About the Speakers

Tee Corinne, May 1, 1998

Margarita Donnelly, March 9, 1998
      Introduction by Sandra Morgen (videotape available)

Ursula Le Guin, March 9, 1998
      Introduction by Cheris Kramarae (videotape available)

Jean Ward and Elaine Maveety, May 26, 1998

Tee Corinne

Tee Corinne is a photographer, artist, and writer living in southern Oregon. Her works have been featured in CALYX a number of times since 1986. In addition to teaching writing classes at Rogue Community College, she is the author of several books, including Labia Flowers: A Coloring Book (Naiad Press, 1981), The Southern Oregon Women Writers' Group, Gourmet Eating Society and Chorus Picture Book: Drawings (Pearlchild, 1982), Family: Growing Up in an Alcoholic Family (Gallerie Publications, 1990), Courting Pleasure: A Collection (Banned Books, 1994), People, Places, and Things: Drawings (1997), The Sex Lives of Daffodils: Growing Up as an Artist Who Also Writes (Pearlchild, 1997), and Wild Lesbian Roses: Essays on Art, Rural Living, and Creativity, 1986-1995 (Pearlchild, 1997).

Margarita Donnelly

Introduction from March 9, 1998

We are deeply honored this evening to have in our midst Margarita Donnelly, who has done more than almost anyone else in this state to ensure that independent feminist publishing is alive and well in the Northwest.

Margarita was one of four founding editors of Calyx, one of the premiere and oldest feminist literary and art journals in the United States. Calyx was founded in 1976 and celebrated 20 years of publishing in 1996.

At the time of its founding Margarita had completed a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology at San Francisco State University and a Master's in Education in Counseling from Oregon State University. She is currently the Director and Editor of Calyx Incorporated—a relatively small operation (5 paid staff and a host of volunteers) that, like so many feminist organizations, somehow manages to do the work of a large publishing house.

Calyx Inc. publishes both Calyx, a Journal of Art and Literature by Women (which comes out twice each year) and Calyx Books, which began in 1986 to create a new important venue for the publication of beautiful feminist books.

Independent feminist publishing is not an easy path—not because there is not enough good work to select from, but because the financial realities of publishing are daunting. It is a testament to the creativity and perseverance of Margarita, other Calyx staff and Calyx's many friends that they have been able to survive and thrive.

And thrive they have—attracting grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Arts Commission, the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Marketing Program, the Lannan Foundation, Oregon Literary Arts, the Academy of American Poets Eric King Fund, and support from many friends and donors. In 1996 Calyx received the Oregon Governor's Arts Award in recognition of Calyx's quality. I like to think that one of the most significant awards Calyx has received was the 1983 Oregon Women of Extraordinary Achievement Award that my center, CSWS awarded in 1993, on the occasion of our 10 year anniversary.

Before Calyx Margarita worked in a variety of community based organizations doing civil rights, migrant housing and bilingual education classes. In the early years of Calyx she doubled as Program Coordinator for the OSU Women's Studies Program. In recent years, somehow between the work of Managing Editor of Calyx she has also given a long series of lectures on writing, editing, independent publishing, and fundraising at a host of national, regional and local conferences and colleges.

We are so happy she could join us for this very special evening honoring feminist visions and voices from the Pacific Northwest—please join me in giving a very warm and grateful welcome to Margarita Donnelly.

Ursula Le Guin

Introduction from March 9, 1998

All the women we are honoring tonight have worked, in their various ways, for a better present and future for women and men. Ursula Le Guin has written that to imagine a future really, deeply different from the present requires a really, deeply radical mind.

Ursula, of course, is one of those who has that "really, deeply radical mind."

A lot of her work in the world of science fiction, where women have been the aliens.

But Ursula says, "We are the Daughters of Mary Shelly." Using the language of the old style science fiction for a moment, she says, "Move over, boys, our engines are at Warp Nine!"

But most of the time she works on a more creative language, pointing out that to make our "own world we must remake it" using our knowledge not of rockets and ray guns, but of women, men, children — "revisioning human society and humanity's place in the larger household of the planet and the cosmos" ("Books: The World of Science Fiction," Ms. Nov./Dec. 1990, 52-54).

Because of her own involvement in rethinking the future, she is one of many feminists who recognize and appreciate the revisioning importance of CALYX.

She also knows about Recognitions and Awards, having received many herself for her 16 novels and many short stories and articles. (Her awards include the Newbury Award, National Book Award for Children's Books, Hugo Award, James Tiptree Jr. Award, Nebula Award.)

Tonight she gives Special Recognition to the beautifully and deeply radical journal and books of CALYX and to the women who produce them.

We are delighted that she's here to help us help us celebrate the feminist voices and visions of CALYX.

Cheris Kramarae, Visiting Professor
Center for the Study of Women in Society
University of Oregon

Jean Ward and Elaine Maveety

Jean M. Ward earned her PhD from the University of Oregon; her dissertation dealt with the novels of Abigail Scott Duniway. She is a Professor of Communication at Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR), where she is Chair of the Communication Department and Director of the Gender Studies Program.

Elaine A. Maveety earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon. She is Coordinator of the annual Gender Studies Symposium at Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR).

Ward and Maveety co-edited Pacific Northwest Women, 1815-1925: Lives, Memories and Writings (Oregon State University Press, 1995), and they are currently completing a book on Abigail Scott Duniway's travel and editorial correspondence published in the New Northwest, Duniway's Portland newspaper.