Gwynne Forster Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0195

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Gwynne Forster Papers consists of personal papers, manuscripts, and promotional materials. The collection dates from approximately 1951 - 2013.

Dates

Creation: 1951-2013

Extent

8.16 Cubic Feet (22 archives boxes.)

Creator

Forster, Gwynne (Person)

Scope and Contents

The Gwynne Forster Papers are comprised of approximately 15 cubic feet of personal papers, manuscripts, and promotional materials. The collection dates from approximately 1951 - 2013.

This collection of papers shows the full sweep of Gwynne Forster's career, including early rejection letters, handwritten notes and manuscripts, efforts at self-promotion, communications with publishers and editors, and more. An extensive collection of fan mail shows the strong connection between authors and their readers.

Researchers will find much to study in Gwynne Forster's work. Forster had already been an academic, a public servant, and a world traveler before taking on the world of romance writing, quickly becoming one of the genre's pioneering Black writers.

Several folders in the collection are marked as RESTRICTED in the inventory, primarily due to the presence of personally identifiable information. These folders may be available for research after consultation with the archivist.

Materials are organized into three broad series- Correspondence, Process, and Manuscripts. Correspondence includes communications with and from publishers, the media, and fans. Process documents the craft of writing as well as promotion. The Manuscripts include fiction and non-fiction writing, in both edited and unedited forms, as well as notebooks related to most of Forster's works.

Biographical / Historical

Gwynne Forster (Gwendolyn Johnson-Acsadi) was born in 1922 in Burgaw, North Carolina, but grew up in Washington, D.C. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, she went on to obtain degrees in sociology and demography from Howard University, American University and Columbia University before accepting a position at the United Nations in 1951.

Beginning as a demographer, Johnson-Acsadi was part of the Population Division at the United Nations from 1951 until her retirement in 1983, rising to the rank of Chief of the Fertility Studies section of the Population Division. She was responsible for research and analysis of social, economic, cultural and demographic factors and conditions that influence fertility levels and trends throughout the world. These studies were published under the United Nations imprimatur and in the name of its Secretary-General.

After retiring from the United Nations, Gwendolyn and her husband George worked as independent consultants in demography and population studies, including work with the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Adopting the pen name Gwynne Forster, she published her first novel, Sealed With a Kiss with Kensington Publishing's Arabesque line in 1995, at the age of 73. Forster was one of the early authors to write for Arabesque, the first romance line to focus on Black authors telling stories of Black love. Sealed With a Kiss began a career which included more than 40 novels and numerous contributions to short story compilations for publishers that included Genesis Press and Harlequin in addition to Kensington.

Forster was one of the pioneers of African-American romance fiction and won many awards over the course of her career, including lifetime achievement awards from Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur. She also received multiple awards from the Romance Slam Jam, an annual gathering of African-American romance fans and writers. She lectured extensively on writing, and also worked as a freelance journalist.

Gwynne Forster (Gwendolyn Johnson-Acsadi) passed away in 2015.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright and other restrictions may apply to the materials in this collection. Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The materials in this collection were transferred to the Browne Popular Culture Library by Gwynne Forster beginning in 2001, with an additional donation by her family in 2019.