Cheryl A. Wall papers (MS.2020.006)

This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Cheryl A. Wall, Board of Governors Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English at Rutgers University and scholar of African American and African diaspora literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and Zora Neale Hurston. The collection includes correspondence, administrative materials related to her work at Rutgers University as well as the Crossroads Theatre Company, conference materials, course syllabi and readings, draft writings, and research materials. Materials date from 1966 to 2020 and are arranged into 12 series. Please note that Wall created all folder titles in quotations. The processor created all other folder titles.

Series 1, PERSONAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, 1966 – 2004, contains articles about Wall, a diary regarding a trip to Georgia and Alabama in 2004, and Wall's undergraduate and graduate student papers. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by subject.

Series 2, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, 1980 – 2020, contains correspondence regarding promotions, fellowship applications, and tenure dossiers. Tenure dossiers include correspondence, syllabi, articles, and conference materials used as evidence of Wall's work during an academic year. This series is arranged alphabetically by record type then by date.

Series 3, CORRESPONDENCE, 1973 – 2017, contains primarily professional correspondence. Topics include the Works in Progress conference, professorship searches, and a Zora Neal Hurston docudrama. Correspondents include Gayl Jones, Deborah E. McDowell, and Hortense J. Spillers. Please note that additional correspondence can be found throughout the collection. This series is arranged by provenance and then alphabetically by correspondent's name.

Series 4, ADMINISTRATIVE, 1981 – 2018, includes correspondence, meeting materials, and handwritten notes related to Wall's work at Rutgers University and on various boards. Of particular note are materials related to Wall's work on the Rutgers Institute for Women's Leadership and the President's Council on Institutional Diversity and Equity, as well as her work with the Crossroads Theatre Company – a premier, historically Black theatre company -- in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization then by record type.

Series 5, CONFERENCES, 1976 – 2019, includes correspondence, programs, and handwritten notes related to various conferences attended by Wall. Conferences include "Black Feminist Figures: Interventions and Inheritances," "The Future of Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education: A National Forum on Innovation and Collaboration," and "Zora Neale Hurston: Front Porch Lies, Contemporary Truths." Of particular notes are the materials related to "Changing Our Own Words: A Symposium on Theory, Criticism and Literature by Black Women." This series is arranged alphabetically by conference title then by record type.

Series 6, TEACHING, 1972-2019, is arranged into three subseries: Subseries 1, course materials by course title, Subseries 2, lecture notes by topic - first set, and Subseries 3, lecture notes by topic - second set.

Series 6, subseries 1, COURSE MATERIALS BY COURSE TITLE, includes syllabi, readings, and handwritten and typed notes related to courses taught by Wall. Course titles include "The African American Essay," "Black Women Writers and the African American Literary Tradition," and "Harlem Renaissance: Gender, Race, and Performance." This subseries is arranged alphabetically by course title then by date and record type.

Series 6, subseries 2, LECTURE NOTES BY TOPIC - FIRST SET, n.d., contains notecards with handwritten notes for various course lectures given by Wall. Lecture topics include "art in the Harlem Renaissance," "passing," "puritan literature," and Zora Neale Hurston and her writings. Please note that each lecture topic listed within quotations indicates a set of cards related to that topic as organized by Wall. These notecards arrived as part of the first accession. One archival folder contains several sets of note cards and various topics arranged alphabetically.

Series 6, subseries 3, LECTURE NOTES BY TOPIC - SECOND SET, n.d., contains notecards with handwritten notes for various course lectures given by Wall. Lecture topics include "The Black Book," "Blues poetry," and "Blues singers." These notecards arrived as part of the third accession. Please note that each lecture topic listed within quotations indicates a set of cards related to that topic as organized by Wall. One archival folder contains several sets of note cards and various topics arranged alphabetically.

Series 7, WRITINGS AND RELATED, 1978 – 2020, includes handwritten and typed drafts, correspondence, research articles, and proofs, related to articles, books, edited books, reviews, and talks by Wall. Titles include "The Black Book: Between the Lines of History," "Harlem as Culture Capital in 1920s African American Fiction," On Freedom and the Will to Adorn: The African American Essay, Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara, "Changing Words in Black Women's Writing/ Changing Words in the Academy," and "Zora Neale Hurston: Art Out of Place and In Motion." This series is arranged alphabetically by type of writing, then by title, then by record type.

Series 8, SUBJECT FILES BY PERSON AS SUBJECT, 1973 – 2018, includes clippings, correspondence, readings, and handwritten notes related to research on various people. Subjects include Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Lucille Clifton, Ann duCille, Nora Holt, Zora Neale Hurston, June Jordan, Nella Larsen, and Claudia Tate. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject's last name then by record type.

Series 9, SUBJECT FILES BY TOPIC, 1973 – 2017, includes clippings, readings, and handwritten notes related to research on various topics. Topics include "Black feminism," "Black women writers," "Harlem race capital," "Teaching 20th century American women writers," and "the underground railroad in New Jersey." This series is arranged alphabetically by topic then by record type.

Series 10, PRINT MATERIAL, 1980 – 2016, contains books, magazines, and newsletters. Items include an advance uncorrected proof copy of Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara by Wall, 10th and 15th anniversary issues of Essence Magazine, and newsletters from the Amistad Research Center. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title.

Series 11, ELECTRONIC RECORDS, 1990 - 2018, contains 3.5" floppy disks, CDs, and a zip disk. Contents include correspondence, book drafts, and teaching materials. This series is arranged alphabetically by format then by title written on the carrier.

Series 12, RESTRICTED, 2008 - 2010, contains hiring materials and related correspondence. These materials are closed until January 1, 2050.