Use Restrictions

Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of James Madison University is retained by James Madison University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information, contact the Special Collections Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Sister Speak Records, 1998-2019, UA 0015, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

The records were transferred to Special Collections in 2014 and 2016 by Dr. Mary Thompson, Associate Professor of English at JMU. The 2019 Sister Speak Publication Proof was donated by Liz Chenevey in Spring 2020.

Processing Information

Original folder titles were retained; materials housed within zip-up binders were removed and foldered in archival containers. On receipt in Special Collections, the arrangement of the majority of the materials consisted of folders labeled by year. The original order of the materials was maintained, and the collection is arranged chronologically.

Administrative History

Sister Speak: A Feminist Literary Journal is published twice a year at James Madison University. The first issue was printed in the fall semester of 1998, and it originated from English 467: Feminist Literary Theory, taught by Dr. Suzanne Bost, who served as the first advisor to Sister Speak . The first issue consisted of a photocopied collection of students' favorite response papers from this class. While originally titled Sister, Speak , with a comma to indicate a command, later editors dropped the comma in the title. The publication aims to embrace equality between genders, and the goal of Sister Speak is be an amalgam of information that educates about issues related to feminism. To this end, the publication includes works that focus on women and/or gender and that question or challenge oppressive gender roles. As of 2019, Dr. Mary Thompson currently serves as advisor.

Scope and Content

The Sister Speak Records, 1998-2019, consist of .66 cubic feet of material, and document the administrative functions of the publication and organization. Types of materials found within the Sister Speak Records include fliers for informational meetings as well as calls for submissions to the publication. Drafts of magazines consist of clippings from magazines and cut paper glued to single pages, bound into one document with glue. Other materials include zines produced by the JMU Feminist Collective, correspondence, and miscellaneous items including but not limited to one button and unaffiliated feminist publications.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Separated Material

Published (non-proof) issues of Sister Speak were removed from collection and cataloged separately as a periodical in Special Collections.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Administrative records
• Buttons (information artifacts)
• Drafts (documents)
• Equality
• Fanzines
• Feminism
• Feminism and literature
• Feminist theory
• Gender roles
• James Madison University -- Students -- Periodicals
• Magazines (periodicals)
• Thompson, Mary, Dr.
• Women and literature