Felice Picano Collection on Sea Horse Press and The Gay Presses of New York
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Abstract
Felice Picano (1944-) is an American author, editor, playwright, and activist, was a key figure of the Greenwich Village literary community from the mid-1970s through the 1990s, particularly through his involvement with the literary salon the Violet Quill. In 1977, Picano founded Sea Horse Press, the country's first expressly gay-oriented publishing house; in 1981, Picano became editor-in-chief of The Gay Presses of New York; and in 1982 became Books Editor of the New York Native. The Felice Picano Collection on Sea Horse Press and the Gay Presses of New York consists of materials created or collected by Picano in the course of his editorial engagement concerning gay literature and publishing in New York City in the late 20th century. Materials in this collection include correspondence, memoranda, press releases, financial records photographs, published books, and other ephemera documenting the activities and operations of the Gay Presses of New York (GPNY) and its affiliated publishers: Sea Horse Press, Calamus Books, and the JH Press. The collection also includes art layout boards, photographs taken by Mark Ivin and Jacob Burckhardt, text and reproductions used for the exhibit "Early Gay Presses of New York, 1977-1995," and copies of works published by GPNY. The collection documents not only Picano's role as editor-in-chief, but also his larger role in the publishing of literature by or about gay men in the late 20th century.
Biographical/Historical note
Felice Picano (1944-) is an American author, editor, playwright, and activist, was a key figure of the Greenwich Village literary community from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. Author of the novels Smart as the Devil (1975), The Mesmerist (1977), and The Lure (1979), Picano became a principal member of the short-lived and influential literary salon the Violet Quill. In 1977, Picano founded Sea Horse Press, the country's first expressly gay-oriented publishing house, producing works by Dennis Cooper, Doric Wilson, Martin Duberman and Robert Gluck, among others. In 1981, Picano became editor-in-chief of The Gay Presses of New York, and, in 1982, Books Editor of the New York Native. His 1985 memoir, Ambidextrous: The Secret Lives of Children, was banned in England for its rumored depiction of childhood sexuality. Picano is the recipient of several prizes, including the Ferro-Grumley Award, the Gay Times of England Award for best gay novel, and the Syndicated Fiction/PEN Award for best short story. He received the Lambda Literary Foundation's Pioneer Award in 2010, and the City of West Hollywood's Rainbow Award and Citation in 2013.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Contents
The Felice Picano Collection on Sea Horse Press and the Gay Presses of New York consists of materials created or collected by Picano in the course of his editorial engagement concerning gay literature and publishing in New York City in the late 20th century. Materials in this collection include correspondence, memoranda, financial records, press releases, photographs, published books, and other ephemera documenting the activities and operations of the Gay Presses of New York (GPNY) and its affiliated publishers: Sea Horse Press, Calamus Books, and the JH Press. The collection also includes art layout boards, photographs taken by Mark Ivin and Jacob Burckhardt, text and reproductions used for the exhibit "Early Gay Presses of New York, 1977-1995," and copies of works published by GPNY, including Dennis Cooper's Safe, Larry Mitchell's The Terminal Bar, and Clark Henley's The Butch Manual. The collection documents not only Picano's role as editor-in-chief, but also his larger role in the publishing of literature by or about gay men in the late 20th century.
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Organizations
Conditions Governing Access
The majority of the collection is open to researchers; financial materials located in Box 6 are closed to researchers. Appointments are necessary for the use of manuscript and archival collections.
Conditions Governing Use
NYU's Fales Library and Special Collections is not the copyright owner for this collection. Collection use is subject to all copyright laws. Researchers wishing to reproduce collection material should contact rights holders for permission.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date (if known); Felice Picano Collection on Sea Horse Press and The Gay Presses of New York; MSS 444; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Donated by Felice Picano in October of 2015; the accession number associated with this gift is 2015.444.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
At the time of accessioning, materials were moved into archival housing, and described at the collection-level with a box-level inventory. No other arrangement, description, or physical interventions have taken place.
