James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
Sister Speak records
James Madison University. Department of English
Thompson, Mary, Dr.
UA 0015
/repositories/4/resources/617
0.66 cubic feet
2 boxes
1998-2019
The Sister Speak Records, 1998-2019, include drafts and publication proofs of Sister Speak: A Feminist Literary Journal as well as administrative files produced by Sister Speak, the student organization at James Madison University responsible for the publication of the journal.
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact the Special Collections reference desk (library-special@jmu.edu) before visiting Special Collections to use this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
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).
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 and is sponsored by JMU's department of English. The first issue was printed in the fall semester of 1998 as a publication that 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 English 467. 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 2026, Dr. Mary Thompson, professor of English, serves as faculty advisor.
Scope and Contents
The Sister Speak Records consist of .66 cubic feet of materials in two boxes that document the production of Sister Speak: A Feminist Literary Journal from 1998-2019 by Sister Speak, the student organization sponsored by JMU's department of English. Materials include fliers for informational meetings about the journal, calls for submissions to the publication, as well as publication proofs and zine drafts. Other materials include related zines produced by the JMU Feminist Collective and ephemera including a button and various 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.
Administrative records
Buttons (information artifacts)
Drafts (documents)
Fanzines
Magazines (periodicals)
Feminism
Feminist theory
Feminism and literature
Women and literature
Equality
Gender roles
Thompson, Mary, Dr.
James Madison University -- Students -- Periodicals
Origins of Sister Speak/repositories/4/archival_objects/22545circa 1998-200311Miscellaneous zines/repositories/4/archival_objects/225462 folders2001-200512-3Sister Speak drafts/repositories/4/archival_objects/32650/repositories/4/archival_objects/22548fall 200414/repositories/4/archival_objects/22549spring 200515Publication proof/repositories/4/archival_objects/22550spring 200516/repositories/4/archival_objects/22551fall 200517/repositories/4/archival_objects/22552spring 200618/repositories/4/archival_objects/22553fall 200619Scope and Contents[Includes digital media]
/repositories/4/archival_objects/22554spring 2007110/repositories/4/archival_objects/22555fall 2007111Publication proof/repositories/4/archival_objects/22556spring 2008112/repositories/4/archival_objects/22557fall 2008113/repositories/4/archival_objects/22558spring 2009114/repositories/4/archival_objects/225592010115Publication proof/repositories/4/archival_objects/22560201021/repositories/4/archival_objects/22561spring 201122Publication proof/repositories/4/archival_objects/22562spring 201123/repositories/4/archival_objects/22563fall 201124Publication proof/repositories/4/archival_objects/22564spring 201225/repositories/4/archival_objects/22565spring 201326Publication proof, ENG 302/WGSS 300/repositories/4/archival_objects/25001fall 201927