Inventory of the Gwendolyn M. Parker Papers, 1967-1998
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleGwendolyn M. Parker Papers,
1967-1998
Creator
Parker, Gwendolyn M.
Extent
4.50 Linear Feet
750 Items
Repository
750 Items
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Language
English.
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsSelected diaries may be used only with Ms. Parker's permission.
In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, 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], Gwendolyn M. Parker Papers, Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
Collection purchased from Hwendolyn M. Parker March, 1998.
Processing Information
Processed by Don Sechler
Completed July 12, 1998
Encoded by Don Sechler
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
[top]
Biographical Note
| 1950 | Born Durham, North Carolina |
| 1960 | Moved from Durham NC to Connecticut |
| 1968-1972 | Attended Radcliffe |
| 1973-1976 | Attended Law School at NYU |
| 1976-1978 | Worked for Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft law firm |
| 1978-1986 | Worked for American Express |
| 1994 | These Same Long Bones published |
| 1996 | Traveled to southern Africa (Zimbabwe and South Africa) |
| 1997 | Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege published |
Gwendolyn M. Parker is an author and memoirist whose work has chronicled the experience of the black middle class in America. She was born in Durham in 1950 and lived in the Hay-Ti section of Durham until 1960 when she moved with her family to Connecticut. She attended the Kent School, a private boarding school, in Connecticut, through high school and later attended Radcliffe. After graduating from Radcliffe in 1972, Parker studied tax law at New York University, graduating in 1975. She then joined the Wall Street law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft, leaving two years later to become a tax lawyer with American Express. While at American Express she advanced to the position of senior strategic analyst in the Office of Corporate Planning.
Parker left American Express in 1986 to devote herself to writing full-time. Her first novel, These Same Long Bones, was published in 1994. It is set in the segregated Hay-Ti section of Durham, North Carolina in the 1940s. Her memoir Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege was published in 1997 and chronicles her youth, college years, brief career with a Wall Street law firm, and her tenure with American Express. The book focuses on her struggles to earn a place in a corporate culture dominated by white males and her attempts to understand her position as a successful African American member of the middle class in the United States.
[top]Collection Overview
The papers of Gwendolyn M. Parker, which primarily document her
writing carreer, span the years 1967-1998 with the majority of the papers
dating from 1986-1997. They consist primarily of diaries, correspondence,
clippings, writings, and other miscellaneous printed and manuscript materials.
Parker's writings are well documented by several manuscript versions of her
1994 novel,
These Same Long Bones, and her 1997
memoir,
Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of Privilege.
Parker's correspondence is chiefly professional and related to her
efforts to publish for her work, but a small amount of personal correspondence
is held in the collection. The clippings are primarily reviews of her books or
published interviews. The personal observations, story ideas, and writing
exercises recorded in Parker's diaries provide some documentation of her life
and artistic career, chiefly after 1986.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Diaries Series | ||||||
| | Correspondence Series | ||||||
| | Clippings Series | ||||||
| | Writings Series | ||||||
 | | Miscellaneous Series | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Diaries Series
The diaries document Parker's life from
1983-1996,chiefly the years
after
1986when she left
American Express and devoted herself to
writing full time. The documentation of Parker's life provided by her diaries
is somewhat sporadic. The diaries consist of records of her day to day
activities, personal reflections, story ideas, writing exercises, poetry
fragments, and records of her thoughts about her work and her insecurities as a
writer. Many of the entries are loose typescript or handwritten pages that
appear to have been removed from notebooks. The series is arranged
chronologically, though some overlap in the dating may occur where a diary
covers more than one year. Parker produced annotations to the diaries in
1998in order to provide
contextual information.
Box 1
1998
Annotations
1983
Brown vinyl notebook, 4" x 5"
1986
Blue notebook, 6" x 9"
Blue spiral notebook, 7" x 9"
10 loose pages, handwritten and typescript
1986-1987
Black vinyl binder enclosing 46 handwritten and
typescript pages
1987
Blue notebook with fabric cover, 6" x 9"
1987
15 loose pages, handwritten and typescript
1988
1 loose typescript page
1990
Black notebook, 7 1/2" x 9 3/4" -
"Africa Trip June 16,
1990" on
cover.
6 loose handwritten pages, originally folded into back
of notebook
1996, and
undated
3 typescript pages with heading
"South Africa,1996"
15 loose pages, handwritten and typescript
Correspondence Series
The Correspondence Series spans the years
1980-1998,chiefly
1994-1997,and documents
Parker's personal relationships, efforts to publish her work, and her working
relationships with her editor at
Houghton Mifflin, Janet Silver, and her literary agent,
Marie Brown. The earliest correspondence
includes inter-office correspondence from
American Express concerning Parker's promotion
to senior strategic analyst in the Office of Corporate Planning. Also included
in this series are her correspondence with friends and colleagues and rejection
letters from publishers for early versions of
These Same Long Bones. This novel is
often
referred to in the correspondence as
Hallowed Ground, its working title
prior to publication. The later correspondence, chiefly
1994-1997, includes letters
of congratulations from friends and colleagues concerning the publication of
These Same Long Bones, letters from
children thanking her for presentations given at various schools, and letters
from fans of her work. The collection is chiefly composed of letters to Parker,
but it does include copies of several letters that Parker wrote to friends,
publishers, and other writers. Some of Parker's later correspondence was
written while she was living in southern
Africa in
1996and includes references to
her work on her memoir,
Trespassing. This work is often
referred to in her letters by its working title,
Slim Brown Face at the Table. Parker
annotated several of the letters and these notes serve to provide some context
for the correspondence. The series is arranged chronologically.
1980-1993
1994, May
Letters from school children
1994, Sept.
Letters from school children
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
Clippings Series
The Clippings Series spans the years
1983-1998,chiefly
1994-1998,and provides
documentation of the critical response to Parker's work, her involvement with
the arts, and attendance at conferences and other events. The clippings consist
chiefly of reviews of her work and profiles of Parker published in various
newspapers and magazines. These items contribute a picture of the public's
response to her work as well as furnishing a glimpse of her publishers
promotional efforts made in support of both
These Same Long Bones and
Trespassing. Also included in the
series are programs and advertisements that serve to document Parker's
involvement with the writing profession through her attendance at writer's
conferences and various public speaking engagements. The folders in this series
are arranged alphabetically, thereunder chronologically.
Conferences and Speaking Engagements,
1994-1997
Miscellaneous,
1983 and
1995
Reviews and Profiles:
These Same Long Bones,1994-1996,n.d
Reviews and Profiles:
Trespassing,1997-1998
Writings Series
The Writings Series is arranged into three subseries:
Miscellaneous Writings,
These Same Long Bones, and
Trespassing.
Miscellaneous Writings Subseries
The Miscellaneous Writings Subseries spans
1969-1995,chiefly
1969-1972and
1986,and documents
Parker's academic work and her growth and development as a writer. The
subseries includes a selection of Parker's poems, stories, and academic papers
written while at
Radcliffe, poetry and poetic fragments
written while she was pursuing her career in tax law, and unpublished short
stories and nonfiction pieces written
ca. 1986.Also included in
the subseries are the notes and drafts of both her early fiction and
non-fiction writings, some of which were later reworked into her novel
These Same Long Bones, and a book
review written by Parker and published in the
NYT Book Review in
1995
. The subseries is arranged
chronologically, thereunder alphabetically when materials are from the same
year. Several manuscripts include Parker's annotations which serve to provide
context and date information for particular items. The folder titles and
arrangement of those items originally foldered together by Parker have been
maintained. Unidentified writings are foldered at the end of the subseries.
1969-1971
College Papers and Stories
1969-1971
Poetry
ca. 1969-1971,and
undated
Poetry - 38 handwritten and typescript pages in a
black vinyl binder - includes annotation.
1972
Harvard Honors Thesis, "Archetypal Images in Black
Stereotypes"
ca. 1978-1983
Poetry
1986
"Babes in Toyland: Women's Values in the Corporate
World" - 8 page typescript of an unpublished article, with revisions by
Parker.
1986
"Circles" - 5 page typescript of an unpublished
article.
1986
"Moonshine" - 11 page typescript of and unpublished
short story.
1986
"Sarah/Adult Sibling" article - 3 page article
proposal for
New Mother magazine - 13 loose
pages of notes - 10 page typescript draft of article with
revisions.
ca. 1991
Lecture Notes - 1 spiral notebook, 6" x 9 1/2", with
annotation, "Cross Cultural Lecture"
1995
Book Review - Book review written by Parker for the
New York Times Book Review.
ca. 1986,and
undated
Miscellaneous Notes and Drafts - 89 loose typescript
and handwritten pages - 1 spiral notebook, 8 1/2" x 11
Box 2
These Same Long Bones Subseries
The
These Same Long Bones Subseries,
1988-1998,documents the
writing, revision, and publication process for this novel. The subseries
includes Parker's
1998chronology of the
writing of the novel, several early versions of the novel under its original
title
Hallowed Ground, and notes and
research related to the novel. It also includes drafts with revisions by both
Parker and her editor at
Houghton Mifflin, Janet Silver, page proofs with revisions by
Parker and her copy editor at
Houghton Mifflin, final page and cover design
proofs, and promotional materials for both the hardback and paperback versions
of the novel. Also included are the manuscripts for two unpublished short
stories, "In The Flesh" and "Bittersweet," that were later developed into
These Same Long Bones. Several of
the working drafts of the novel are accompanied by Silver's cover letters
offering suggestions, explanations for her revisions, and encouragement. The
early working copies of this novel offer a vivid picture of Parker's creative
process, and the revisions by her editors at
Houghton Mifflin provide documentation of the
editing process that helped to mold the manuscript into its final published
form. This
subseries also includes publicity
materials used in the promotion of this book and two versions of Parker's
unproduced screenplay based this novel. The subseries begins with Parker's
chronology of the writing of this novel, and is arranged chronologically,
thereunder alphabetically.
1998
Chronology
1988
"Bittersweet"
1988
"In The Flesh"
1988
Hallowed Ground
(3
folders)
1990
Hallowed Ground
(3
folders)
ca. 1988-1992
Hallowed Ground,
Notes
ca. 1988-1992
Hallowed Ground,
Excisions
1991
Hallowed Ground,
Research
1993
Hallowed Ground,
(4
folders)
ca. 1993
Alternate Titles
1993, Oct.
Hallowed Ground, Ch.
1-6
1993, Oct.
Hallowed Ground, Ch.
6-12
ca. 1993
Hallowed Ground, Chapter
7-10
ca. 1993
Miscellaneous manuscript pages with
revisions
1993, Oct.
Final Edited Manuscript
(3
folders)
1993, Dec.
Page Proofs, Authors Marked Set
(3
folders)
1993, Dec.
Page Proofs, Extra Set
(3
folders)
1993, Dec
Pages Proofs, Master Set
(3
folders)
ca. 1994
Cover design
1994
Promotional Materials for Author Signings and
Events
1995
Promotional Materials for Author Signings and
Events
1994-1995
Publicity
ca. 1995
Cover design, paperback edition
Box 3
1995
Publicity, Foreign Editions
1995, Apr.
Screenplay, First Draft
1995, Dec.
Screenplay, Second Draft
Trespassing Subseries
The
Trespassing Subseries spans the
years
1995-1998and includes items
which serve to document the writing, revision, and publication process for
Parker's memoir
Trespassing: My Sojourn in the Halls of
Privilege. The memoir focuses on her youth, college education, brief
career as a tax lawyer with a Wall Street firm, and career with
American Express. Included in this subseries
is a
1998chronology of the
writing of
Trespassing, several early drafts of
the memoir under its working title
Slim Brown Face at the Table,
promotional photos and other materials, and manuscripts with notes and
revisions by both Parker and her editors at
Houghton Mifflin. Also included is a
substantial amount of notes and research, chiefly clippings, related to work.
Following the
1998chronology, the
subseries is arranged chronologically with the undated research files gathered
at the end of the subseries.
1998
Chronology
1995
Early Notes
ca. 1995
Proposal
1996, Sept.
Slim Brown Face at the Table,
First Draft
(3
folders)
ca. 1996
Alternate Title Notes
1996, Dec.
Second Draft
(3
folders)
1997, Jan.
Chapter 6, and Epilogue
1997, Feb.
Copy Edited Manuscript,
(2
folders)
1997
Page Proofs with Corrections,
(2
folders)
1997
Bound Manuscript
1997
Book Jacket Design Proof
1997-1998
Promotional Materials
1997
Publicity Photographs
undated
Research Files
(6
folders)
Miscellaneous Series
The Miscellaneous Series includes photographic, manuscript, and
printed materials that serve to document Parker's personal and professional
life. The photographic materials include photos of her family as well as
photographs documenting her appearances readings and other events promoting her
work. Also included is a photograph of Parker at approximately age 10, a
photocollage of several generations of her family, and a photo of Parker at the
183rd Anniversary Party for
Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft. The
printed material imcludes a copy of the book
The Story of the Descendants of Benjamin
Spaulding, by
Louis D. Mitchell and
John A. Spaulding.The manuscript
materials included with this series include a guest book from the publication
party for her novel
These Same Long Bones and
transcriptions of unpublished interviews. The series is arranged alphabetically
by folder title with oversize materials being housed separately.
Award, Kent School Cum Laude Society,
1995
Guest book and mailing list,
1994
Photographs and memorabilia from
Trespassing publication party,
1997
Family Photographs,
ca. 1960,
1972,and
1990s(4
photographs)
Photographs, Signings and Event,
1994(33
photographs)
Photographs, Signings and Event,
1994(23
photographs)
A Story of the Descendants of Benjamin
Spaulding
Transcriptions of unpublished interviews,
1989-1997
Box 4
Closed Materials
Journal pages
(2
folders)
Box 5
Oversive Photograph
Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft, 183rd Anniversary
Party,
1975.October
15
Oversize Folder 1
Photocollage of Parker's family
