Fay Chiang Papers
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Abstract
Fay Chiang (1952-2017) was a poet, writer, visual artist, and activist. She was the director of Basement Workshop, an Asian American arts organization, and the author of numerous works spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction including In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives. In addition to her writings, Chiang also worked with numerous non-profit groups which combined cultural and educational work with community activism. The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) consists of materials created and collected by Chiang documenting her writing career, involvement with various socio-political arts organizations including Basement Workshop, activism on behalf of Asian Americans, and some aspects of her personal life. Materials in this collection include photographs, personal correspondence, journals, notebooks, address books, project files for arts and community activism efforts, original drawings, administrative documents, and original writings in various formats and stages of completion. The collection also includes a small number of objects and video recordings.
Biographical Note
Fay Chiang (1952-2017) was a poet, writer, visual artist, and activist. She was a first-generation Chinese American raised in Jackson Heights, Queens and she spent much of her life in the East Village. Chiang was the author of numerous works spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction including In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives. In addition to her own writings, Chiang was active within New York City's literary community and was part of Poets and Writers. Poets and Writers, founded in 1970, is a nonprofit organization focused on providing support, fostering professional development, and creating a literary community amongst creative writers. Chiang served as the organization's president from 1998-2000. She worked closely with its Writers Exchange (WEX) Program, which was established in 1984. It was the WEX program's goal to introduce emerging writers to specific literary communities. Chiang also worked closely with Poets and Writers' literary readings and workshop community outreach programs.
Chiang also worked with numerous non-profit groups whiuch combined cultural and educational work with community activism. She was the director of Basement Workshop between 1975-1986, an Asian American political and artistic organization founded in New York City's Chinatown. Basement Workshop existed between 1970 to 1986 and was focused upon community service, education programs, and trying to reconcile Asian and Asian American cultural identities. Basement Workshop organized workshops, published magazines and newsletters, and hosted various performances. Chiang was also involved with Project Reach, a substance abuse prevention and anti-discrimination training group for all ages, genders, and races, and Zero Capital, a collective of international artists, activists, and youths collaborating together on social and political projects.
Chiang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and received continued medical treatment until her death in 2017.
Arrangement
The materials in the collection are arranged in a single file listing with all material listed alphabetically by topic.
Scope and Contents
The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) consists of materials created and collected by Chiang documenting her writing career through both published and unpublished works; her involvement with the arts, political, social outreach, and literary organizations; activism on behalf of Asian Americans; and some apsects of her private life. Themes of Asian and Asian Americanness, art, politics, and her activism are overarching and intersecting themes represented throughout this collection.
The collection contains published copies of In the City of Contradictions, Miwa's Song, and 7 Continents 9 Lives; manuscript drafts of these books, some with revisions; correspondence with her editors about the publication of these books; Chiang's notes about these works; and transcripts of interviews about her written works. Chiang's poetry was also featured in issues of the Mom's Egg Review (MER), a literary art journal about motherhood, and Bowery Women: Poems, a collection of poems written and published by the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. In addition to published works, the collection contains copies of individual poems such as "Orchard Street" and "Chinatown"; original plays such as Two Boots and a Ball Gown and Laundryman; drafts of her writings and unfinished pieces; and research materials and handwritten notes with her ideas. In her handwritten diaries and journals, Chiang documented her daily life, her inner thoughts, ideas for written pieces, and sometimes drawings. Both Chiang's published and unpublished works span poetry, fictional essays, plays, and non-fiction articles, all of which reflect topics that were of interest to the author. In addition to Chiang's published works, the collection contains several commercially published books written by other individuals that either discuss Fay Chiang or contain personlized messages to her.
Recorded readings of Chiang's books In the City of Contradictions and Miwa's Song, as well as audio and video interviews of Chiang discussing her career as a writer, are included in the collection.
Fay Chiang was affiliated with various organizations throughout her life including Basement Workshop, Poets and Writers, Project Reach, and Zero Capital. Materials related to these organizations include correspondence and memoranda; program flyers and event advertisements; photographs and posters; handwritten notes; administrative papers including budgets, membership rosters, grant applications, and funding paperwork; original artwork and writings; organization publications and newsletters; and mission statements. Together, these documents provide an overview of Chiang's activities with each organization, while also demonstrating her continued commitment to social justice, community building and outreach, and art.
Chiang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 and received continued medical treatment until her death in 2017. Chiang discusses the long-term impact this illness had on her and her family's life, as well as her daily struggles living with cancer in various poems and essays found in this collection .
Finally, the collection includes family photographs, some of which are in the form of born-digital files and scrapbooks; personal correspondence; journals, notebooks, and agenda books; address books; and some personal ephemera, such as her high school yearbook, awards, and mixed music CDs from friends – all of which provide insight into Chiang's personal life and some details about her family.
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Donors
Conditions Governing Access
All journals and diaries, housed in Boxes 19-31, are restricted until January 1, 2098. All incoming and outgoing correspondence written during the period of between January 1, 1988 and January 1, 2017, including letters and printed-out emails, is restricted until January 1, 2037. Certain materials may be released prior to January 1, 2037 with written permission of the donor. This correspondence is housed in Boxes 31-38.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Fay Chiang, was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Fay Chiang Papers; TAM 748; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Xian Chiang-Waren in April and September 2018, and March 2020; the accession numbers associated with this gift are 2018.104, 2018.112, 2019.083, and 2020.021.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.
Audiovisual materials that have not been preserved may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Separated Materials
At the time of processing, two copies of Generasian Magazine (NYU - Asian American Student Affairs magazine) were transfered to New York University's University Archives and added to New York University Archives Collection of Publications and Ephemera (MC.334).
About this Guide
Processing Information
At the time of accessioning, materials were rehoused in archival boxes and folders, retaining original order. Materials were described on the collection-level with a box-list. Optical discs were removed from their original locations using a separation sheet and inventoried, but were not forensically imaged, analyzed, or described.
The Fay Chiang Papers (1960-2017) were processed and described by an archivist in the spring of 2023. Materials were placed in new archival folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when possible, but most folders were renamed to better reflect the folder's contents. Materials were then arranged alphabetically by file title. Related materials were grouped together intellectually and physically, when possible. Photographs and negatives were removed from their original housing and placed into archival sleeves. Seven VHS tapes were assigned unique AV identifing numbers, placed in a single archival box, and intellectually incorporated into the finding aid. One scrapbook was stabilized and rehoused by New York University's Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department.
Materials including personal family photographs, medical documents, financial documents, family materials, artifacts, and duplicate materials were removed from the collection and returned to the donor.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. Five optical discs containing audio were forensically imaged and analyzed using Exact Audio Copy; four optical discs and one floppy disk containing documents and photographs were forensically imaged and analyzed using FTK Imager; and three optical discs containing video were were forensically imaged and analyzed using Isobusters. After review, four of the born-digital files were removed from the collection.
