When I published my edition of Helen Harlow's Vow, I offered as an appendix to my online introduction a transcription of an autobiographical essay by Lois Waisbrooker herself, plus citations of two other essays by contemporary scholars. One of those two essays, "Power through Print: Lois Waisbrooker and Grassroots Feminism," is available as a free PDF download through the University of Wisconsin Madison. The other, "The Rhetorical Reputation of Forgotten Feminist Lois Waisbrooker," is only accessible to on-site guests of libraries that subscribe to EBSCO.
On February 20, 2024—the day before Lois Waisbrooker's 88th birthday—I went to NAU Cline Library and downloaded "Rhetorical Reputation." Once I got home with it, and started reading it, I realized that I was occupying a privileged position in being able to read this essay. The "digital divide" is a phrase which—whilst unknown 150 years ago—addresses the very economic issues which engaged Lois Waisbrooker throughout most of her literary career.
[I find it rather ironic that the author of "Rhetorical Reputation" notes that historians stumble over Waisbrooker's principal interest. I see no mystery: her principal interest was from the beginning, and always has been, JUSTICE THROUGH EQUALITY!]
And so I decided to transcribe and collect all three essays on "The Circular File." This is my platform not only for original work, but also for transcriptions which are not in the public domain. Granted, although Lois Waisbrooker gave freely of her work, she also relied upon it for her living, and made frequent entreaties for financial support. And so, as I have with other non-original works presented here, I offer to remove it should I receive an authoritative request to do so.
Rest assured, I shall not remove my own transcriptions of Lois Waisbrooker's works. I offer only four* at this point, but who knows? Someday I may transcribe Mayweed Blossoms, Anything Further, My Lord?, and/or My Century Plant.
But for now, here are the three essays.
February 26, 2024.
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*Here they are thus far, in order of publication: