Watching the Ferns Uncurl”
Minnie Bruce Pratt and Lesbian-Feminist Community Building in North Carolina
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12459248 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hooper Schultz (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Lesbian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1089-4160 • E-ISSN: 1540-3548 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10894160.2026.2612829 |
| PMID | 41656763 |
| OpenAlex | W7128365138 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 7 |
This article traces fourteen years of the life of lesbian-feminist poet-activist Minnie Bruce Pratt in the state of North Carolina from 1968 to 1972. This history of Pratt's movement through North Carolina demonstrates that the landscape of the state, both its lesbian-feminist and natural ecologies, shaped Pratt's writing long after she left. First, Pratt's involvement in a radical, supportive, and connected community of lesbian-feminists across the South and nation fed her-figuratively and literally-as she embraced her identity as a lesbian in the mid-1970s. Second, it illuminates the strength and influence of the important North Carolina lesbian-feminist print movement, of which Pratt and the women of Feminary , a southern lesbian-feminist literary journal, were part. This movement developed anti-racist and anti-misogynist critiques of southern culture that spread in lesbian-feminist communities throughout the United States. The women of Feminary also produced a specific, non-essentialist view of womanhood through natural imagery that continued to influence Pratt's writing and engagement with the natural world throughout her life. Finally, it shows how violent anti-gay and racist events in North Carolina shook Pratt and developed her social justice consciousness, first in Fayetteville and later within the lesbian and gay movement in Durham. These experiences also connected the burgeoning lesbian movement to the broader activist Left in the state. Although the work produced by the lesbian-feminist community of Durham, North Carolina has had a far-reaching impact on the national movement, the size of the community itself was small. Understanding Durham's lesbian-feminist community illuminates Pratt's political and artistic perspective. Similarly, Pratt's biography and creative output highlight the story of North Carolina as a lesbian-feminist hub in the late twentieth century
Biography · Identity (music · Lesbian · Natural (archaeology · Politics · Social movement · South carolina · State (computer science · American Environmental and Regional History · American Literature and Culture · Poetry Analysis and Criticism
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |