Biographical / Historical
Maida Tilchen is a journalist, author, lesbian activist, and scholar of lesbian pulp novels. While living in Bloomington, Indiana during the 1970s, Tilchen helped organize the Bloomington Gay Rights Coalition and the Bloomington Gay Women's and Men's Literary Circle, also attending Lesbian Writers' Conferences in Chicago. In 1980, Tilchen moved to Boston to serve as the promotion manager for Gay Community News. Her significant collection of lesbian pulp novels, which also served as the subject for her first published article, resides at the Lilly Library and the Lesbian Herstory Archive.
For more information about Tilchen, see her Chicago Gay History video interviews .
Scope and Contents
The first three series (Lesbian and Gay Publications, Journals, and Periodicals; Bibliographies and Book Catalogs; Comics) consist of publications created by and for the queer community with a heavy focus on the lesbian community. The Lesbian and Gay Publications, Journals, and Periodicals series includes an incomplete run of The Ladder from July 1957 to September 1972. The "Ann Bannon/Beebo Brinker" folder includes writings by Tilchen and others on author Ann Bannon, as well as correspondence between Bannon and Tilchen and ephemera from Beebo Brinker-related/inspired events and performances. "Correspondence" includes a handful of letters between Tilchen and queer publications/organizations in pursuit of adding their publications to her collection. "Writings and Interviews by Tilchen" consists of Tilchen's many interviews with lesbian authors as well as her book reviews and articles about lesbian pulp history.
Tilchen's prolific collection of lesbian pulp paperbacks is described separately and can be found in the Tilchen, Maida mss. Book Collection.
Arrangement
The collection is first arranged into series based on publication type (Lesbian and Gay Publications, Journals, and Periodicals; Bibliographies and Book Catalogs; Comics), based loosely on their organization within the binders in which Tilchen originally stored them. The remaining materials are arranged at a folder level based on material type or subject. In order to maintain Tilchen's arrangement, correspondence between Tilchen and Ann Bannon can be found in the "Ann Bannon/Beebo Brinker" folder rather than the "Correspondence" folder; similarly, Tilchen's writings on Bannon are in the "Ann Bannon/Beebo Brinker" folder rather than the "Writings and Interviews by Tilchen" folder.
Restrictions
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
Conditions Governing Use:
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable copyright holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish Form .
Separated Materials
Maida Tilchen's personal library was physically separated and is described as the Tilchen, Maida mss. book collection.
Indexed Terms
-
Persons
-
Associated Titles
-
Subjects
-
Places
-
Genres and Forms
- LGBTQ+ newsletters
- Lesbian newsletters
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
[Item], Tilchen, Maida mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase: 2025
Processing Information
Processed by Ava Dickerson in 2025.
Collection Inventory
Series:
Lesbian and Gay Publications, Journals, and Periodicals
box 1
folder 1
Margins No. 20 - "Special Focus: Gay Male Writing and Publishing" , May 1975
box 1
folder 1
The Gay Serviceman and Woman's Rebuttal , 1974?
box 1
folder 1
Jewish Currents - "Jewish Activism in the Lesbian-Feminist Movement" by Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz and Irena Klepfisz , March 1984
box 1
folder 1
Jewish Currents - "Gay Jews, Straight Laws" by Carol Jochnowitz , May 1986
box 1
folder 1
What Color is Your Handkerchief: A Lesbian S/M Sexuality Reader , 1979
box 1
folder 2
With Downcast Gays: Aspects of Homosexula Self-Oppression by Andrew Hodges and David Hutter , 1974
box 1
folder 2
The Gay Question: A Marxist Appraisal by Bob McCubbin , 1976
box 1
folder 2
The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide , July-August 2009
Scope and Contents: Article titled "Come Out!'s Historic 3-Year Run" marked with Post-it by Tilchen
box 1
folder 2
The Magic Coloring Book by Jokneee AvRutick and Etana Finkler , 1980
box 1
folder 2
"What Has Never Been: An Overview of Lesbian Feminist Literary Criticism" by Bonnie Zimmerman , 1981
box 1
folder 3
Ladyslipper Catalog - Records and Tapes by Women , 1985
box 1
folder 3
Feminist Women's Writing Workshop - Aurora 3 , 1993
box 1
folder 3
The Sex Panic: Women, Censorship and "Pornography" , 1993
box 1
folder 3
"Women with Masculine Desires: Ancient Medical Treatments" by Bernadette J. Brooten , 1991
box 1
folder 3
Work in Progress No. 38 - "Coming Out and Relational Empowerment: A Lesbian Feminist Theological Perspective" by Carter Heyward , 1989
box 1
folder 3
Work in Progress No. 24 - "Coming Home to Self, Going Home to Parents: Lesbian Identity Disclosure" by Lennie Kleinberg , 1986
box 1
folder 4
Amazon Vol. 3 No. 4 , August 1974
box 1
folder 4
Amazon Quarterly Vol. 3 No. 2 , 1975
box 1
folder 4
Amazon Quarterly Vol. 2 No. 4 , 1974
box 1
folder 4
Lesbian Connection Vol. 41 No. 2 , September-October 2018
box 1
folder 5
Lesbian Connection Vol. 41 No. 6 , May-June 2019
box 1
folder 5
Lesbian Connection Vol. 42 No. 2 , September-October 2019
box 1
folder 5
Lesbian Connection Vol. 42 No. 3 , November-December 2019
box 1
folder 5
Gay Community News Vol. 9 No. 3 , 1 August 1981
box 1
folder 5
Gay Community News Vol. 9 No. 5 , 15 August 1981
box 1
folder 5
Gay Community News Vol. 15 No. 14 , 18-24 October 1987
box 1
folder 5
Gay Community News - Special issue for March on Washington , April 1993
box 1
folder 6
Gay Community News , Fall 1993
box 1
folder 6
Gay Community News Vol. 20 No. 1-2 , June 1994
box 1
folder 6
Bay Windows Vol. 2 No. 13 , 21 June-4 July 1984
box 1
folder 6
Bay Windows Vol. 5 No. 41 , 15 October-21 October 1987
box 1
folder 6
Lesbian Art and Artists , 1977
box 1
folder 7
Desperate Living Vol. 1 No. 5 , Winter 1974
box 1
folder 7
Come Out! Vol. 2 No. 7b , Spring-Summer 1971
box 1
folder 7
The Furies Vol. 1 No. 3 , March-April 1972
box 1
folder 7
Sojourner Vol. 25 No. 9 , May 2000
box 1
folder 7
Off Our Backs Vol. 4 No. 2 , February 1984
box 1
folder 8
Reviews of lesbian literature and literary criticism , 1994-1996
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 1 No. 10 , July 1957
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 1 No. 12 , September 1957
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 2 No. 2 , November 1957
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 3 No. 5 , February 1959
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 3 No. 9 , June 1959
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 4 No. 11 , August 1960
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 6 No. 4 , January 1962
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 6 No. 7 , April 1962
box 1
folder 9
The Ladder Vol. 6 No. 12 , September 1962
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 7 No. 1 , October 1962
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 7 No. 2 , November 1962
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 7 No. 3 , December 1962
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 7 No. 4 , January 1963
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 7 No. 7 , April 1963
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 8 No. 1 , October 1963
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 8 No. 2 , November 1963
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 8 No. 3 , December 1963
box 1
folder 10
The Ladder Vol. 8 No. 7 , April 1964
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 8 No. 8 , May 1964
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 9 No. 5-6 , February-March 1965
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 9 No. 8 , May 1965
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 11 No. 9 , July 1967
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 12 No. 3 , February-March 1968
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 12 No. 10 , August 1968
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 13 No. 3-4 , December 1968-January 1969
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 14 No. 3-4 , December 1969-January 1970
box 1
folder 11
The Ladder Vol. 14 No. 5-6 , February-March 1970
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 14 No. 7-8 , April-May 1970
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 14 No. 9-10 , June-July 1970
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 14 No. 11-12 , August-September 1970
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 15 No. 1-2 , October-November 1970
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 15 No. 3-4 , December 1970-January 1971
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 15 No. 4-5 , February-March 1971
box 1
folder 12
The Ladder Vol. 15 No. 7-8 , April-May 1971
box 1
folder 13
The Ladder Vol. 15 No. 9-10 , June-July 1971
box 1
folder 13
The Ladder Vol. 16 No. 1-2 , October-November 1971
box 1
folder 13
The Ladder Vol. 16 No. 9-10 , June-July 1972
box 1
folder 13
The Ladder Vol. 16 No. 11-12 , August-September 1972
Series:
Bibliographies and Book Catalogs
box 1
folder 14
All Gay Paperbacks - Elysian Fields (#11) , 1970s
box 1
folder 14
Mostly Lesbiana and Women in Literature - Elysian Fields (#10) , 1970s
box 1
folder 14
Lesbian Literature - Independent Woman Books , 1977
box 1
folder 14
Lesbiana Literature of Womenstudies - Alice B's Bookservice , 1977?
box 1
folder 14
Homosexuality in Literature - Elysian Fields (#7) , 1970s
box 1
folder 14
New Lesbian Literature - Miriam Saphira , 1980-1988
box 1
folder 14
Lesbian Pulps zine , 1976?
box 1
folder 15
The Lesbian in Literature - Barbara Grier , 1981
box 1
folder 15
Homosexuality in Literature - Elysian Fields (#12) , 1970s
box 1
folder 15
The Lesbian in Literature: a Bibliography - Gene Damon and Lee Stuart , 1967
box 1
folder 16
Women Loving Women: a Bibliography , 1974
box 1
folder 16
The Lesbian in Literature: a Bibliography (second edition) - Gene Damon, Jan Watson, Robin Jordan , 1975
box 1
folder 16
Lesbian Herstory Archives News 7 , December 1981
box 1
folder 17
Dyke Shorts - Mary Wings , 1978
box 1
folder 17
Dynamite Damsels - Roberta Gregory , undated
box 1
folder 18
Wimmen's Comix No. 2 , 1973
box 1
folder 18
Wimmen's Comix No. 3 , 1973
box 1
folder 18
The Return of Wimmen's Comix , 1982
box 2
folder 1
Ann Bannon/Beebo Brinker , 1980-2011
Scope and Contents: Includes correspondence from Bannon to Tilchen and writings about Bannon by Tilchen. Dates provided by Tilchen for the following items: "A Night of Lesbian Pulps" flyer, 1983; "Beebo's Benefit Banquet" flyer, 1984; "Can you draw Beebo Brinker?", 1984
ovflat 47
Beebo Brinker poster, undated
box 2
folder 2
Bloomington gay/lesbian organization clippings , 1978
Scope and Contents: Dates provided by Tilchen for the following items: Indiana Daily Student ("Gay organizations…"), 28 November 1978
box 2
folder 3
Writings and interviews by Tilchen , 1975-2025
Scope and Contents: Dates provided by Tilchen for the following items: "Lesbian Pulps and Fiction to 1975" flyer, 1989?; "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Beebo Brinker, Beebo Brinker", August 1990
box 2
folder 4
Correspondence , 1978-2024
box 2
folder 5
Photos of lesbian pulp covers , undated
box 2
folder 6
"Lesbian Pulp" address book , 2000
box 2
folder 8
Articles on lesbian pulps , 1990-2024
Box 3
Buttons, matchbooks, pencils, and patches relating to queer activism and feminism