Papers of Kim Chernin, 1935-2011 (inclusive), 1967-2003 (bulk)

The papers of Kim Chernin include autobiographical writings, documents from the founding and first years of EdgeWork Books publishing; correspondence with friends, family, publishers, and fans; draft manuscripts for novels, poetry, and memoirs; journals; and materials relating to Chernin's published works. They document Chernin's early struggles with depression; her first marriage to David Netboy; the birth of her daughter, Larissa; her metamorphosis from heterosexual relationships to lesbian relationships; her psychoanalytic thoughts on sexual desires and female sexuality; her relationship to her mother, Rose Chernin; and her psychological distress over the death of her sister, Nina, in 1944.

Larissa Nicole Chernin is often referred to by her chosen nickname, Niki, but for the purposes of this finding aid, she is referred to as "Larissa."

Kim Chernin's website, http://kimchernin.com/, is being captured periodically as part of Schlesinger Library’s web archiving program.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1935-2003 (#1.1-3.3, FD.1-FD.4, F+D.1-F+D.2, PD.1-PD.5, PD.12f+- PD.13f, CD-75.1, E.1-E.2), includes autobiographical and biographical writings; clippings, broadsides, and photographs from Rose Chernin's Communist Party of the United States of America activities; scrapbook of Kim Chernin's visit to China in 1957 kept by Rose Chernin; baby book and ovulation calendar from Larissa Chernin's birth; diploma from UC Berkeley; materials related to EdgeWork publishing company; Kim Chernin's official name change; and photographs of Kim Chernin.

EdgeWork publishing company, co-founded by Chernin, was established to support feminist writing. The company has its roots in an earlier iteration called "AroundWomen.com" which began in 2000. Later in 2001, the founders incorporated and changed the name to EdgeWork. Chernin's idea "was to provide an alternative venue for [a community of women] publishing quality literature that could be experimental and less commercial" (Publisher's Weekly, "EdgeWork: A New Publishing Formula," July 2, 2001). The materials in the collection include the original mission for AroundWomen.com, several early organizational charts for EdgeWork, and a detailed report of the company's structure and operation (#1.7-1.9).

For correspondence with family members, see Series II. Correspondence. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Series II, CORRESPONDENCE, 1957-2010 (#3.4-12.10, PD.6-PD.8), includes letters and printed emails with friends, fans, and family members. Overall, Chernin is very open and honest in her letters about her life and her lovers. With colleagues and friends, she is generous with giving them honest opinion and her critical analysis. She writes frequently about romantic interests and her connections to women. However, this collection does not have a significant amount of correspondence with some important figures from Chernin's life including her second husband, Bob Cantor; her daughter, Larissa Chernin; her partner, Susan Griffin; and the later correspondence of her long-time partner, Renate Stendhal.

Chernin met Renate Stendhal in May 1982 while she and Susan Griffin were in Paris looking for a translator for In My Mother's House. Although Stendhal did not end up translating the publication, the two struck up a friendly correspondence. Three and a half years later, Chernin flew to Paris to reunite with Stendhal after separating from Angelyn Spignoti, a New England writer who also wrote about anorexia and bulimia. The correspondence in the collection between Chernin and Stendhal is mainly the letters they wrote between the time they met and when they started a romantic relationship. There is also a few later letters and emails (#12.4-12.7).

The almost daily correspondence between Chernin and Erica Crowell spans the majority of their intense, romantic relationship between 1997 and 1999 which resulted in a temporary separation between Chernin and Renate Stendhal. Consisting of mainly printed emails and instant messages, Chernin and Crowell (who often refers to herself as "Dumb Esther" and Chernin as "Fat Elke") discuss their relationship, love, dieting, depression, therapy, family and friends, and writing (often poetry). There are also emails from Chernin's close confidants, Michael Rogin and Michael Bader, with council on her relationship with Crowell (#4.4-8.11). See also correspondence with Michael Rogin for more emails about Chernin's relationship with Crowell (#11.12-11.15).

For correspondence with Chernin's publishers and literary agents, see Series III, Writings. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Series III, WRITINGS, 1957-2011 (#12.11-31.13, PD.9-PD.11), contains unpublished manuscripts; journal notebooks; dream journals; research and writing notebooks; and draft manuscripts, publishers' correspondence, and reviews relating to Chernin's published works. It is arranged in three subseries.

Subseries A, Notebooks, 1957-1999 (#12.11-21.2, PD.9-PD.10), contains journal notebooks, dream journals, research and writing notebooks. The journal notebooks document Chernin's relationships and love affairs, exploring her connections with the people in her life. The dream journals record Chernin's dreams with some analysis. The research and writing notebooks record Chernin's thoughts on psychoanalysis, characters in novels, and general writing ideas. Many notebooks overlap. For example some journal notebooks include entries about dreams and some research and writing notebooks include journal entries. Folders are separated by type of notebook (dream journal, journal, and writing and research notes) and arranged chronologically.

Subseries B, Unpublished manuscripts and papers, 1967-2011 (#21.3-26.11, 26.17), includes unpublished fiction, short stories, essays, critiques, memoirs, poetry, and plays. Additional material received as electronic files will be reformatted at some future date for inclusion in this series. Chernin's original titles appear in quotation marks. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

In the late 1970s, Chernin wrote "Arise, Cry Out in the Night: A Tale of Inwardness," a work of poetry and poetic criticism written under an alter-ego she named Kiteran Hadas (and a critic alter-ego she named Lou Gabriel Aron). In her journal she explains: "If I were an artist only and not also a mystic, I could leave this vision of beauty in the world and seek the fulfillment of my longing in a woman's arms... Knowing this, I have created Kiteran, so as to be able to love the poet in myself, who causes me such difficult conflict and towards whom I have so many attitudes other than love. Lou Gabriel... is the critic in me, the analyst; a very intelligent woman, as I said, sincerely dedicated to life of Kiteran Hadas" (#15.1, Journal, December 1975-September 1977).

Subseries C, Published works, 1969-2003 (#26.12-26.16, 27.1-31.13, PD.11), includes articles, clippings, project proposals, reviews, and correspondence with publishers and literary agents regarding Chernin's published works. Drafts of Crossing the Border, A Different Kind of Listening, In My Mother's House, and The Hunger Song are included in this subseries. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Series IV, AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS, 1979-2003 (#T-438.1-T-438.46, Vt-225.1-Vt-255.13, CD-75.2), includes audiocassette tapes, videotapes, and a compact disc with recordings of interviews with Kim Chernin during book tours; interviews with Rose Chernin and her sisters conducted as research for In My Mother's House; videotaped interviews with Kim and Rose Chernin conducted in preparation for Eric Strange's 1989 documentary, Children of the Left, about children whose parents who were members of the Communist Party of the United States of America in the 1950s (Please note: Rose and Kim Chernin are not in the final film). Titles are transcribed directly from the labels with more detailed descriptions in brackets. Formats are audiocassette tapes or videotapes unless otherwise noted.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.