Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

The Josiah Warren Papers comprises correspondence chiefly relating to the use of Warren's stereotype invention, the Equity movement, the cooperative society he founded in Modern Times [now Brentwood] N.Y., his philosophy of land ownership, and his journal, The Periodical Letter; lectures notes; and an article. Also printed leaflets.

The twenty-eight items in the Warren papers comprise correspondence to and from Warren, chiefly relating to the use of Warren's stereotype invention, the Equity movement, the cooperative society he founded in Modern Times (now Brentwood), New York, his philosophy of land ownership, and his journal, The Periodical Letter. There are also lecture notes, and an article, as well as some printed leaflets. It should be noted that many of the letters are difficult to read, as they are written on both sides of very thin paper.

Comprise correspondence, including series of letters from Ferdinand Freiligrath, Clara Neymann, and Mathilde F. Wendt; correspondence and documents relating to Der Pionier, with many letters relating to his efforts in 1862 to prevent confirmation of Col. L. Blenker as Brig. Gen. in the U.S. Army; manuscripts of his Gedichte and Erlebtes, and other works including poems, lectures, and articles; personal documents; and family papers including those of his father, Joseph Heinzen, and of his wife, Henriette Schiller Heinzen, including the Schiller and Moras family papers. Other correspondents include L. Bamburger, H. von Ende, H. Erichsen, K. Röser, J. A. Sprague, and F. H. Zitz.

Heinzen, a German refugee of 1848-49, was a radical author and lecturer and, from 1854 to 1879, editor of Der Pionier. Correspondence relating to Der Pionier, his efforts to prevent confirmation of Col. Ludwig Blenker as brigadier general in the United States Army, and other matters; manuscripts of his poems, lectures, articles, and other works, including Gedichte and Erlebtes; and family papers of his father, Joseph Heinzen, and his wife, Henriette Schiller Heinzen (Schiller and Moras families). Correspondents include Louis Bamberger, Heinrich von Ende, Hugo Erichsen, Ferdinand Freiligrath, Clara Neymann, Karl Roser, Julia A. Sprague, Mathilde F. Wendt, and Franz Zitz. The papers are in German, French, and English, chiefly in old-style German cursive. Many letters are accompanied by transcriptions, translations, or summaries in English.

These materials were collected during American writer Kay Boyle's time in Cambodia from 1966-1980, reporting on the impact of the Vietnam War.

The papers in the Kay Boyle collection cover the following areas: typed drafts with corrections of her Cambodia assignment for the Progressive. Photos taken during her trip to Cambodia in late July 1966. The first of two folders containing photos reflects various aspects of a public gathering where Boyle can be seen seated in front along with members of Americans Want to Know. The second folder contains photos of war damage shot by the delegation during their tour in the countryside. Other materials include private letters to Boyle from friends, including a friendly letter from Joan Baez (postmarked November 1989), writing about her writing and her visits to Redwood City volunteering in an AIDS clinic, among other things. Also included are institutions and newspaper clippings on Boyle's long time friend, Frances Steloff including black and white photographs of Steloff. Steloff is the founder of Manhattan's Gotham Book Mart and patron of alternative authors such as Henry Miller, Marianne Moore and Kenneth Patchen. Other than a letter from the managing editor of the New York Times, in which the Cambodia trip is mentioned, these items have no connection to the Cambodia assignment. The papers are placed in one box containing six folders. The photos provide a glimpse of cultural and political life at the time. They capture considerable Buddhist presence including rituals in which Prince Sihanuk is a participant. The photos also document public opulence associated with a royal procession, as well as intimate interaction between the Prince and his civilian and military constituency. In the countryside, the photos provide images of rural life and the collateral damage resulting from US bombing. The Cambodia photos, and photos of Frances Steloff at her centennial, are the heart of this collection. However, they are not unique, for similar photos permeate the public record. Similarly, the drafts of Boyle's assignment contain scant corrections that add little to the discourse on Boyle's style. The drafts resemble the article published in the Progressive. The archival value of this collection is limited to the black and white photos.

Scripts, newspaper articles and research, CDs, DVDs, and ephemera pertaining to Glenda Dickerson's project for "Transforming thru Performing: re/placing Black womanly images." The original goal of The Project was to enter the Black woman's performing voice into the scholarly discourse surrounding gendered identity. Out of it was created a series of performance dialogues called Kitchen Prayers. After 9/11, Kitchen Prayers revolved around stories which spoke to the impact of war and terror on women around the world.

Scripts, newspaper articles and research, CDs, DVDs, and ephemera pertaining to Glenda Dickerson's project for "Transforming thru Performing: re/placing Black womanly images." "…the original goal of The Project was to enter the Black woman's performing voice into the scholarly discourse surrounding gendered identity. Towards that end, we began a series of performance dialogues called "Kitchen Prayers". After 9/11, "Kitchen Prayers" revolved around stories which spoke to the impact of war and terror on women around the world…" (from the exhibit listing in Deep Blue)

LAGROC (Lesbians and Gay Rights on Campus/Lesbian and Gay Rights Organizing Committee), otherwise known as LAGROC or LaGROC, was a student-led organization that advocated for increased rights for lesbians and gay men at the University of Michigan through outreach, protests, and other activism efforts during the 1980s. The collection contains materials collected by Carol Wayman and Alicia Lucksted, who were also organization members, about early lesbian and gay groups on campus and those created by LAGROC. Materials include clippings, meeting minutes, correspodnece, various ephemera such as posters, flyers, and brochures, reports, and transcripts for radio plays.

The LAGROC Collection includes materials from circa 1983-1989 in one manuscript box of approximately 0.25 linear feet.

Materials include clippings, meeting minutes, correspondence, various ephemera such as posters, flyers, and brochures, reports, and transcripts for two radio plays. They detail early lesbian and gay groups on campus and LAGROC's activities to add "sexual orientation" to the University of Michigan bylaws, advocacy and outreach efforts such as Lesbian and Gay Awareness Week, support groups, meeting minutes, and protests.

The Laurance Labadie Papers document the work and life of Laurance Labadie, anarchist writer and theorist and son of the noted labor leader and anarchist Joseph A. Labadie. The collection contains correspondence, other writings, and printed material related to Laurance's economic theory and work with the School of Living, as well as a series containing papers related to the work of Laurance's father Joseph A. Labadie.

The Laurance Labadie Papers measure 9.5 linear feet and date from 1882 to 1973. The collection documents, through correspondence and writings, Labadie's ideas on anarchism and the social problems of the time, as well as the views of many of his anarchist contemporaries, mainly from 1932 to 1972. Unfortunately, there is little material from the years before this, and little, if anything, on Labadie's family. The correspondence is especially rich for the 1930s and 1940s, when Labadie was corresponding with anarchists who had been active in the late 19th and early 20th century, and who had known Labadie's father. The papers from the 1950s and 1960s document his involvement with the School of Living, a decentralist, back-to-the-land organization that he supported. The Joseph A. Labadie papers held by Laurance are chiefly notebooks and booklets of poetry with broad subject range, and scrapbooks of news clippings about Joseph Labadie, anarchy and labor movements in the 19th century, and Walhalla, the farm of Labadie's friend Carl Schmidt.

This collection contains material related to the Ann Arbor- and University of Michigan- based magazine the Leaping Lesbian, which grew from a local to national profile over the course of its publication. Although the records contain little information on the magazine's administrators, they provide a descriptive view of both the local and national lesbian community. The publications themselves reflect these communities through submitted articles, letters to the editor and news releases. Business correspondence vividly portrays the growing network of lesbian and women's enterprises in the late 1970s. And personal correspondence shows the emergence of a similar network within the social community.

The Leaping Lesbian Records are comprised of materials relating to the publication and the administration of the Leaping Lesbian publication, from 1977 until 1981. Although they adequately reflect the operations behind the publication, little information is present about the women who made up the collective. Meeting minutes hint at strained relationships and uneven workloads, but conclusive evidence as to why the collective disbanded is missing. The records do, however, provide a descriptive view of both the local and national lesbian community. The publications themselves reflect these communities through submitted articles, letters to the editor and news releases. Business correspondence vividly portrays the growing network of lesbian and women's enterprises in the late 1970s. And personal correspondence shows the emergence of a similar network within the social community. Overall, the records of the Leaping Lesbian collective display a lesbian community growing increasingly self-assured. Although an attempt has been made to follow the collective's original organizational system, a few changes have been made in order to make the records more easily accessible. File folders, most maintaining the originally designated titles, have been arranged alphabetically within series. Materials within files have been arranged chronologically. Records containing no identifying date have been placed in front of marked records with file folders. The records are organized into four series: Publication Materials, Organizational Materials, Financial and Legal Materials and Previously Unopened Incoming Correspondence. The Publication Materials Files contain all materials related to the publishing aspect of the organization. Included are contributed materials, press releases, and layouts of publications. The Organizational Materials Files contain all material related to the administration of the organization. Included are incoming correspondence from both businesses and patrons, mailing lists, meeting agendas and minutes, as well as advertising and sales information. The Miscellaneous Memorabilia folder in this series includes flyers and publicity photographs from various organizations and events. The Financial and Legal Materials Files contain all material related to the financial and legal operations of the organization. Included are financial and legal papers, receipts, account statements and records of subscriptions. The Previously Unopened Incoming Correspondence Files contain material that arrived at the Leaping Lesbian office after the final disbanding of the organization. This is the only series that does not reflect the collective's original organizational system. Included is correspondence from businesses, correspondence from patrons and national event notices and press releases.

This collection contains materials about the gay communities of Ann Arbor and San Francisco, primarily in the 1970s and early 1980s. The materials were collected by Lionel Biron, who as a graduate student in Ann Arbor was instrumental in the founding of the Graduate Employees Organization and the Gay Community Services Center. The bulk of this collection relates to gay and artistic life and political activity in Ann Arbor, but San Francisco is also represented. The final series includes Biron's books of photography.

The bulk of the material deals with Biron's political and artistic activities in Ann Arbor. These include documents and correspondence related to the founding of the Gay Community Services Center (GCS), as well as flyers (many designed by Biron) for events and handouts from consciousness-raising sessions. The Ann Arbor series also includes folders related to Tristain Tzara (about whom Biron curated an exhibit in Hatcher Graduate Library) and Fernando Arrabal (whom Biron interviewed in Ann Arbor). The San Francisco series consists primarily of posters and flyers for events. Another highlight is a folder of materials related to the magazine Gay Sunshine, including correspondence between Biron and Winston Leyland. Although some of the collection dates from the early 80s, there is no material related to HIV/AIDS. Biron's own books of photography, and some of his work published elsewhere, comprise the last series.

Papers of Ann Arbor artist, writer, and musician who specialized in artwork involving bondage, fetishism, sadomasochism, cross-dressing, and transsexuality. Included are correspondence, personal items, original artwork, original writings, photographs, scrapbooks, and audiovisual materials.

The Personal series contains various personal effects of Middlesex, including driver's licenses, yearbooks, journals, a coffee mug, a pair of high-heeled shoes, and a false eyelash. Photographs of Middlesex and others in her life are included in this series, including a limited number of projector slides.

The Name and Topical series contains a wide variety of materials from across the course of Middlesex's life. This series contains all correspondence between Middlesex and others which ranges from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s. The correspondence files are organized based on the last name of the correspondent. Correspondence range varies, from some folders only containing one letter to other files which contain letters mailed over a period of years. Where a photograph was found with a particular letter, it is in the same folder as that letter. Some folders, such as those of Bill Johnson and John Anton Lang, contain original artwork and collages by those people. An Unidentified folder contains letters to Middlesex that were either not signed at all or not signed legibly. Other than personal correspondence, a couple of folders, including Jeri, Versatile Productions, Inc., and Smoke Signals, involve her business dealings with the magazines in which she published. The Name and Topical series also contains magazine and newspaper clippings organized thematically. This series also includes documentation of a presentation that Middlesex gave to a University of Michigan psychology class about cross-dressing. This particular subseries includes many photographs, papers written by students based on the presentation, and Middlesex's own recounting of the experience.

The Writings series contains writings by Lisa Middlesex. These include fictional short stories, some previously organized into a series by Middlesex. There are also a range of songs written by Middlesex, some including musical notation. The Jokes subseries includes jokes written by Middlesex, most likely for future publication. The Autobiography subseries consists of the first few pages of a planned autobiography by Middlesex. Three issues of the magazine "Reflections" in which Middlesex published her art are also included in this series.

The Scrapbooks series is comprised of twelve scrapbooks constructed by Middlesex out of bound sketchbooks. The Scrapbooks are fairly uniform in their content, in that they include magazine and newspaper clippings and Middlesex's own writings, drawings, and sketches. Scrapbook 12, filled with magazine, comic book, and newspaper clippings, appears to have been used for the purpose of illustrated models for Middlesex's artwork.

The Photographs series contains photographs of unidentified people other than Lisa Middlesex. Most of these photographs were sent to Middlesex along with correspondence from people responding to personal advertisements she placed in magazines, though they did not accompany particular letters in the collection and are not signed. Many are of an erotic or sexual nature.

The Photograph Albums series consists of albums of photographs of Middlesex and other individuals in her life. In the first subseries, half of the albums contain photographs of a primarily sexual and erotic nature. The other half of the albums in the second subseries contains various non-sexual photographs. One of the albums, Album 10, appears to have been the only one assembled by someone other than Middlesex and given to her as a gift.

The Audiovisual series contains both videotapes and musical audiocassette tapes. The videotapes are primarily of an erotic or sexual nature, most featuring transgender individuals and/or sadomasochistic and bondage themes. A few videotapes are mainstream films and television shows.

The Artwork series is the largest series in the Lisa Middlesex Papers. Her artwork spans a wide variety of genres and formats. She made sketches, drawings, paintings, and collages. Her themes include bondage, sadomasochism, smoking fetishism, other erotic drawings, cross-dressing, transsexuality, comic books, superheroes, and science fiction and fantasy. She also created art and promotional materials for musical acts, including her own band, The Wild Prayers. A subseries includes a wide variety of original artwork by others. This series is organized by topic and then by size within each topic. Some subseries, though, were created by Middlesex while still in her possession. Many of the subseries also include photocopies of the original artwork.

The Lon G. Nungesser Hope for Humanity Papers, 1970-1989 comprise correspondence, drafts of unpublished and published manuscripts, ideas for research projects, family history material, publishers' contracts, placement files, and copies of his three books: Homosexual acts, actors and identities (Praeger, 1983), Epidemic of courage: facing AIDS in America (St. Martin's, 1986), and Notes on living until we say goodbye: a personal guide (St. Martin's, 1988). The papers reflect Nungesser's struggle against homophobia and particularly his battle with AIDS and coping with terminal illness. Correspondents include Dana H. Bramel, Stuart Kellogg, and Philip G. Zimbardo.

Although there is some memorabilia from his high school years and some personal mementoes, the bulk of this collection reflects Nungesser's struggle against homophobia, and particularly his battle with AIDS. The papers include published and unpublished writings, contracts with publishers, book reviews, drafts of research projects and grant proposals, correspondence, college placement files, articles and interviews, photographs, and clippings. There are two videocassettes, one of a call-in talk show with Nungesser as guest, and the other of Nungesser reading from Notes on Living until We Say Goodbye. In addition, there are two audio cassettes of radio interviews of Nungesser. The 1984 interview concerns Homosexual Acts, Actors and Identities and the 1988 interview discusses his battle with AIDS and Notes on Living until We Say Goodbye. These audio cassettes have been reformatted.

Nungesser is a prolific writer. There are several unpublished, book-length manuscripts in the papers, as well as dissertation and grant proposals and other writings. All relate to the social psychology of homosexuals, and several concern AIDS. Copies of Nungesser's three books have been cataloged for the Labadie Collection.

In April 1989, Lon began sending his correspondence and writings to the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections on computer disks. The files on these disks have been printed and those that did not duplicate materials already in the collection were interfiled. The disks are stored separately from the collection (in Case 2). Each of the printed files are labeled with the name of the file and its date of creation.

The papers have been divided into five series.