Poet, author of "Yours in Struggle," and "Crime Against Nature."
From the guide to the Minnie Bruce Pratt audiocassettes, 1994., (Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library)
Minnie Bruce Pratt was born in Selma, Alabama in 1946 and raised in nearby Centreville. She received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and a doctorate in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An award-winning poet, Pratt has published collections of both poetry and essays. Pratt began teaching and grass roots organizing in North Carolina in the 1970s, and has continued her work as a professor and activist through 2008, the time of this writing. Pratt frequently makes speaking appearances at conferences and universities across the United States. Pratt has two sons, Ransom Weaver and Ben Weaver, from her marriage (1966-1975). As of 2008, Pratt resides with longtime partner, transgender activist and author Leslie Feinberg. Some of Pratt's major writing and organizing accomplishments appear in the Chronology List below.
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1977:
Founded WomanWrites: A Southeastern Lesbian Writers Conference.
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1978:
Became member of Feminary editorial collective.
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1981:
Published The Sound of One Fork.
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1984:
Founded LIPS, a lesbian action group that organized political demonstrations on a variety of issues.
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1985:
Published We Say We Love Each Other.
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1988:
Published Yours in Struggle: Three Feminist Perspectives on Anti-Semitism and Racism with Elly Bulkin and Barbara Smith.
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1989:
Published Crime Against Nature.
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1989:
Crime Against Nature chosen as The Academy of American Poets' Lamont Poetry Selection.
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1990:
Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry, National Endowment for the Arts; Crime Against Nature nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
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1991:
Published Rebellion: Essays 1980-1991; Received American Library Association's Gay/Lesbian Book Award for Crime Against Nature.
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1995:
Published S/HE.
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1999:
Published Walking Back Up Depot Street; Co-founded Rainbow Flags for Mumia campaign, a national lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender campaign to free Mumia Abu-Jabal.
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2003:
Published The Dirt She Ate and The Money Machine: Selected Poems.
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2004:
Received Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry for The Dirt She Ate.
From the guide to the Minnie Bruce Pratt Papers, bulk 1975-2005, 1870s-2005, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)
