 oversize folder)
Abstract:	This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Hortense J. Spillers, American literary critic, Black feminist scholar, and the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in English at Vanderbilt University. The collection includes handwritten diaries, notebooks, and draft writings; personal and professional correspondence; and conference and teaching materials, dating from 1966 to 1995.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.2019.013

Scope & content

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Hortense J. Spillers, American literary critic, Black feminist scholar, and the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in English at Vanderbilt University. The collection includes handwritten diaries, notebooks, and draft writings; personal and professional correspondence; and conference and teaching materials, dating from 1966 to 1995. Materials are arranged into 12 series.

Series 1, PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, 1968-1993, includes calendars, diaries, graduate student papers, funerary documents for friends and family, and photographs. Diaries contain handwritten entries regarding personal and professional experiences, as well as notes on national events including the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Photographs include black and white photos of Spillers with Flo Kennedy. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type.

Series 2, NOTEBOOKS, 1966-1990, contain notebooks with handwritten entries. Entries vary in nature from personal diary entries to research notes and draft writings. This series is arranged chronologically by year, then by topic.

Series 3, CORRESPONDENCE, 1969-1995, contains personal and professional correspondence. This series is arranged into 2 subseries.

Series 3, subseries 1, PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1969-1995, contains greeting cards and handwritten and typed letters from friends and family members. Correspondents include Spillers' brothers, Curtis Jr. (deceased) and Ira; her sister Theaster; and her parents Curtis Sr. and Evelyn. There is also personal correspondence from Gayatri Spivak and Ruth Simmons. This subseries is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by sender.

Series 3, subseries 2, PROFESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1972-1995, includes general correspondence regarding talks and conferences; institution-specific correspondence related to meetings, organizations, and administrative tasks; and correspondence with scholars related to shared projects and research interests. Correspondents of note include Claudia Tate, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Toni Morrison. Additional correspondence can be found throughout the collection. This subseries is arranged chronologically, then by institution, then by sender and topic.

Series 4, ADMINISTRATIVE, 1973-1987, includes files from Spillers' time as English Department Chair and member of the Educational Policy Committee at Haverford College, as well as files from her service on the Commission on the Status of Women with the Modern Language Association. The files include handwritten notes, correspondence, and meeting materials. This series is arranged alphabetically by institution then by record type.

Series 5, CONFERENCES, 1977-1993, includes papers, handwritten notes, correspondence, and planning materials for several conferences organized or attended by Spillers. Conferences of note include, "The Birth of Black Cinema," organized by Toni Morrison; "Black Women in the Academy," for which Spillers served on the steering committee; and "Works in Progress" organized by Spillers. This series is arranged alphabetically by conference then by record type.

Series 6, TEACHING, 1973-1993, includes handwritten lecture notes, syllabi, and course evaluations. Courses include "Afro-American Literature," "American Literature since 1945," "Black Literature in America," and "English Literature: The Major Works." This series is arranged alphabetically by course then by record type.

Series 7, TALKS AND LECTURES, 1979-1994, contains typed and handwritten drafts of various talks given by Spillers. Talks of note include, "Dreaming Emmett," "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe," and "Writing and the Self: Re-Positioning the Margins on Paule Marshall." This series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Series 8, WRITINGS, 1969-1995, includes typed and handwritten drafts, correspondence, and offprints of others' writings. This series is arranged into 2 subseries.

Series 8, subseries 1, WRITINGS BY SPILLERS, 1970-1993, includes typed and handwritten drafts of articles, books, edited books, plays, and reviews. Works of note include, "Bro. Isom's Funeral," "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book," "Sunday of Indulgence," "Conjuring: Black Women, Fiction, and Literary Tradition: A Collection of Criticism," and "Sparebone." This subseries is arranged alphabetically by type of writing, then by title of the work, then by record type.

Series 8, subseries 2, WRITINGS BY OTHERS, 1969-1995, includes correspondence and typed and handwritten drafts by other scholars. Scholars of note include Jane Gallop, Ann Z. Leventhal, Gayatri Spivak, and Claudia Tate. Toni Morrison's "Statement to the Presidential Task Force on the Arts and the Humanities," and "Dreaming Emmett" are also included. "Dreaming Emmett" was Morrison's first play which debuted in 1986. This copy, annotated by Spillers for a symposium on Morrison's works, is the only known copy outside of the Toni Morrison papers held at Princeton University. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by author's last name then by title of their work.

Series 9, RESEARCH, 1966-1995, contains notecards and readings and is arranged into 3 subseries.

Series 9, subseries 1, NOTECARDS, n.d., contains 5-inch by 8-inch notecards with handwritten citations of books, articles, and periodicals.

Series 9, subseries 2, READINGS BY SUBJECT'S NAME, 1967-1992, contains articles and photocopied readings about individuals including Christopher Columbus, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by subject's last name.

Series 9, subseries 3, READINGS BY TOPIC, 1966-1995, contains articles and photocopied readings about specific topics such as "Black feminist criticism and Black women writers," lesbian identity, MOVE (Black liberation group), and "Uncle Tom's Cabin." This subseries is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Series 10, PRINT MATERIALS, 1969-1991, includes books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. Notable titles include, "The Black Scholar," "Gourmet: The Magazine of Good Living," "New Women's Times Feminist Review," and "Petits Propos Culinaires: Essays and Notes on Food, Cookery, and Cookbooks." This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by title.

Series 11, AUDIO TAPES, 1972-1988, contains 5-inch reel-to-reel magnetic tapes and audio cassette tapes. Of particular note are the 5 tapes from Toni Morrison's "Birth of Black Cinema" symposium, and the 3 tapes from the "Archimedes in Harlem Symposium" regarding Toni Morrison's play, "Dreaming Emmett." This series is arranged by record type then by tape number as assigned by the processor prior to reformatting. Reformatted recordings are available through the Brown Digital Repository and are linked in each item title.

Series 12, RESTRICTED, 1968-1992, includes personal correspondence and administrative materials. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type and is closed until January 1, 2039 at which point the materials will open without restriction.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Brooks, Gwendolyn
• Morrison, Toni.
• Marshall, Paule, 1929-2019
• Toomer, Jean, 1894-1967

Subject Organizations

• Feminist Theory Archive.
• Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.
• Black Feminist Theory Project (Pembroke Center).

Subject Topics

• Feminist theory
• African Americans in literature
• African diaspora
• American literature -- History and criticism -- 20th century
• Literature -- Black authors -- history and criticism
• Moby Dick
• Sermons, American -- African American authors
• Women and literature -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

Geographical Names

• Race in Literature

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 12 series.

Biographical/Historical Note

Hortense J. Spillers was born on April 24, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee, where she grew up with two brothers and one sister. She attended Melrose High School before going on to earn her Bachelor of Arts and Master's degrees from the University of Memphis in 1964 and 1966 respectively. While at the University of Memphis, she served as a disc jockey for the all-Black radio station WDIA. Spillers then attended Brandeis University where, in 1969, she participated in the takeover of Ford Hall. Students who were dissatisfied with the racial climate on campus held an 11-day takeover that ultimately led to the establishment of the Department of African and African American Studies at Brandeis. After earning her Ph.D. in 1974, she went on to hold positions at Wellesley College, Haverford College, Cornell University, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University.

Spillers' research addresses psychoanalysis and race; the African diaspora; African-American literature and criticism; the representation of race in literature; linguistics; Black culture; and sexuality. She is best known for her 1987 article, "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book," one of the most cited essays in African-American literary studies today.

She is a member of the Modern Language Association and the Society for the Study of Narrative. Spillers has received numerous awards during her career, including most recently the Caribbean Philosophical Association's Nicolás Guillén Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, and the Brandeis University Alumni Achievement Award in 2019. Brandeis' Provost, Lisa Lynch described Spillers as a "pioneering professor, feminist scholar and critic whose contributions have influenced the landscape of African American literary studies and advanced Black feminist theory."

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are some restrictions on access, though most of the collection is open for research. Series 12, Restricted, is closed until January 1, 2039 at which point the materials will open without restriction. The collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Hortense J. Spillers papers, Ms.2019.013, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	Gift of Hortense J. Spillers in 2019 as part of the Black Feminist Theory Project.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Amanda Knox, on behalf of the Pembroke Center for the Teaching and Research on Women and the Brown University Library.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2019-10-29.
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor:	Curatorial work and processing provided by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women on behalf of the Feminist Theory Archive, Brown University Library.

Additional Information

Inventory

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