The Berkeley Literary Women's Revolution: Essays from Marsha's Salon

Even during the late 1960s, Academia remained largely the province of men. That began to change at the University of California at Berkeley in 1969, when Marsha Hudson posted notices across campus proposing a feminist literary salon. The purpose was to discuss women's literature: a few female writers received passing notice in the classroom, but the multitude was either ignored or forgotten. The informal gatherings continued for years, growing into an activist movement that established the first Women's Studies major at Berkeley; helped produce the first major anthologies of women's poetry; and fought for equality and recognition in every corner of the education system. They risked their academic futures in the process, but the efforts of those women and others helped change the face and shape of higher learning forever. graduate students at UC-Berkeley organized in 1969 by Marsha Hudson. The group met for years, and helped lead the charge to bring sexual equality to all facets of education. These annotated essays recount the atmosphere of the time that made change necessary, the upheaval brought about by the feminist revolution in education, the direction that the movement took, and the current state of feminist learning in academia. An appendix features period letters and documents from group members (regarding the need for changes at Berkeley) as well as statistical information about women's studies and related subjects.… (more)