Todd S. J. Lawson papers, 1958-1986

(bulk 1974-1985)

Brown University, Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2010

Collection Overview

Title:	Todd S. J. Lawson papers
Date range:	1958-1986, (bulk 1974-1985)
Creator:	Lawson, Todd S. J.
Extent:	8 linear feet
Abstract:	Todd S. J. Lawson was an accomplished mid-to-late twentieth century gay writer of both prose and poetry, a small press publisher and editor, and a journalist. This collection consists of a variety of materials, the bulk of which dates from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, and includes manuscripts, correspondence, print materials, business records, and a small collection of photographs and ephemeral materials. In addition to a substantial collection of manuscripts mainly from Lawson's own writings, it includes a significant number of printing proofs, and an interesting collection of scattered issues, including a few historic titles, from a variety of small press periodicals.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Brown University, Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms. 2010.005

Scope & content

This collection thoroughly documents the life and career of the gay writer Todd S. J. Lawson. It is comprised of a variety of materials, the bulk of which dates from 1974 to 1985, primarily when he lived in San Francisco and established himself as both a writer and a leading figure in the small press industry. It includes an extensive collection of manuscripts from Lawson's published writings, both poetry and prose, and a substantive assortment of documents from the organization he directed, Pacific Arts and Letters and its affiliate, Peace and Pieces Press. It also includes a significant number of print materials, a small collection of photographs, an assortment of ephemeral materials and a small, eclectic collection of artifacts.

Series 1, Personal Materials, includes a small collection of correspondence, a diary from the year 1984, employment documentation and resumes, financial records, military and school records, educational transcripts, a student notebook, and various memorabilia, including a newspaper photo of Lawson at age six, and an old library card.

Series 2, Writings, is comprised of a substantial, if not comprehensive, collection of Lawson's prose and poetry writings, including original manuscripts and photocopies of his many published works.

Series 3, Small Press Materials, includes business correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, corporate bylaws, conference and book fair organizational documents, printing proofs and other assorted materials from Pacific Arts and Letters and its affiliate enterprises, Peace and Pieces Press and the cable-television series "Lawson and the Arts."

Series 4, Print Materials, consists of a collection of magazine and academic periodicals, including scattered issues from a few historic GLBT titles, including early newsprint issues of The Advocate, The Boston Gay Review, and the The Fag Rag, and from other noteworthy titles such as Second Coming, and Pulpsmith.

Series 5, Photographs, includes photos of Lawson and friends,a small collection of professional photographs by Efren C. Ramirez and a few photographic negatives and slides.

Series 6, Ephemera, includes newspaper clippings, theatre programs, brochures, and flyers.

Series 7, Subject Files, includes a range of scattered, miscellaneous materials about a variety of topics.

Series 8, Artifacts, is comprised of an interesting assortment of objects, including rubber stamps, a book fair banner, and a hand-made poster advertising Lawson's television talk show, Lawson and the Arts.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Lawson, Todd S. J.

Subject Names

• Lawson, Todd S. J.

Subject Organizations

• Pacific Arts and Letters
• Peace and Pieces Press

Subject Topics

• Poets, American|y20th century|xBiography
• Authors, American|y20th century|xBiography
• Journalists|zUnited States|y20th century|xBiography
• Gay men|xBiography
• Gay press publications|zUnited States|xHistory|y20th century
• Small Presses|zUnited States|xHistory|y20th century

Subject Topics

• Art

• Advocate

• Boston Gay Review

• Fag Rag

Document Types

• Letters (correspondence)
• Manuscripts
• Manuscripts for publication
• Periodicals
• Diaries
• Drawings (visual works)
• Photographs
• Printed ephemera

Occupations

• Poet
• Author
• Journalist

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into seven series:

• 1.Personal Materials
• 2.Writngs
• 3.Small Press Materials
• 4.Print Materials
• 5.Photographs
• 6.Ephemera
• 7.Subject Files

Each series is arranged alphabetically by topic. Series 2, Writings is subdivided into two categories, Poetry and Prose, with both subdivisions arranged alphabetically by topic.

Biographical note

Todd S. J. Lawson was born on Oct. 16th, 1940 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, from 1959 to 1963, he received an associate's degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Minnesota in 1966, and a bachelor's degree equivalent in Journalism/Liberal Arts/Social Sciences from Mankato State College, in 1969.

While at the University of Minnesota, Lawson worked as a feature and folk arts writer for the Minnesota Daily and was awarded an MCEP (Minnesota Council for Education in Politics) fellowship in 1964. From 1966 to 1969, while a student at Mankato State College, he became prose editor and editor-in-chief of the student arts magazine, Plaintiff, which, under his tenure, received six national awards for interviews, articles and works referencing Allen Ginsberg, Denise Levertov, the Firehouse Theatre and the Anti-Defamation League. Also during this time, Lawson came under heavy criticism from college administrators and some faculty members for a controversial fictional piece he wrote on the Vietnam War, Herbie and I, which culminated in a precedent-setting lawsuit, and campus-wide debate on censorship and political discourse.

Lawson was assistant director (1974-1979) and director (1979-1985) of Pacific Arts and Letters (formerly known as San Francisco Arts and Letters), a non-profit, multi-cultural arts organization and publisher, and editor of its monthly newsletter, ALPS (Arts, Letters, Publishers and Systems). He oversaw the publication of well over three hundred works, in various formats, under its affliate organization, Peace and Pieces Press, and was responsible for organizing its annual small press book fair. From 1980 to 1985, under the sponsorship of Pacific Arts and Letters, in cooperation with the California Arts Council's "Artists in the Communities Program," he also hosted the television talk show, Lawson and the Arts, which was broadcast from a local San Franciscan cable station and incorporated sign-language interpreters for the hearing-impaired. This weekly program featured interviews with a variety of writers, artists, local personalities and international celebrities, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane Fienstein, Quentin Crisp, and Gary Gach, to name just a few.

Lawson was the author of one chapbook, Pacific Sun Poems (1973), and of four books: Patriotic Poems of Amerikka(1971); The Empire of Howard Hughes (non-fiction, 1975); and The 69 Days of Easter (fiction, 1977). He also wrote numerous individual poetry and prose pieces, including editorials and essays, which were published in various literary periodicals, newspapers, and anthologies, including The Advocate, The Art Journal, Vida Universitaria, and Earth Times (Rolling Stone Magazine).

Lawson won two national citations from Story magazine in New York for his published interviews with the Minnesota Anti-Defamation League and the Firehouse Theatre in Minneapolis. He was also the recipient of a P.E.N. American Center Award, a Pi Delta Epsilon Literary Award, the Carnegie Writers Award (1979), and the California Arts Council Writer-in-Residence Award (1980-1981). He also received grants from P.E.N. American Center (New York), The California State Arts Council (Sacramento, Calif.), and the National Endowment for the Arts (Washington, D.C.).

Lawson died peacefully at home in San Francisco on June 30th, 1987.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Todd S. J. Lawson papers, Ms. 2010.005, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	Brown University, Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The Todd S. J. Lawson papers were donated to the John Hay Library by Diane Comen in 1998 (A98-2). A subsequent accession was received in 2001 (A2001-40).
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Robert J. Rosa.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Robert J. Rosa 2010 September 14
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Separated material:	The books from the Todd S. J. Lawson Papers are cataloged separately and can be found in the Library's catalog under the heading: Todd S. J. Lawson papers (Brown University)
Other information:	Brown University catalog record for this collection: Todd S. J. Lawson papers

Inventory

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