Neala Schleuning - Meridel Le Sueur collection

The Neala Schleuning - Meridel Le Sueur Collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, typescripts, published books, journals, periodicals, news clippings, photographs, artwork, audio tapes, video tapes, research materials and notes, and ephemera from Schleuning's research and archival collection, most of which was used toward her 1978 dissertation and subsequent book on the American writer Meridel Le Sueur, America, Song We Sang Without Knowing: The Life and Ideas of Meridel Le Sueur (1983). Material in the collection spans the dates 1930 to 1997, comprising 2.3 linear feet and 43 audio cassettes, 10 reel-to-reel tapes, and 2 VHS videotapes. The collection is arranged in five series of material related to Schleuning's scholarly work on and interest in Meridel Le Sueur: I. Neala Schleuning: America: Song We Sang Without Knowing ; II. My People Are My Home ; III. Research and resources; IV. Meridel Le Sueur; and V. Media.

Schleuning's developing friendship with Le Sueur led her to accumulate more materials documenting both Le Sueur's career and Schleuning's own interest in Midwestern literature, feminism, and political activism. Schleuning and Le Sueur maintained a correspondence until Le Sueur's death in 1996, and the collection provides many insights into Le Sueur's literary interests and activities during the 1970s until the end of her life.

Series I. contains a copy of Schleuning's dissertation and miscellaneous working notes. A copy of America: Song We Sang Without Knowing (1983), the published book resulting from the dissertation, is also included.

Series II. includes materials related to the making of a 1976 documentary film by the Twin Cities Women's Film Collective, My People Are My Home . The film is narrated by Le Sueur from a script of her own poetry and prose and also includes some brief interviews. Several drafts of the film's script are included, as well as a VHS video tape of the final film (compare to Series V. F68). Both Schleuning and Le Sueur were members of the collective, and the film was made with Le Sueur's direct cooperation and input. The multiple drafts of scripts in this series bear autograph notes and corrections and provide an indication of how the project was developed.

Series III. comprises correspondence, audio transcriptions, reviews and news clippings, and ephemera that Schleuning used during her work on Le Sueur. The correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing letters between Le Sueur and Schleuning, revealing the progression of Schleuning's scholarly work, as well as the growing friendship between the two women. Other correspondence includes Schleuning's communications with scholars and acquaintances of Le Sueur, such as writer and Anvil editor Jack Conroy, Twin Cities political activist Don Olson, Le Sueur's long-time friend and labor activist Irene Paull (see also IV.C.2 and IV.C.6 for more on Paull), writer and editor Fred Whitehead, and Paula Zimmering. The audio transcripts in this series correspond to the audio tapes in Series V. The transcripts include interviews and conversations between Le Sueur, Schleuning, and others associated with Le Sueur. The content of the tapes cover Le Sueur's thoughts on her writing, the culture of rural America, the feminist and socialist movements in America, and the history of social activism from the 1930s to the 1970s. Schleuning drew from the content of the tapes for her dissertation. The series also includes several posters for readings and appearances by Le Sueur spanning the dates 1977 to 1990. Some of the materials in this series document the revived interest in Le Sueur's work that took place during the 1970s through the 1990s.

Series IV. comprises works composed by Meridel Le Sueur. Included are manuscripts, photocopies of previously published short stories, poems, and essays (many of which have never been reprinted), transcriptions from Le Sueur's journal, transcriptions of interviews conducted by Le Sueur in the 1930s-1950s with various farmers, socialists, and radicals across the Midwest, and published works authored by Le Sueur, including books, broadsides, several small press publications, periodicals, and journals with writings about Le Sueur. Some of the published works have been removed to the general collection. Among the other significant items in this series are excerpts from Le Sueur's journals, several unpublished works in progress (F47-48), a typescript copy of Le Sueur's 1930 novel The Girl (F45), and many early short stories and essays copied from old-left journals and other publications.

Series V. contains photographs, artworks, and audio and video tapes. The series includes over 60 photographs of Le Sueur from the 1970s to the 1990s and more than 90 archival photographs used in the production of the film My People Are My Home . The artworks (in various media) in the series include portraits of Le Sueur. The audio tapes (cassettes and reel-to-reel) contain conversations and interviews with Le Sueur and various friends and associates. The content of the tapes cover Le Sueur's thoughts on her writing, the culture of rural America, the feminist and socialist movements in America, and the history of social activism from the 1930s to the 1970s (some of these tapes are transcribed in Series III.). Two video tapes are also included in the series: the documentary film My People Are My Home and an interview conducted with Le Sueur in 1988.