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University of California, Santa Barbara Davidson Library Department of Special Collections California
Ethnic and Multicultural Archives GUIDE TO THE NELLIE WONG PAPERS, 1972 - 2001
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
A Chinese-American poet and union activist, Nellie Wong was born and raised in the Oakland Chinatown of the 1940's. After the incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans to relocation camps during World War II, Wong worked in her family's great China Restaurant in Oakland's Chinatown. Later, she traveled across the Bay to pursue studies in creative writing at San Francisco State University. Meanwhile, Wong worked at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation as a secretary from 1964-82. Wong began writing poetry in the early 1970's. Wong is one of the founding members of Unbound Feet, a writing collective of Chinese-American women who read together and lectured at universities throughout California, in the late 1970's. Wong's poems deal with themes involving Asian Americans, especially the sense of leaving "home" behind. "I care about the roots of Asian-American culture and how and why they came here," says Wong, referring to the long history of Asians' immigration to America. "It's something every Asian family has experienced."
In discussing her work, Wong states, "A lot of my poems come from the workplace; that's where I've experienced a great deal of sexism and racism." Wong has published three collections of poetry: Death of Long Steam Lady (1986), and Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park (1977) and Stolen Moments (1997). Her poem, "Song of Farewell", was installed in 1996 on an F-Line Muni platform in the middle of the Embarcadero roadway near Greenwich Street. The poem, chosen by the San Francisco Arts Commission, is part of the Waterfront Transportation Project Historic and Interpretive Signage Program along San Francisco's North Embarcadero. Based on the thoughts and feelings of a man leaving China and the wife he is leaving behind in the first years of the 20th century, "Song of Farewell" is about separation, departure, and ultimately death, says Wong. One of her articles, entitled, “Asian American Women and politics” recently appeared in Asian American anthology entitled, Legacy to Liberation: politics and culture of revolutionary asian pacific america (2000). In 1983, Wong served as a delegate for the first US Women Writers Tour to China. She has also been a visiting professor in women's studies at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (1985).
Wong is a member of Poets & Writers, NY; Radical Women, The Freedom Socialist Party; the National Asian American Telecommunications Association; and the University Professional & Technical Employees, and is a delegate to the San Francisco Central Labor Council. In 1989 she was honored by the San Francisco Women's Foundation with the Women of Words award. Wong prides herself on her feminist and socialist viewpoints. "The more I see some people fighting back, the more I see everyone acquiring the strength to fight back," says Wong. "Otherwise I'd just shut my door and say, 'good-bye world.' But that's not me."
Wong, together with Mitsuye Yamada, was the subject of a 1981 film "Mitsuye & Nellie, Asian American Poets," produced by Light-Saraf Productions about the first-generation of Chinese and Japanese wives and daughters allowed into America by U.S. immigration constraints. Nellie Wong's papers were donated to CEMA in June 1998.
SCOPE NOTE The Nellie Wong Papers consists of personal and professional materials generated by Wong during the period 1972-1998. The bulk of the collection contains Wong’s writings, both prose and poetry (including manuscripts and numerous drafts), and related correspondence, publicity and professional files. Also included are several folders correspondence from fellow writers, friends, students, and the public. The second largest component of the collection, are the subject files, which includes numerous folders on specific individuals, conferences, and subjects. Altogether the Nellie Wong Papers provides much insight into Wong’s political, creative and social life as an Asian American.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
The Personal / Biographical series is limited to one box covering the period from 1970s to 1990s. The series contains several student class papers on Nellie Wong, including an undergraduate thesis entitled, Mitsuye Yamada and Nellie Wong: Politics, Identity, Connections*. The series contains transcripts of interviews of Wong, newspaper clippings and personal correspondence. Two folders in this series contain materials relating to the video documentary entitled, Mitsuye and Nellie: Two American Poets 1981.
The Correspondence series (1975-1988) contains materials relating to Wong’s correspondence with editors of various literary periodicals and journals, including publishers. The Personal correspondence folders contain letters from friends, individuals, and other writers that include their own poems and stories. Consisting of 2 boxes, the bulk of the correspondences relate to Wong’s submission letters, copyright permissions, and matters relating to her poetry. Two folders contain letters to the editor providing insight into Wong’s political and social views. Included in this series is a folder containing letters of recommendations that Nellie Wong wrote for colleagues. The series is arranged alphabetically and chronologically.
The Literary Works series contains published and unpublished materials covering the period of 1972 –1997. The series is subdivided into Poems and General Writings. Consisting of 5 boxes the Poems sub-series contains published and unpublished poems arranged according to categories created by Wong. It is also arranged in chronological order and alphabetical by title. Finished Poems contains final versions of poems without editing marks. Drafts of Poems include multiple copies of poems containing revisions at various stages of their creation, which give insight into Wong’s development as a poet and her writing process. Poems Pending and Reviews contain files of Wong’s poems sent for submission and related correspondence. Included in this series are Wong’s published books with related documents, Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park (1977, The Death of Long Steam Lady (1986), Give Me No Flowers (1985), and Stolen Moments (1997).
The General Writings sub-series consists of Wong’s creative works in other genres which includes, shortstories, essays, drafts of speeches, monologues, class papers, and a play entitled, “A Marriage for Merilee.” Since some of these works were written for specific events, duplicates appear in other series. For example, the series Lectures and Appearances contain duplicate drafts of talks and speeches The Lectures and Appearances series contains announcements,
correspondence, drafts of talks , and related documents on Wong’s participation
at conferences, poetry readings, political events, and workshops. Folders are
labeled according to specific events and presentations. The folder labeled
Minority workshop contains student’s creative works and records. Several
folders labeled miscellaneous containing announcements and publicity. This series contains materials relating to Wong’s political and social
activism and affiliation with organizations. Two audiocassettes are included.
One is labeled “Directions in Chinese American Literature Talk Story
Conference” (June 21, 1978) and the other is Asian Pacific Week Interview and
Program (n.d.).
Subject Files consisting of 8 boxes, this series constitute the
bulk of the collection, containing articles, correspondence, newspaper
clippings, miscellaneous print materials on a range of social, cultural, and
political events and topics. The collection also contains a large number of
folders on specific individuals about whom Wong has known or written. Included
in this series are materials relating to Wong’s affiliations to political
organizations and related materials on social and political activism. Several
posters that belong in this series are kept in an oversize container.
Container
List Series I: Personal/ Biographical Box Folder Contents 1 1 Undergraduate
honors paper on Nellie Wong entitled, Mitsuye
Yamada and Nellie Wong: Poetry Politics Identity:
Connection,
April 16, 1990. Including a letter from the student,
April 20, 1990 1 2 Student
papers entitled, A Journey through an Experience,
March 17, 1980; and Analysis of Developmental
Change, March
10, 1980; Nellie Wong: a Woman Who Makes Sense,
(Fall Qtr. 1980);
Nellie Wong: Worker/Writer by Choice, March 17, 1994 with
a letter from student, April 7, 1994 1 3 Interview
scripts taken with N. Wong
Gloria Anzaldua & Randolph Conner,
(interviewers), July 1978
Interview with Merle Woo, Karen Brodine
(interviewer), (n.d.) 1 4 Newspaper
clippings and related articles, (some
materials in Italian) 1980-1983 1 5 Materials
relating to video film Mitsuye and Nellie: Two American
Poets, correspondence 1978-1980 1 6-7 Mitsuye
and Nellie, publicity 1982-1983 SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE Box Folder Contents
Personal Correspondence 1 8-10 Personal
correspondence 1970 – 1990 (1 photograph, box 1, folder 10) 1 11 Personal
correspondence n.d. 1 12 Writings
by others 1 13-15 Student
writings influenced by Wong’s poetry Literary Correspondence 2 1 A
Press Ltd, 1978 2 2 Academy of American Poet, 1993 2 3 Against
the Grain, 1982 2 4 Ain’t
I a Womon, 1979 2 5 Alcatraz Editions, 1981-1983 2 6 Amerasia
Journal, 1976 2 7 Asian
American Art Projects, 1978 2 8 Asian
American Journey, 1981 2 9 Asian
Directions, 1979 2 10 Basement
Writers Workshop, 1977-1978 2 11 Bay
Area Women Writers, 1981 2 12 Berkeley Fiction Review, 1983 2 13 Birth
Stone, 1983 2 14 Blue
Collar Press, 1978 2 15 Bridge:
Asian American Perspectives, 1983 2 16 Chicory
Blue Press, 1994-1998 2 17 City
Arts Monthly, 1982 2 18 Color
Press, 1994 2 19 Conditions,
1977-1981 2 20 Contact
II, 1983 2 21 Cooper
Union Station, 1980 2 22 Crossing
Press, 1994 2 23 East-West
Chinese American News Weekly, 1976-1979 2 24 Echoes
from Gold Mountain, 1977-1979 2 25 Electrum,
1984 2 26 Eleven,
1984 2 27 Ethnic
Studies Editorial Board and Editorial Board, 1984 2 28 A
Gift of Tongues, 1978-1982 2 29 Greenfield Review, 1983-1994 2 30 Hampton
Brown Company, 1994 2 31 Hanging
Loose, 1981-1982 2 32 Harper
Collins, 1993-1994 2 33 Hartmus
Press, 1977-1979 2 34 Heresies,
1983 2 35 Iowa Review, 1981 2 36 Journal
of Ethnic Studies, 1979 2 37 Kelsey
Street Press, 1977-1997 2 38 Loon,
1977 2 39 Ms.
Magazine, 1975-1976 2 40 National
League for Nursing, 1993 3 1 New
Boston Review, 1980 3 2 New World Press, 1978-1979 3 3 New York Asian Women’s Center, 1991 3 4 New York Feminist Review, 1979 3 5 North
American Women Poets, 1976 3 6 Off
Our Backs, 1982 3 7 Oxford University Press, 1994 3 8 Pacifica Review, 1978 3 9 Pennywhistle
Press, 1993-1996 3 10 Plexus,
1976-1980 3 11 Poetic
Justice, 1983 3 12 Poetry
Center and American Poetry Archives, 1977-1994 (contains letter pertaining to the commissioned poem
for San Francisco Muni) 3 13 Poetry
Flash, 1979-1981 3 14 Prisma,
Ethnic Studies, Mills College, 1979-1980 3 15 Realities
Library, 1983 3 16 Red
Bass, 1983 3 17 Room,
1978 3 18 Sailing
the Road Clear, 1977-1978 3 19 San Diego Poet’s Press, 1983 3 20 Secretarial
Pool, 1979 3 21 Synapse,
1984-1986 3 22 Truck
Press, 1978-1979 3 23 University
of New Mexico, 1980-1981 3 24 Valencia
Street, 1982 3 25 West End Press, 1991-1993 3 26 Wild
Iris, 1975 3 27 Women:
a Journal of Liberation, 1982 3 28 Women’s
Journal, 1976-1977 3 29 Yellow,
Black, Brown, 1978 3 30 13th
Moon, 1980-1981 3 31-33 Miscellany,
1975-1998 Letters to the editors 3 34 1970s
3 35 1980s Letters
of Recommendations (written by Nellie Wong) 3 36 1978
- 1982 Box Folder Contents Poetry Subseries Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park 4 1 Dreams
in Harrison Railroad Park materials relating to its publication, including portraits of Wong (b/w); drafts
of poems. 4 2 Drafts
of poems, sample design of book. 4 3 Publication
agreement, a blank copyright form. 4 4 Reviews.
1977-1979 4 5 Correspondence
with publisher regarding contract and book sales
1977-1978 4 6 Correspondence
(1979-1984) with publisher. 4 7 Personal
correspondence comments regarding DHRP, requests for copies, “Guest book” list for book reading, Oct. 6,
1977 Death of Long Steam Lady 4 8 Drafts
of poem 4 9 Monograph
copy and photocopy of a signed copy (located in the
Davidson Library Special Collections). 4 10 Correspondence
with West End Press and related materials 1986 4 11 Reviews
and correspondence 1985-1986 4 12 Publicity.
1985-1986 4 13 The
Open Boat: Poems from Asian America related correspondence. 1991-1995 5 1 It’s
in the Blood 1978 5 2-3 Give
me no Flowers 1985 5 4 Stolen
Moments, (2 copies 1 signed located in Special Collections) 5 5 Poems,
anthologies 5 6 Awards
including commissioned poem Finished
Poems 5 7 “Titles
of Poems” by Nellie Wong, 1973-1997, list of published poems 5 8 A 5 9-10 B 5 11 C 5 12 D 6 1 E 6 2 F 6 3 G 6 4 H 6 5 I 6 6 J 6 7 K-L 6 8 M 6 9 N 6 10 O 6 11 P 6 12-13 R 6 14-15 S 6 16-18 T 6 19 T-U 6 20 V-W 6 21-22 W 6 23 Y Drafts
of Poems, 1970s – 1990s 7 1 A 7 2 B 7 3 D 7 5 E 7 6 F 7 7 G
(including copies of essay Glows from the Dark…) 7 8 H 7 9 I
– J 7 10 L 7 11 M 7 12 N 7 13 O 8 1 P 8 2-3 R 8 4-5 S 8 6-7 T 8 8 U 8 9 V 8 10-11 W 8 12 Y 8 13-14 Miscellany
ca 1970-1980 Pending
Poems 9 1 1977-1979 9 2 1982 9 3-4 1983 9 5 1984 9 6-7 1985 9 8-9 1985-1986 Class
writings 10 1 1972 10 2 1973 10 3 1974 10 4 1975 10 5 1976 10 6-8 1977 10 9 1978 10 10 n.d. Non-Poetry Writings (including writings related to
politics and social activism) 11 1 After
the Wake n.d. 11 2 Another
Voice on Asian American Women 1980 11 3 Asian
American Women, Feminism and Creativity 1980 11 4 Broad
Shoulders 1982 11 5 Continuing
the Dialogue: Asian American Women 1980 11 6-7 Death
of Long Steam Lady 1978 11 8 Enter
the Mirror 1979 11 9 Freedom
1981 11 10 Heart
Beats: Concerns of an Asian American Feminist 1979 For
Sisters who Leaped 1978 (poem) 11 11 How
to Arm the Sunlight 1968 11 12 I
Don’t Eat Green Things n.d. 11 13-14 I
Only Want Some Golf Clubs 1971 11 15 In
Search of the Self as Hero 1980 11 16 Interrogation
of MS. Security-Runs-A-Risk 1979 (play) 11 17 Ironing
1980 11 18 Leadership
1981 11 19 Living
Dialogue n.d. 11 20 Mirror
Images: Questions that Never Stops 1980 11 21 The
Night that Clara Won 1982 11 22 On
the Eve of the New Year 1968 11 23-25 Operation
Hamburger and Saturday (with correspondence and notes), 1975-1977 12 1 Please
Come to a Luau 1968 12 2 Politics
of Asian American Writing 1981 12 3 Practice
1980 12 4 Red
Ropes 1970 12 5 Rise
of Women Writers in Asian American Literature 1980 (San Francisco Journal) 12 6 Thank
God It’s Friday 1971 12 7 Through
the Stardust and Flying Home 1981 12 8-9 Typewriterbacktalk 12 10 The
visit 12 11 Waiting 12 12 When
in Mexico 12 13-14 When
the turkey is bare 12 15 Window
full of shoes Other
writings 12 16 Journal
entries 1970s-1990s 12 17-19 Miscellany 12 20 Outlines
of short stories (assignments) 1972 12 21 Play;
Marriage for Merilee, (12/9/71 1 copy; 1/14/81 2 copies 1 with one
complete draft); announcements 2/13/79 12 22 Reviews
written by Wong 12 23 Writings
related to politics and social activism SERIES IV: LECTURES AND APPEARANCES Box Folder Contents 13 1 Everybody's
Minority Writing Workshop Poetry
Mills College 1978 13 2 Great
western book: Minneapolis, MN 1985-1986 13 3 Mid
Peninsula Young Women's Christian Association 1978-1980 13 4 National
Asian American Conference 1993 13 5 Oakland
Center Stage 1982 13 6 Oakland
Festival of the Arts 1982 13 7 Poetry
reading list 1975-1978 13 8 Radio
Commentary, KPFK 1978 13 9 Stanford
1980-1986 13 10 University
of California Campuses 1985-1986 13 11 Unbound
feet 1980 13 12 Women's
voices from Asian America 1979 13 13 Year
Of The Secretaries Talk 1984 13 14-16 1970s
– 1990s 13 17 Undated
materials See
OVERSIZE Box 21 for posters relating to conferences and related literary events. See
Special Collections for two audiocassettes, “Chinese American Literature Talk Story
Conference, Honolulu, HI, June 21, 1978 (60-minute tape) (A4172/CS), A/P Week
n.d. (60 minute tape) (A4171/CS) Box Folder Contents 14 1 Alliance
Against Women’s Oppression 1981 14 2 Angel
Island 1931-1979 14 3-4 Asian
American1977-1987 14 5 Asian
American, book reviews1979-1981 14 6 Asian
American, performing arts 1979-1981 14 7-8 Asian
American plays, reviews 1977-1984 14 9 Asian
American women, bibliographies 1976-1981 14 10-11 Asian
American women 1976-1985 15 1-2 Asian
American women, groups 1972-1984 15 3 Asian
Health Caucus, presentation 1979-1984 15 4 Asian
Pacific American Heritage Week Festival 1980 15 5 Asian
Pacific American Women’s Conference 1980-1981 15 6-7 Asian
Pacific American Women’s Organizations 1980-1981 15 8 Asians
in Mass Media (with newsletters)1977-1978 16 1 Berge
Poem 1979-1981 16 2 California
Asian Pacific Women’s Conference 1979-1980 16 3-4 Chan,
Charlie1979-1981 16 5 Chang,
Helen Ong 1976-1981 16 6 Chiang,
Ching “Madame Mao” 1976-1981 16 7-8 Chinese
America 1972-1984 17 1 Chuang,
Hua, (Crossings) 1968 17 2 Davis,
Angela 1984 17 3 Dialogues,
women’s plays 1976 17 4 Filipino
America 1981-1985 17 5 Film
showing, Mitsuye and Nellie, Los Angeles, 1982 17 6 Garment
Workers Forum 1981-1982 17 7 Haddad,
Carol J 1982 17 8 Hagedorn,
Jessica, no date 17 9 Gidra
clippings, 20th Anniversary issue 1990 17 10 Japanese
America 1977-1982 17 11 Kingston,
Maxine Hong 1978-1981 17 12 Kingston,
Maxine Hong, Woman Warrior 1976-1979 17 13 Lee, Chol
Soo1978-1979 17 14 Left
Write Unity Conference 1980-1982 18 1 Light,
Millie, no date 18 2 Lim,
Genny 1979-1980 18 3-4 Mitsuye
and Nellie, film premier and related materials 1981 18 5 Newsletters
and other subscriptions1977-1998 18 6 Ng,
Fae Myenne 1977-1980 18 7 Noda,
Barbara 1978-1980 18 8 Plath,
Sylvia1974-1975 18 9 Poets
and Writers 1977-1981 18 10 Racism,
articles1978-1980 18 11 Reeves,
Beulah (from Kelly E.) 1975-1978 18 12 Rich,
Adrienne 1974 18 13 Saadawi,
Nawal El 1973-1977 18 14 Secretaries
week 1979-1984 18 15 Simpson-Mazoli
Bill 1983-1986 19 1 Stereotypes,
Images, etc. Asian Americans 1977-1980 19 2 Tan,
Bee Bee 1977-1984 19 3 Telemaque,
Eleanor Hong 1979-1980 19 4 Third
World Women Writers Forum, 1978-1980 19 5 Third
World Writers and Thinkers Symposium, Sacramento State 1976 19 6 This
Bridge Called my Back 1979-1982 19 7 Toguri,
Iva 1975-1980 19 8 Tsui,
Kitty 1981-1983 19 9 Unbound
Feet, Notes 1980 19 10 Women
Inc, benefit poetry reading, 1979 19 11-12 Women
International 1978-1982 20 1 Women
Writers 1974-1980 20 2 Women’s
Leadership Conference, 1980-1984 20 3 Wong,
Nanying, Stella 1977-1978 20 4 Women
Writers 1978-1985 20 5 Writings,
Notes on 1942-1980 20 6-8 Yamada,
Mitsuye, with correspondence. (photograph, folder 6) 1978-1994 20 9 Yamamoto,
Hisaye 1960 20 10 Yamauchi,
Wakako, no date 20 11 Yoshimura,
Wendi, 1977-1980 OVERSIZE BOX
Box Folder Contents 21 1 Posters Asian Pacific cultural Month, n.d. C.A.N.
Charlie Chan, n.d. Film
Series Benefit for Women’s Building in San Francisco, 1978 newspaper), 1985 Left
Write! A Unity Conference of Writers on the Left, Four Benefit Poetry Readings,
1981 Left
Write! A Unity Conference of Writers on the Left, 1981 National
Women’s History Week, 1982 Paper
Angels: A Play By Genny Lim, 1982 Six
Authors To Read At Millberry, n.d. 21 2 Journals Plexus,
Newspaper Clipping: Reverberations, 1980 The
Register, Newspaper Clipping: A Struggle For Acceptance Continues, 1982 21 3 Miscellany Book
Cover Paste-Up for The Death of Long Steam Lady, n.d. Literary
Correspondence Flyer on Sphericity By Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, n.d. Photo:
Black and White picture of Nellie Wong, 1981 |
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