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Valerie Taylor
Valerie Taylor yearbook.jpg
Born Velma Nacella Young
(1913-09-07)September 7, 1913
Aurora, Illinois
Died October 22, 1997(1997-10-22) (aged 84)
Tucson, Arizona
Pen name Valerie Taylor, Nacella Young, Francine Davenport
Occupation Writer and Activist
Nationality American
Literary movement Lesbian pulp fiction
Notable works The Girls in 3-B (1959)
Partner Pearl Hart

Valerie Taylor (born September 7, 1913 – died October 22, 1997) was an American author. She wrote many books, including novels and poetry. She also used other names for her writing. These names were Nacella Young for her poetry and Francine Davenport for her romance stories.

Early Life and Education

Velma Nacella Young was born in Aurora, Illinois, on September 7, 1913. She grew up on her family's farm. She lived with her younger sister and her grandparents. Her family believed in women's rights. One of her great-grandmothers marched for women's right to vote in 1889.

Her family also loved to read. Even though they didn't have much money, they had many books. Valerie Taylor was proud of her Potawatomi heritage.

School Days

Young finished high school in Elgin, Illinois. Five years later, she received a scholarship. This scholarship allowed her to study education at Blackburn College. This was during the Great Depression, a time when many people had little money.

At college, she learned how to teach in country schools. She also learned about grassroots activism. This means working to make changes from the ground up. Her studies made her a socialist, someone who believes in sharing wealth and resources. She joined the American Socialist Party when she was 22.

Family Life

In 1939, she married William Jerry Tate. Her name then became Velma Tate. She had her first son, Marshall, that same year. Two years later, she had twin sons, Jerry and Jim.

After 14 years, she decided to end her marriage. In 1953, she divorced. She moved to Chicago with her sons.

Writing and Activism Career

Valerie Taylor started writing to help her family financially. She wrote for magazines using different names. She also worked as a teacher and a switchboard operator. From 1956 to 1961, she worked as an assistant editor. This was at a publishing company in Chicago.

Her first novel, Hired Girl, was published in 1953. She used the name Valerie Taylor for this book.

Writing Books

From 1957 to 1967, Valerie Taylor lived in Chicago. She became well-known for writing books about women's lives. Her first book in this style was Whisper Their Love in 1957.

Her publishers often changed the titles of her books. For example, The Heart Takes Many Paths was changed to Whisper Their Love. Taylor thought this new title was "disgusting." Publishers often chose titles that suggested secrecy about women's relationships. This was common in the 1950s.

Her book The Girls in 3-B (1959) was special. It gave a happy ending for a female character in a relationship with another woman. This was unusual for the time.

Writing became her main job. It helped her support her sons. She also wrote stories and reviews for a magazine called The Ladder. She wrote poetry as Nacella Young. She wrote romance novels as Francine Davenport.

Valerie Taylor was known for writing about working-class women. She also wrote about power differences between men and women at work. Because of her writing and activism, she was called one of the "Lesbian Grandmothers of America." Her books are now seen as important classics.

She kept writing even when she was in her 80s. She wrote about older women and poverty. A publisher called Naiad Press helped her publish new books. These books included Love Image, Prism, and Rice and Beans.

In 1992, she was honored. She was added to the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Activism for Change

Valerie Taylor was very active in social causes. She worked for LGBT rights, feminism, and Elder rights. She was part of the Daughters of Bilitis. This group published The Ladder, a magazine for women.

Taylor helped start a group called Mattachine Midwest in 1965. This group worked for gay and lesbian rights. She edited their newsletter for several years. She also protested at the 1968 Democratic Convention. She worked with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

Young was also a member of the Gray Panthers. This group works for social justice. She also got involved in the environmental movement. She worked to protect the environment and advocate for older people.

In 1974, Young helped start the Lesbian Writers Conference in Chicago. She was a main speaker at the event. She dedicated the first conference to her friend, Jeanette Howard Foster. Foster was a librarian who studied women's literature.

Personal Life and Death

Valerie Young said she was attracted to both men and women. She realized her strong attraction to women in her mid-thirties.

In 1965, she met Pearl Hart. Pearl was a lawyer and also helped start Mattachine Midwest. They were close companions until Pearl died in 1975. Young said Pearl was the love of her life. When Pearl was dying, Young was not allowed to visit her in the hospital. This was because she was not seen as immediate family. She missed saying goodbye to Pearl.

In 1978, she moved to Tucson, Arizona. She became a Quaker in 1979. Quakers are a religious group known for peace and equality. Her health began to get worse in 1993. She died on October 22, 1997, at age 84, in her home in Tucson. Her name was later added to a list of LGBTQ community members at the Tucson Gay Museum.

Works

Cover of Return To Lesbos by Valerie Taylor - Midwood Tower F329 1963
Cover of "Return To Lesbos" by Valerie Taylor.

Fiction Books

  • The Lusty Land (also called Hired Girl) 1953
  • Whisper Their Love 1957
  • The Girls in 3-B 1959
  • Stranger on Lesbos 1960
  • A World Without Men 1963
  • Unlike Others 1963
  • Return to Lesbos 1963
  • Journey to Fulfillment 1964
  • The Secret of the Bayou 1967 (as Francine Davenport)
  • Unlike Others 1976
  • Love Image 1977
  • Prism 1981
  • Ripening 1988
  • Rice and Beans 1989

Poetry Books

  • Two Women: The Poetry of Jeannette Foster and Valerie Taylor 1976
  • The Rooted Heart, (as Nacella Young)
  • Sonnet for a Second Love, (as Nacella Young)
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