Inventory of the Kathy Acker Papers, 1972-1997 and undated
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleKathy Acker Papers,
1972-1997 and
undated
Creator
Acker, Kathy, 1948- .
Extent
20.7 Linear Feet,
3857 Items
Repository
3857 Items
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Duke University
Language
English.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this
collection.
Also, some of the materials in this collection are not immediately accessible, because they require further processing before use.
Furthermore, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have
not been transferred to Duke University. For more
information, consult the copyright section of the
Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript,
and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Kathy Acker Papers,
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library,
Duke University.
Provenance
The Kathy Acker Papers was received by the Rare
Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library as a
purchase in 1999-2002.
Processing Information
Processed by Ginny Daley; Tracy Brown
Completed September 14, 1998
Additions minimally processed by Ann Langford;
Erin Lawrimore; Allan Maule
Encoded by Erin Lawrimore
Last updated July 1, 2002
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
[top]
Biographical Note
| 1948 | Born. |
| 1963-65 | Studied Classics at Brandeis University. |
| 1967 | Received BA from University of California at San Diego (UCSD). |
| 1968-1970 | Studied at UCSD Department of Literature. |
| 1971 | Studied at New York University Classics Department. |
| 1975 | Published The Childlike Life of the Black Tarantula. |
| 1975-1976 | Creative Artists' Public Services Program New York State Grant For Fiction. |
| 1978 | Published Kathy Goes to Haiti. |
| 1980 | Published I Dreamt I Became A Nymphomaniac: Imagining. |
| 1980 | Published The Adult Life of Toulouse-Lautrec. |
| 1980-1981 | Instructor, The San Francisco Art Institute, Video and Performance Department. |
| 1981 | Pushcart Prize. |
| 1982 | Published Hello, I'm Erica Jong. |
| 1983 | Published Great Expectations. |
| 1984 | Published Algeria: A Series of Invocations Because Nothing Else Works. |
| 1984 | Published Blood and Guts in High School. |
| 1986 | Published Don Quixote. |
| 1988 | Published Empire of the Senseless. |
| 1988 | My Death, My Life, By Pier Paolo Pasolini published in Literal Madness. |
| 1989 | Published Young Lust; Kathy Goes to Haiti; The Adult Life of Toulouse Lautrec; Florida. |
| 1990 | Published The Seven Cardinal Virtues. |
| 1990 | Published In Memoriam to Identity. |
| 1991 | Published Hannibal Lecteur, My Father. |
| 1991-1995 | Adjunct Professor, San Francisco Art Institute. |
| 1992 | Published Portrait of an Eye: Three Novels. |
| 1993 | Published My Mother Demonology. |
| 1994 | Visiting Professor, UCSD. |
| 1994 | Visiting Professor, University of California at Santa Barbara. |
| 1994 | Visiting Professor, University of Idaho. |
| 1996 | Published Pussy, King of the Pirates. |
| 1997 | Died. |
Collection Overview
The papers of Kathy Acker, 1975-1996 and undated, are
comprised, for the most part, of manuscript drafts of her
novels, short stories, and other miscellaneous writings
ranging from early works such as
The Childlike Life of the
Black Tarantula (1975) to her last novel
Pussy, King of the
Pirates (1996). Described as a cyberpunk author and
performance artist, Acker's novels question the strictures
of female sexuality and the power of language.
The collection is divided into the
Writing Series (with subseries
of Manuscript Drafts and Miscellaneous Drafts),
Audio Cassettes Series,
Correspondence Series, and
Artwork Series. The
Writing Series contains
corrected typescripts, photocopies or original holograph
manuscripts of
Blood and Guts in High
School,
Don Quixote,
Empire of the
Senseless,
Great Expectations,
In Memoriam to
Identity,
Kathy Goes to Haiti,
My Death, My Life by Pier
Paolo Pasolini,
My Mother Demonology,
Tarantula Nympho-Lautrec
Trilogy,
The Childlike Life of the
Black Tarantula,
I Dreamt I Became a
Nymphomaniac!: Imagining,
The Adult Life of Toulouse
Lautrec,
Ripoff Red: Girl
Detective and
Pussy, King of the
Pirates. There are also drafts of the play
"The Birth of the Poet"
,
the filmscript
"Variety,"
and short
stories such as
"The Language of the
Body,"
"Jean Duval,"
and
"Girl Gangs Take Over the
World."
The Audio Cassette
Series primarily consists of cassette recordings of
interviews with Acker or lectures given by Acker.
The Correspondence Series
(Restricted) contains letters from people offering
suggestions on Acker's works or from others asking for or
thanking Acker for her suggestions regarding their works.
Also included are essays and poetry sent to Acker as well
as other letters from friends and colleagues. The
correspondence material is restricted. Patrons must sign a
waiver concerning privacy rights. (Includes correspondence
from accession #1999-0207.)
The Artwork Series
contains original artwork for
Empire of the
Senseless,
In Memoriam to
Identity,
Blood and Guts in High
School,
I Dreamt I Became a
Nymphomaniac, and
Pussy, King of the
Pirates. In addition, there are numerous black and
white photographs of Acker by
Robert Mapplethorpe and
Marcus Leatherdale.
The addition (99-207) (75 items, .1 linear ft.;
dated 1973-1978) contains two lengthy sections from Acker's
spiralbound notebook, one recording dreams, fantasies and
events in her typical stream of consciousness manner, the
second containing reflections on various topics and
thinkers, including de Sade. There is an original
typescript of an introduction for her book,
The Thesmophoriazisae;
an early version of
The Childlike Life of the
Black Tarantula #6;
The Story of My Life,
a home-made production in the original format Acker used to
distribute her work; twenty-five letters from other poets
and writers, including Andrei Codrescu, Kenneth Rexroth,
Jack Hirschman, Fielding Dawson, Ed Dron, Ed Sanders, Laura
Chester, Peter Gordon, Rex Pickett, Opal Nations, and
Barbara Baracks (interfiled in the Correspondence Series);
and an original color broadside announcing a reading by
Acker. All materials from accession #1999-0207, except
correspondence, are interfiled with accession
#2002-0081.
The addition (acc#2002-0081) (3552 items, 6.5
linear feet; dated [ca. 1979]-1997 and undated) includes
correspondence, drafts, and notebooks of works by Acker,
writings about Acker, photographs, and audio recordings.
The drafts and notebooks include numerous edited and
unedited typescripts of Acker's books
Pussy, King of the
Pirates;
Eurydice in the
Underworld; and
Requiem. There are
also drafts and research material for the articles
"Sugar and Spice,"
based
on an interview with the Spice Girls, and
"The Gift of Disease,"
dealing with her battle with cancer. Also includes 927
electronic documents on 2 zip disks and 3, 3.5" floppies; 3
audiocassettes; 3 CDs; 1 LP; 7 black-and-white and 6 color
photographs; 5 color negatives; and two color slides.
The addition (acc#2002-0164) (2 items, .1 linear
feet; dated ca. 1972) is a photocopy of Acker's 59-page
typescript, "The Destruction of the U.S./The Burning
Bombing of America." Includes a 3-page document by Susan
Orlofsky describing the typescript's provenance and
outlining its contents. (This accession has been interfiled
with acc#2002-0081.)
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- .
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- My mother demonology.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- In memoriam to identity.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Don Quixote.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Great expectations.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Girl gangs take over the world.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Childlike life of the black tarantula.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- I dreamt I became a nymphomaniac!: imagining.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Adult life of Toulouse-Lautrec.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Variety.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Ripoff Red: Girl detective.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Empire of the senseless.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Blood and guts in high school.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Pussy, King of the Pirates.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Thesmophoriazusae.
- Acker, Kathy, 1948- Story of My Life.
- American fiction--Women authors.
- American fiction--20th century.
- Punk culture--United States--Fiction.
- Experimental fiction--Women authors.
- Authors, American--20th century--Correspondence.
- Machine-readable records.
- Audio cassettes.
- Color slides.
- Color photographs.
- Color negatives.
- Black-and-white negatives.
- CD-ROMs.
- Phonograph record.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Writings Series | ||||||
| | Audio Cassettes | ||||||
| | Writings Series | ||||||
| | Correspondence | ||||||
| | Art Work | ||||||
| | Oversize Material | ||||||
 | | Accession 2002-0081 | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Writings Series
Manuscript Drafts
Novels
Blood and Guts in
High School
(2
folders)
Blood and Guts
in High School
Proofs
Blood and Guts
in High School
Don
Quixote
(2
volumes)
Volume I
Approximately 189 pages of original
typescript, computer printout and photocopied typescript,
with some original corrections. Enclosed in black
binding.
Volume III
Approximately 80 pages of original
typescript and photocopies, moderately corrected by Acker
with additions and deletions. Enclosed in black
binding.
Empire of the
Senseless
Great
Expectations
(2
folders)
Folder 1
Approximately 300-page original
typescript and photocopies, moderately corrected by
Acker.
Folder 2
Blues
In Memoriam to
Identity
(1
folder)
Box 2
In Memoriam to
Identity. 1988-1989.
(2
volumes)
Volume I
112-page photocopied typescript with
some original corrections and some corrections in the
photocopy. Enclosed in red binding.
Volume II
188-page photocopied typescript with
some original corrections. Enclosed in black binding.
Kathy Goes to
Haiti
Kathy Goes to
Haiti
Proofs
My Death, My Life
by Pier Paolo Pasolini
My Mother
Demonology
(4
volumes)
My Mother
Demonology
Blues
Box 3
My Mother
Demonology--"My Mother" (Chapters I and II)
(2
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
57-page original holograph
manuscript of
part one, with many additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 6 x
9.5 inches.
123-page original holograph
manuscript of
parts one and two, with corrections.
My Mother
Demonology--"Clit City" (Chapter III)
(5
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 5.75
x 8.25 inches.
62-page original holograph
manuscript,
with a few corrections.
Spiral
notebook, 6 x
9.5 inches.
51-page original holograph, with a
few corrections.
Spiral
notebook, 6 x
9.5 inches.
73-page original holograph
manuscript,
heavily corrected with many additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 5.75
x 8.25 inches.
80-page original holograph
manuscript,
with some corrections.
Spiral
notebook, 6.75
x 8.25 inches.
85-page original holograph
manuscript,
with deletions and additions.
My Mother
Demonology--"Obsession" (Chapter IV)
(3
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 6 x
9.5 inches.
42-page original holograph
manuscript
first draft, with many corrections.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
50-page original holograph
manuscript
second draft, with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
60-page original holograph
manuscript second draft, with many additions and
deletions.
My Mother
Demonology--"Dreaming Politics" (Chapter V)
(5
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 6 x
9.5 inches, entitled, "First draft of certain
sections."
66-page original holograph
manuscript
with a few additions and deletions.
Spiral notebook, 7 x 8.25
inches, entitled, "First, second drafts mainly second draft
of dream sections."
58-page original holograph
manuscript,
with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches, entitled, "Beginning of Book."
58-page original holograph
manuscript,
with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches, entitled, "3rd draft, indications of uses of
second draft..."
51-page original holograph
manuscript,
heavily corrected with additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches, entitled, "Last handwritten draft--changed
according to oral reading."
34-page original holograph
manuscript,
heavily corrected with additions and deletions.
My Mother
Demonology--"Redoing Childhood" (Chapter
VI)
(3
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
73-page original holograph
manuscript
first draft, with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
48-page original holograph
manuscript
first draft, with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
65-page original holograph
manuscript
final draft, heavily corrected with many additions and
deletions.
My Mother
Demonology--""The Dead Man" (Chapter
VII)
(4
volumes)
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
84-page original holograph
manuscript,
with many corrections, additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
54-page original holograph
manuscript,
corrected, with some additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
Insert entitled, "Dreams for book
and end of 'The Dead Man.'" 45-page original holograph
manuscript,
with a few corrections.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25 inches.
Insert entitled, "'The Dead
Man'--End Final draft." 14-page original holograph
manuscript,
heavily corrected with additions and deletions.
Original of
Tarantula
Nympho-Lautrec Trilogy
Now collected as
Portrait of an Eye:
Three Novels, Pantheon.
The Childlike
Life of the Black Tarantula. By The Black
Tarantula.
Small 8vo. Original pictorial wrappers
(New York: Tvrt Press, 1978). First Edition. Limited. With
some ink corrections to the text by Acker.
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining.
8 vo. Original printed beige wrappers
(San Francisco 1974). Inscribed on the cover, "for PP &
CP from his dearly beloved--TBT."
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining. Part 2.
Original plain white wrappers.
Inscribed on the cover, "This is for CP & PP who has to
be around 1 day a week. This will make him be around--TBT."
With some corrections and underlining in the text by
Acker.
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining. Part 3.
Original printed white wrappers
(printed "Peter Gordon 1974") and inscribed by Acker,
"(Note: Fred: Not by Peter, but I said by him as a present
to him. I was always changing my name in those days.)"
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining. Part 4.
Original printed white wrappers.
Inscribed by Acker on the cover, "for the person who helped
me do this. The Black Tarantula," with a drawing of three
hearts.
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining. Part
5.
Original printed white wrappers.
I Dreamt I
Became a Nymphomaniac!: Imagining. Part
6.
Original printed white wrappers.
Another complete, clean copy
of
Nymphomaniac (missing Part
6).
The Adult Life
of Toulouse Lautrec.
Illustrated. Small 8vo. Original
pictorial wrappers (New York: Tvrt Press, 1978). First
Edition. Limited.
Ripoff Red: Girl
Detective
Early unpublished novel, 1973. Original
154-page typescript with some typed corrections. Enclosed
in black binding with hand-lettered label. With original
holograph title page and drawing by Acker.
Plays and Film Scripts
The Birth of the
Poet
The Birth of the
Poet [in
So & So,
2:1]
Variety
A film written for director Bette
Gordon. 46-page typescript, with notations and corrections
by Acker.
Shorter Works
"The Language of
the Body"
[short story]
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25".
31-page original holograph
manuscript first
draft, with additions and deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 7 x
8.25".
20-page original holograph
manuscript
second draft, with many additions and deletions.
"Jeane
Duval"
[short story]
Spiral
notebook, 6.5 x
9.5".
21-page original holograph
manuscript,
with some deletions.
Spiral
notebook, 6.5 x
9.5".
45-page original holograph
manuscript,
with a few corrections.
"Girl Gangs Take
Over the World"
(1979)
An early version of
"Algeria,"
which appears in
Hannibal Lecteur, My
Father. Approximately 100-page original typescript,
with some corrections by Acker. Enclosed in blue folder.
Farsi Text originals
Lust/A Sailor's
Slight Identity
Loss/The Memory of
Orpheus
Florida
and Cesar Vallejo Poems
"New York City in
1979: To Jeanne's Insulted Beauty"
60-page photocopied typescript,
corrected in the photocopy, with original note on the title
page,
"My Copy,"
by
Acker.
"Journal Black Cats
Black Jewels"
(Summer 1972)
Original 9-page typescript with a few
typed corrections; stapled into gray wrappers.
"Entrance Into
Dwelling in Paradise"
(Fall 1972)
Original 7-page typescript with a few
typed corrections; laid into orange wrappers.
"Exercise #3:
Writing Asystematically. Murderers-Criminals Join
Sunlight."
Original 8-page typescript, with a few
holograph corrections; laid into blue wrappers
"Homage to Leroi
Jones"
(Fall 1972)
12-page photocopied typescript
"Peter Gordon:
Ambiguity."
1981
Original 22-page typescript with typed
corrections
"Nightmare
City."
19-page photocopied typescript with a
few holograph corrections by Acker in the photocopy.
"The Seattle Book:
For Randy and Heather."
1980.
14-page photocopied typescript with
original typed title page.
"Conversations."
1974.
Original 9-page typescript, with typed
corrections.
Small Texts.
Approximately 70 pages of typescript and
photocopy, with a few typed and holograph corrections.
Enclosed in yellow folder with hand-lettered label. Text
includes the short stories:
"Christ Comes to New
York City,"
" Notes on Writing
from The Life of Baudelaire,"
"The Rebel,"
"The Bum,"
"Voodoo,"
"Blood and Guts in
High School,"
"For the Ladies Who
Sing: Three Stories, 1977,"
"The
Scorpions,"
"Lady Be
Bad."
Various Small Texts with
corrections.
46 pages of typescript, lightly
corrected, including:
"Two Girls,"
"The Underside of
Dream,"
"Spring
Touring,"
"In the Days Before
Dreaming..."
faxed to John Zorn,
"The Travels of the
Pirates: These Beginnings...,"
"J,"
piece
beginning
"When the divine
Marquis, as some have named him, in his Philosophy in the
Bedroom...,"
which includes
"Theoretical Language
in a Patriarchal Society,"
"The Language of the
Body,"
and
"Non-Patriarchal
Language: The Body."
Magazine Articles
Miscellaneous.
7-page typescript and photocopy of works
in progress, with some corrections; plus
L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E. Number 9/10.
October 1979. Containing
"Notes on
Writing--from The Life of Baudelaire"
by Acker.
Original self cover; plus
"Fete"
by
Acker (1980). Folded photocopied typescript, 1 page (14
copies); plus
"Looking for
Madonna,"
(for
Saturday
Review), 3-page photocopy with 2 holograph
corrections by Acker.
Small Pieces.
Approximately 65 pages of photocopied
typescript, with typed and holograph corrections.
Miscellaneous
Articles.
Approximately 30 pages of photocopied
typescript with some original holograph corrections.
Articles for
The Village
Voice and
The New
Statesman.
"Reading the Lack
of the Body: The Writing of the Marquis de
Sade."
1992.
Approximately 30-page typescript.
"My
Mother."
1990-1.
Original 16-page typescript with many
holograph corrections; plus 13-paged "reading version,"
corrected in the photocopy, with a few original holograph
corrections; plus 19-page proofs, corrected by Acker with
many additions and deletions, with a note from Brad Morrow,
editor of Conjunctions magazine.
Rejects from
Don
Quixote and
"The Love Sonnets
of a Hoodlum"
by Wallace Irwin. With an introduction
by Gelett Burgess. New York 1901
Original printed wrappers.
"New York City:
1983"
["For
Marcus Leatherdale
Catalogue"].
8-page photocopied typescript
"Japan"
1983
10-page photocopied typescript,
corrected in the photocopy
Photocopy of a 2-page TLS from
William Burroughs to Miles, with 10-page photocopied
typescript of
"The Reactive
Mind."
"Time
1981"
Translations of the Diaries of Laure.
Original 18-page typescript, signed, with some corrections
by Acker; plus 2-page proof, with 3 corrections by
Acker.
"For Ariane.
1990-1. Writings."
Approximately 50 pages of typescripts,
with some corrections by Acker.
"Me Talking About
Me. Magazine Articles."
"Red Wings:
Concerning Richard Prince's Spiritual
America."
Original 10-page typescript, with signed
fax from Acker; plus approximately 50 pages of
miscellaneous photocopied typescripts, with some
corrections by Acker; plus 13-page photocopied typescript
interview with
Acker on April 23, 1986, conducted by Dick Ellis, et
al.
"More Short Pieces,
1989"
Approximately 100 pages of photocopied
typescript, with some ink notations by Acker.
"Vogue (Meare)
London Times (exile)"
5-page typescript review of
Bonfire of the
Vanities, signed, for
The New
Statesman.
"Freedom and
Domination in the Theatre. A Working
Diary."
8-page photocopied typescript with some
original corrections.
"Miscellaneous
Articles"
4-page original typescript; plus
approximately 25 pages of photocopied typescript of
articles and faxes.
Motorcycle insurance policy,
dated 1989
"William
Burroughs' Realism."
Audio Cassettes
Kathy Acker and British astrologer
discuss Acker's astrological chart
Tape from Acker's answering machine,
London
Side 2 is blank
Kathy Acker with Nox:
"Love, Emily"
[from
My Death, My
Life, By Pier Paolo Pasolini]
Kathy Acker and an unidentified
British art critic (?) walk through an
Andy Warhol exhibit,
discussing Warhol and the Pop Art movement
Side 2 is blank
German radio show on Acker's
work
In German; narration about/by Kathy mixed
with complete (lengthy) rock songs--artists named on Side
2. Side 2 also contains an unrelated radio show that
followed the Acker special.
Lecture by Acker on
Wuthering
Heights, Maurice Blanchot and literary
tradition.
Writings Series
Manuscript Drafts
Novels
Pussy, King of the
Pirates
"Story of O in
which everyone's an animal."
Original 58-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"O & Ange.
Beginning."
Original 53-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"Second Chapter--Beginning of
O & Ange."
Original 26-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"O & Ange. In
A World Without Men."
Original 49-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"The World W/out
Men/Thru the Cunts of Our Mothers."
Original 50-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
black spiral-bound
notebook.
"Escape."
Original 65-page corrected holograph
manuscript
beginning
"After the Death of the
Whore-house--O becomes a poet,"
in spiral-bound
notebook.
"The Loneliness
of the Weasel Cat."
Original 26-page corrected holograph
manuscript in spiral-bound
notebook.
"The Point of
Everything. What the Punk Boys Dream..."
Original 43-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"In the Days of
the Pirates."
Original 50-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 2
spiral-bound
notebooks.
"Dream
Xtra."
Original 60-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook and the
cover of a telephone owner's manual
"In the Days of
the Pirates (Pirate Island) O's Story Continues, Pirate
Island."
Original 55-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"Virgin Gold
Returns."
Original 29-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"The Creation of
the Wor(l)d According to Dog. II Second Part of first draft
of the end."
Original 76-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"Second
part--final draft...p.1. Becoming a
Rat."
Original 47-page corrected holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook.
"Dream
Maps."
Original 45-page corrected holograph
manuscript
(including original
art work) in 2
spiral-bound
notebooks.
"Pussy."
Original 158-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 2
spiral-bound
notebooks.
"Ostracism,
(Looking for a Pussycat) and After."
Original 269-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 6
spiral-bound
notebooks.
"Ostracism
(Pussycat)."
Original 187-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 3
spiral-bound
notebooks.
"Antigone."
Original 168-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 4
spiral-bound
notebooks.
Box 6
Preface.
Original 216-page corrected holograph
manuscript in 4
spiral-bound notebooks.
"Games Love
Chronicles of Pirates."
Computer printout of:
"The Vision
Passes"
(includes
"Playing
House,"
p. 312-14;
"The True Colors of
Piracy,"
pp. 315-20;
"The Vision
Passes,"
p. 321-27;
"Becoming A
Rat,"
pp. 301-10);
"The True Colors of
Piracy,"
pp. 56-61;
"The Vision
Passes,"
p. 62-68;
"Becoming A
Rat,"
pp. 41-50;
"Titles"
[1
title pages from Pussy, King of the Pirates];
"Playing
House,"
p. 51-54; and
"Pirate
Chronicles"
(includes
"Sections from The
Chronicle of the Pirates"
and
"Pirate
Chronicles"
).
111-page typescript, heavily corrected
by Acker in red ink. (computer printout and original
typescript).
"Pussy, King of
the Pirates."
111-page typescript with a few
corrections by Acker. Containing: Preface:
"Once upon a time
not long ago O,"
"In the Days of
Dreaming"
and
"In the Days of the
Pirates."
Clamped into red folding
notebook.
"Ostracism's
Story."
150-page typescript with a few
corrections by Acker. Clamped into a blue folding
notebook.
"In the Days of
the Pirates."
67-page typescript with some original
art. Clamped into blue folding
notebook.
Box 7
Pussy, King of
the Pirates.
Page 1-185 of corrected typescript.
Page 185a-328 of corrected typescript.
Miscellaneous Drafts
Shorter Works and Miscellaneous
Address to the Author's
Guild.
10-page corrected typescript; plus
9-page fax of a slightly different version, with some
corrections by Acker; plus 10-page clean copy; 2-page TLS
concerning the address; another 10-page clean copy; plus
computer printout of
"Author's Guild
Speech"
(7 page clean copy and 1 page
"Speech Notes on
Pirates"
).
Seeing
Gender.
Catalogue for
the Pompidou Gender Show, Paris, October, 1995. 46-page
holograph
manuscript in
spiral-bound
notebook; plus
14 pages of original loose
manuscript;
10-page typescript, heavily corrected by Acker, with
additions and deletions, plus 11-page corrected typescript
second version; 12-page clean typescript.
After the End of
the Art World. For
Art &
Design.
June
1995
14 pages of loose holograph
manuscript;
plus 7-page clean typescript.
Running Through
the World. On the Art of Kiki Smith. For
The
Independent, London.March
1995
25 pages of original loose
manuscript;
plus 7-page corrected typescript, dated 2/95; 10 pages of
typescript with some corrections; 8-page corrected
typescript with 1 page of holograph corrections; 4-page TLS
to The Independent giving corrections to the article;
computer disk labeled
"Kiki Smith
Cuntdisk Too(s)."
Speech for
Artist in Society Conference. Art Institute of
Chicago.October 1994
4 pages of original loose
manuscript;
7-page corrected typescript; 12-clean copy; various
newspaper
clippings of the
conference; facsimile of the text of a proposed law on
homosexuality in Idaho.
Miscellaneous writings before
1995.
"Fucking Up
Japanese."
26 pages of a typescript.
"The Language
of Sex The Sex of Language."
5-page typescript of an article for
Marxism
Today.
"Christ Comes
to New York City."
1 page of a typescript
21 pages of original loose
notes for
"Wuthering
Heights."
"On Freedom and
Democracy (The perverse
position-political/sexual)."
19 pages of original loose
manuscript
"My
Mother."
19-page proof with corrections by
Acker
"Sade"
and
"Eugenie de
Franval"
15-page typescript.
"The Insoluble
Problem of Violence."
12 pages of a typescript with
corrections; 1 piece of correspondence.
The Body
Wetware.
Canadian Journal
of Political and Social Theory, 1993.
15-page proof with title page and
table of contents for the
journal (Volume
16, Numbers 1-2, 3, 1993).
"The Language
of the Body."
Blood and Guts
in High School Plus Two. Book Banning
Documentation.
18 pages of documentation from New
Zealand on the banning of
Blood and Guts in
High School Plus Two.
Pussy, King of
the Pirates.
Compact disc
recording by the Mekons with Kathy Acker. 2 copies.
Correspondence
1973-1978, undated
1985-1993, undated
Art Work
Original
art work for
Empire of the
Senseless
2 folders
Folder 1
3 black and white
drawings on large
sheet (16.5 x 12 inches), with tissue overlay noting layout
and reductions.
"Tomomori with the
anchor with which he drowned himself."
9 x 12 inch ink
drawing with red,
silver and blue.
9 x 12 inch pencil
drawing
4 (9 x 12 inch) black and white
drawings
"Discipline and
Anarchy"
"My Family
Fortune"
(with silver)
"The Deep"
(with white and silver)
"Dead Fish
Fuck"
(with white and silver)
Folder 2
8 pages of Arabic script, pasted on art
board, with
notes on layout and
reductions: six are approximately 8 x 13.5 inches; one is
7.5 x 6.5 inches; one is 6.5 x 3.5 inches.
Comic Book Strip for Dennis
Cooper
1 folder
2 pages (9 x 12 inches) of original pen and
ink
drawings and
calligraphy, in the form of a
letter, signed by
Acker.
Original
art for
In Memoriam to
Identity
1 folder
4 (9 x 12 inch) black and white
drawings
"...the path of
life is but a dream"
(with silver)
"How many dreams
must we dream in search of real love?"
(with silver,
white red and blue)
"...he sees two men
who might not be real, fighting"
(with silver and
red)
"The fighter and
the girl fucked"
(with silver, brown and
red)
Original
art work for
Blood and Guts in High
School (minus dream maps)
1 folder
38 pages of layout with
drawings and text,
including 8 original black and white
drawings; plus
"The Persian
Poems"
by Janey Smith, 23-page original holograph
manuscript. All are approximately 8.5 x 11.5 inches.
Art work for
Blood and Guts in High
School
1 folder
Color photocopies
From
"The Book of
Correspondences"
and
"The Journals of Kathy
Acker"
1 folder
From
I Dreamt I Became a
Nymphomaniac!: Imagining
1 folder
Negatives
From
I Dreamt I Became a
Nymphomaniac!: Imagining.
1 folder
Layouts
From
Pussy, King of the
Pirates
1 folder
Black and white
photographs of Acker
by
Robert Mapplethorpe and
Marcus
Leatherdale.
1 folder
Oversize Material
Art Work
Original
art work for
Pussy, King of the
Pirates
Promotional
poster for
Blood and Guts in
High School
Framed_item
1
Dream Map 2 from
Blood and Guts in
High School.
Accession 2002-0081
Some of the materials in this accession are
not immediately accessible because they require further
processing before use. Please contact Research Services
staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and
Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Accession contains sensitive information
(correspondence). Patrons must sign a waiver concerning
privacy rights. Contact Research Services.
Box 1
Contents of Box 1:
[Disks 001, 002, 003, and 004 removed and
their contents migrated to the Special Collections Server. Use copy of disks 001-005 in box. Disk directories log exists. Contact a Reference
Archivist.]
[Technical Services needs to format for
use copies of audio cassettes before use.]
[Attention: Contains pictorial
materials.]
Acker's writings
"Sugar and
Spice"
"William
Burroughs"
"Moving Into
Wonder"
Box 2
Contents of Box 2:
[Disk 005 removed and its contents
migrated to the Special Collections Server. A use copy can be found in Box 1 of this accession. Disk directory log exists. Contact a Reference Archivist.]
[Attention: Contains pictorial
materials.]
[Technical Services staff may need to
reformat newsprint, coated fax paper, or other brittle
paper.]
Acker's writings
"The Malady of
Death"
"Pirate
Island"
Handwritten
notebooks
[Notebooks are listed according to the
notebook title or the first line of writing within the
notebook.]
"Eurydice Seeing
Visions"
"Eurydice in the
Underworld"
"Orpheus in the
Underworld"
"Eurydice's
Monologue"
"Anglo-Saxon
American Culture is a Culture of Shit"
Box 3
Contents of Box 3:
[Oversize material removed to oversize
folder 1.]
[Attention: Contains pictorial
materials.]
[Attention: Contains rusty fasteners.]
[Technical Services staff may need to
reformat newsprint, coated fax paper, or other brittle
paper.]
Acker's writings
Eurydice
in the Underworld
"Pirates for the
Mekons"
"The Destruction of
the US/The Burning Bombing of America,"
[ca.
1972]
The Childlike Life
of the Black Tarantula #6: The Story of My
Life
September
1973
Two groupings of loose leaf
paper
"commonsensival/philosophical
use of words ..."
"I can't do just the dream
shit ..."
Letters to Acker
Writings about Acker
Box 4
Contents of Box 4:
[Oversize materials removed to oversize
folder 2.]
[Technical Services staff may need to
reformat newsprint, coated fax paper, or other brittle
paper.]
[Technical Services needs to format for
use copies of audio cassettes before use.]
[Attention: Contains pictorial
materials.]
Acker's writings
Pussy,
King of the Pirates
Correspondence
Box 5
Contents of Box 5:
[Attention: Contains pictorial
materials.]
Ackers' writings
Requiem
"The Gift of
Disease"
Psyche's
Journal
Handwritten
notebooks
[Notebooks are listed according to the
notebook title or the first line of writing within the
notebook.]
"Eurydice
Speaks"
"Notes: Leaving
the World"
"The End of
Poetry"
"Nice Girl, Gone
Wrong"
Box 6
Contents of Box 6:
Acker's writings
Handwritten
notebooks
[Notebooks are listed according to the
notebook title or the first line of writing within the
notebook.]
"Ulysses
Backward"
"Piece for World
Art Class Notes"
"Girls on
Earth"
"A Story by
rattypussy ..."
"Late Afternoon.
15th, 5:00 pm"
"Nice Girl, Gone
Wrong"
"Organs - Kidneys
..."
"Healing
Journal"
"For the Jane
Eyre Play"
"Listen, write
down, what I like..."
"And after the
land of death..."
"20 years ago Dia
G. was one of the high priestesses of Punk
..."
Box 7
Contents of Box 7:
Acker's writings
Handwritten
notebooks
[Notebooks are listed according to the
notebook title or the first line of writing within the
notebook.]
"Persephone
Grow(n)up"
"Tales of
Revolutionaries"
"Being in 1.
Earth/Dirt"
"Psyche's Diary -
3rd taker"
"The Boy Raw
..."
"Make as real as
possible ..."
"Raw
Eurydice"
"Raw
Daddy"
"Raw's
Story"
"Raw Rat
(Ismaiel) Dad ..."
Virgil's Bucolica et Georgica (1963) with
Acker's handwritten annotations
Correspondence
Oversize Folder 1
Contents of oversize folder
1:
[Material removed from Box 3,
folder Eurydice in the
Underworld]
Oversize Folder 2
Contents of oversize folder
2:
[Material removed from Box 4,
folder New Gothic Fiction]
