June Arnold
| June Arnold | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June Fairfax Davis October 27, 1926 Greenville, South Carolina |
| Died |
March 11, 1982 (aged 55) Houston, Texas |
| Occupation | Writer, publisher |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rice University |
| Genre | Novels |
| Subjects | Women, Lesbian experience, Family |
| Notable works | Sister Gin, Baby Houston |
| Spouse | Gilbert Arnold |
| Partner | Parke Bowman |
June Arnold (October 27, 1926 – March 11, 1982) was an American novelist and publisher, known for her novel Sister Gin[1] and the posthumous novel Baby Houston. Arnold's own writing, such as Sister Gin, and the books she published through her press, Daughters, Incorporated, focused on telling the stories of lesbian lives and relationships.[2]
Early life
Arnold was born June Fairfax Davis on October 27, 1926, to Robert Cowan and Cad Wortham Davis in Greenville, South Carolina. She went to Kincaid School in Houston, Texas, before going to Shipley in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She earned her B.A. from Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston in 1948, and went on to earn her M.A. in literature from Rice in 1958. In 1953, she married Gilbert Arnold, a classmate at Rice. The couple had four children before divorcing. After the divorce, June Arnold moved her children to New York, where she pursued writing.[2]
Career
Arnold's first novel, Applesauce, was published in 1966.[3] It explored how people's personalities change after marriage.
After the publication of Applesauce, Arnold moved to Vermont and founded Daughters, Incorporated with her partner Parke Bowman.[4] Daughters, Inc. published a number of books focusing on gender and lesbian experiences, including Lois Gould's X: A Fabulous Child's Story, Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle, and Arnold's own novels.[5]
Arnold's second novel, The Cook and the Carpenter, was published in 1973.[3] It was followed by Sister Gin in 1975, a novel about Su, a 46-year-old woman whose carefully constructed life seemingly falls apart at the onset of menopause. Su struggles to write a play, keep her life together, leave her partner of 20 years, Bettina, all while drinking copious amounts of "Sister Gin."[1]
In addition to founding Daughters, Inc. and publishing three novels during her life, Arnold helped organize the first Women in Print Conference.[4] She also contributed to publications such as Village Voice and Sister Courage.[2]
Before her death, she was working on a novel based on the life of her mother. Arnold died of cancer on March 11, 1982, in Houston, before her book could be published. It was released in 1987 as Baby Houston.[2]
References
- 1 2 Eaglen, Audrey B. (February 1, 1976). "Sister Gin (Book Review)". LJ: Library Journal 101 (3): 546.
- 1 2 3 4 Cottrell, Debbie Mauldin. "Arnold, June Fairfax Davis". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- 1 2 "June Arnold". The Feminist Press. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- 1 2 kelly, janis (April 1982). "june arnold". Off Our Backs 12 (4): 27.
- ↑ "Daughters, Inc.". Lesbian Poetry Archive. Retrieved September 30, 2015.