Skip to main content

Sylvia Plath and the Smith Alumnae Quarterly

The Smith Alumnae Quarterly recently launched a fully searchable and downloadable archive of their amazing publications (story). Sylvia Plath featured in a dozen or so from the time she entered Smith through into the 1970s. I have gone through the issues from 1950 through the current Winter 2016 issue and found the following instances either where Plath authored a piece or she was mentioned. I love that the availability of the online archive takes one to the present issue. Fantastic.

I was going to take the rest of the year off blogging to give you a break from me, but this resource is too cool not to mention and fits in with a theme highlighted in the Year in Review 2016 of digitization.
  • February 1951. Sylvia Plath's Letter excerpt (unattributed) to Olive Higgins Prouty
  • Fall 1953. Sylvia Plath's "'Smith Review' Revived"
  • Fall 1954. Sylvia Plath's "The Neilson Professor"
  • Summer 1955. Mentioned: Scholarship to study at Cambridge
  • Spring 1956. Mentioned: An update from Cambridge: how she spent her Christmas break
  • Summer 1956. Mentioned: An update from Cambridge: renewal of Fulbright
  • Fall 1956. Sylvia Plath's "B. and K. at the Claridge"
  • Winter 1957. Mentioned: In a letter from Marianne Moore regarding Fulbright renewal
  • Fall 1957. Mentioned: Regarding Ted Hughes' The Hawk in the Rain and appearing in the Grecourt Review
  • Winter 1958. Sylvia Plath's "Spinster"
  • Spring 1959. Mentioned: Regarding recent publication in Mademoiselle
  • Summer 1959. Mentioned: Regarding Ted Hughes winning Guggenheim
  • Fall 1961. Mentioned: Regarding winning Chelthenham Festival Guinness prize
  • Spring 1962 Mentioned: Larger update about Cheltenham, Saxton grant, The Colossus, periodical publications, and their daughter Frieda
  • Summer 1962. Mentioned: Listing the publication of the American edition of The Colossus
  • Winter 1966. Mentioned: George Steiner's article "Dying is an Art"
  • Spring 1966. Mentioned: Regarding Lois Ames' biography of Plath asking for letters, photographs and recollections: Where are these now???
  • Summer 1966. Mentioned: Listing the publication of the American edition of Ariel
  • November 1966. Mentioned: Listing recent reviews of Ariel
  • April 1967. Mentioned: Regarding Lois Ames' piece in TriQuarterly and her continued "work" on a Plath biography
  • April 1968. Mentioned: Regarding a grant Lois Ames received for her biography on Plath
  • August 1969. Mentioned: Gift made to Alumnae Fund in memory of Sylvia Plath Hughes
  • November 1971. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of The Bell Jar and Crossing the Water
  • April 1972. Mentioned: Margaret Shook's article "Sylvia Plath: The Poet and the College, reprints "Spinster"
  • August 1972. Mentioned: In a letter to the editor
  • November 1972. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of Winter Trees and more on the never-happening Lois Ames biography
  • April 1973. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of Nancy Hunter Steiner's Sylvia Plath: A Closer Look at Ariel and an alumnae's leading a book club discussion
  • November 1973. Mentioned: Judith Kroll's work on Plath
  • February 1975. Mentioned: In Susan Van Dyne's article "Teaching 'Literary Perspectives on Women'" and on Lois Ames' "completed" biography of Plath
  • August 1975. Mentioned: In Alumnae notes
  • November 1975. Mentioned: In article "Smith Writers" and listing of Plath recording for sale
  • February 1976. "Letters from Sylvia", with commentary by Gordon Lameyer and the subject of a poem
  • April 1976. Mentioned: In article and listing and brief review for Letters Home
  • August 1976. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • November 1976. Mentioned: Listings and brief reviews of The Bed Book and Judith Kroll's Chapters in a Mythology
  • February 1977. Mentioned: In alumnae notes about a film project interpreting "Tulips"
  • April 1977. Mentioned: In alumnae notes on Judith Kroll
  • August 1977. Mentioned: In article by Patricia L. Skarda: "The Smith Letter: Expressions of Form and Formlessness"
  • February 1978. Mentioned: In alumnae notes, about getting recollections from students who took English 11 under Plath's instruction
  • August 1978. Mentioned: In alumnae notes twice; the second time still soliciting for recollections. 
  • November 1978. Mentioned: In article. 
  • February 1979. Mentioned: "In the News" regarding The Bell Jar film and in regards to recollections. Most interesting this one.
  • April 1979. Mentioned: In an article "The William Allan Neilson Library"
  • November 1979. Mentioned: Listing and brief reviews of Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams and in Jon Rosenblatt's Sylvia Plath:The Poetry of Initiation
  • Fall 1981. Mentioned: "Sylvia Plath" on the acquisition of Plath's papers
  • Spring 1982. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of The Collected Poems
  • Summer 1982. Mentioned: In notice for future article regarding Pulitzer Prize and in Judith Kroll's alumnae notes.
  • Fall 1982. Mentioned. Listing and brief review for The Journals of Sylvia Plath
  • Winter 1983. Mentioned: In alumnae notes regarding Marcia Brown Stern's donation of the letters she received from Plath
  • Fall 1984. Mentioned: In article "Posture Picture On the Wall, Who's the Straightest Of Us All?"
  • Winter 1986. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of Above the Oxbow: Selected Writings by Sylvia Plath
  • Spring 1987. Mentioned: In article and in alumnae notes (Jane Anderson and Cindy Stodola Pomerleau)
  • Summer 1987. Mentioned: In articles under collective title, "Mary Ellen Chase in Review" and in Memorial Gifts section
  • Winter 1989. Mentioned: As subject of Susan Van Dyne talk titled "Revising Woman: Uncovering the Creative Process in Sylvia Plath's Ariel Poems" at a conference
  • Summer 1989. Mentioned: In article and in Memorial Gifts
  • Fall 1989. Mentioned: In article
  • Fall/Winter 1990. Mentioned. In alumnae notes
  • Spring 1990. Mentioned. In article on the book Smith Voices: Selected Works by Smith College Women
  • Summer 1990. Mentioned: In Memorial Gifts
  • Spring 1992. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • Summer 1992. Mentioned: In article "Between Two Worlds"
  • Fall 1992. Mentioned: In article and in alumnae notes
  • Winter 1992-1993. Mentioned: In alumnae notes regarding Jacqueline Rose's The Haunting of Sylvia Plath
  • Summer 1993. Mentioned: Listing and brief review of Susan Van Dyne's Revising Life: Sylvia Plath's Ariel Poems
  • Fall 1993. Mentioned: In article
  • Winter 1995-1996. Mentioned in article on alumnae Tanya Metaksa and review of a Mary Ellen Chase biography
  • Fall 1996. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (Enid Mark)
  • Winter 1997-1998. Mention: In article "A place for poets" and twice in alumnae notes 
  • Summer 1998. Mentioned: In articles, particularly "Primarily Plath" 
  • Fall 1998. Mentioned: On cover and in feature article "" by Susan Van Dyne on Birthday Letters, and in alumnae notes (Enid Mark)
  • Winter 1998-1999. Mentioned: In letters and alumnae notes (Judith Kroll)
  • Summer 1999. Mentioned. In alumnae notes
  • Spring 2000. Mentioned. In article "Smith Myths"
  • Winter 2000-2001. Mentioned: In alumnae notes regarding The Journals of Sylvia Plath
  • Spring 2001. Mentioned. Feature article "True to her words" by Karen V. Kukil
  • Summer 2001. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • Fall 2001. Mentioned: Letter to editor and in alumnae notes
  • Winter 2001-2002. Mentioned: In article "Clothes with a past" 
  • Spring 2002. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • Summer 2002. Mentioned: In article "A Palette of Words" by Karen D. Brown about Plath's classmate Enid Epstein Mark
  • Spring 2003. Mentioned: In article "The Storm in My Brain" by Mary Seymour
  • Fall 2003. Mentioned: In article "A Collection of Our Own" by Karen V. Kukil
  • Winter 2005-2006. Mentioned: In alumnae notes twice
  • Winter 2006-2007. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • Spring 2007. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (Judith Kroll)
  • Summer 2007. Mentioned: In article "Baskin 101" and in alumnae notes
  • Fall 2007. Mentioned: In alumnae notes twice
  • Summer 2008. Mentioned: In brief article "Plath at 75", in a section on poetry, and in alumnae notes (Marcia Brown Stern)
  • Fall 2008. Mentioned: In alumnae profile
  • Winter 2008-2009. Mentioned: In alumnae notes twice (Elinor Friedman Klein)
  • Summer 2009. Mentioned: In profile on her professor Elizabeth von Klemperer and in alumnae notes twice (Marcia Brown Stern)
  • Winter 2009-2010. Mentioned: In article on Gloria Steinem, a review of Smith in the 1950s and in 1963
  • Summer 2010. Mentioned: In alumnae notes
  • Fall 2010. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (obituary for Jane Anderson)
  • Winter 2010-2011. Mentioned: In article "The Poet's Room"
  • Spring 2011. Mentioned: In letter to the editor "Sylvia's Other Rooms" by Marcia Brown Stern
  • Summer 2011. Mentioned: In notice about Plath's induction to Poet's Corner in New York City and in alumnae notes twice
  • Winter 2011-2012. Mentioned: In brief article
  • Fall 2012. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (Judith Raymo and Amanda Ferrara)
  • Winter 2012-2013. Mentioned: In alumnae notes twice (Judith Snow Denison and an obituary for Marcia Brown Stern)
  • Spring 2013. Mentioned: In brief articles "Plath in Pink" and "Poet in a Tree" and in alumnae notes twice
  • Summer 2013. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (Judith Snow Denison)
  • Fall 2013. Mentioned: In article "If these dresses could talk", in alumnae notes three times
  • Winter 2013-2014. Mentioned: In alumnae notes (Judith Raymo) and in a classified ad to stay in the Dordogne
  • Spring 2014. Mentioned: In alumnae notes and an obituary (Joanne Michelini Piggot)
  • Fall 2014. Mentioned: In alumnae profile
  • Winter 2014-2015. Mentioned: In Editor's Note and in alumnae notes (Elinor Friedman Klein)
  • Summer 2015. Mentioned: In solicitation by Heather Clark for people to talk about Plath for her forthcoming biography
  • Winter 2015-2016. Mentioned: In "Campus Notebook" about the 2017 "One Life" exhibit and in alumnae notes twice
  • Summer 2016. Mentioned: In article "Voices of Her Ancestors" 
  • Winter 2016. Mentioned: In letter to the editor and and article on Smith Alumnae Quarterly digital archive
This is an amazing resource. Not just for Plath material, but to get an idea of what Smith looked like back in the day, its buildings, students and student life, fashion, the design of the periodical, and the topics that were covered. A real rich history of education, women, and more. I am really grateful for this access to the SAQ archive but that will not stop me from stating my regret that a universal search is not available. I understand there must be limits to what repositories can do. My being gratefully ungrateful notwithstanding: thank you Smith College and all involved in this project.

All links accessed 21 December 2016
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Sylvia Plath's Gravestone Vandalized

The following news story appeared online this morning: HEPTONSTALL, ENGLAND (APFS) - The small village of Heptonstall is once again in the news because of the grave site of American poet Sylvia Plath. The headstone controversy rose to a fever pitch in 1989 when Plath's grave was left unmarked for a long period of time after vandals repeatedly chiseled her married surname Hughes off the stone marker. Author Nick Hornby commented, "I like Plath, but the controversy reaching its fever pitch in the 80s had nothing to do with my book title choice." Today, however, it was discovered that the grave was defaced but in quite an unlikely fashion. This time, Plath's headstone has had slashed-off her maiden name "Plath," so the stone now reads "Sylvia Hughes." A statement posted on Twitter from @masculinistsfortedhughes (Masculinists for Ted Hughes) has claimed responsibility saying that, "We did this because as Ted Hughes' first wife, Sylvia de
Read more

Famous Quotes of Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath inspires us all in various and wonderful ways. She is in many respects a form of comfort to us, which is something that Esther Greenwood expresses in The Bell Jar , about a bath: "There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. Whenever I'm sad I'm going to die, or so nervous I can't sleep, or in love with somebody I won't be seeing for a week, I slump down just so far and then I say: 'I'll go take a hot bath.'" We read and remember Sylvia Plath for many reasons, many of them deeply personal and private. But we commemorate her, too, in very public ways, as Anna of the long-standing Tumblr Loving Sylvia Plath , has been tracking, in the form of tattoos. (Anna's on Instagram with it too, as SylviaPlathInk .) The above bath quote is among Sylvia Plath's most famous. It often appears here and there and it is stripped of its context. But I think most people will know it is from her nove
Read more

Sylvia Plath and McLean Hospital

In August when I was in the final preparations for the tour of Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar sites, I found that I had long been mistaken about a couple of things. This is my coming clean. It was my intention in this blog post to discuss just McLean, but I found myself deeply immersed in other aspects of Plath's recovery. The other thing I was mistaken about will be discussed in a separate blog post. I suppose I need to state from the outset that I am drawing conclusions from Plath's actual experiences from what she wrote in The Bell Jar and vice versa, taking information from the novel that is presently unconfirmed or murky and applying it to Plath's biography. There is enough in The Bell Jar , I think, based on real life to make these decisions. At the same time, I like to think that I know enough to distinguish where things are authentic and where details were clearly made up, slightly fudged, or out of chronological order. McLean Hospital was Plath's third and last
Read more