Kathleen Weaver
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Weaver is an American writer and editor
, who was born in 1945 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Raised in Polo
, Illinois, she went on to study art and political science at the University of Edinburgh
. After, she earned a B.A. and M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California Berkeley (UCB) as a Ford Career Fellow. While a graduate student, she received an Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in poetry. As part of the women’s studies movement in UCB's Comparative Literature Department she co-edited one of the first anthologies of international women’s literature: The Other Voice, Twentieth Century Women's Poetry in Translation, following which she co-edited The Penguin Book of Women Poets.
While a student in Berkeley she met documentary film director Allan Francovich
whom she married in 1970; together they participated in the F.W. Murnau film society, the cinematic rediscovery circle around Tom Luddy, founder of the Pacific Film Archives. She co-edited three editions of the national reference Film Programmer’s Guide to 16mm Rentals, which received grants from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the NEA, and the California Arts Council.
She collaborated on a number of Francovich’s films, including the award-winning and controversial On Company Business, A Documentary History of the CIA, 1980, directed by Francovich, co-produced by Howard Dratch. The couple’s travels to Cuba and Central America led to her translation of a number of works from Spanish, including Fire from the Mountain: The Making of a Sandinista by Omar Cabezas, and Julio Cortázar’s Nicaraguan Sketches, as well as the first book-length translation into English of Cuban poet Nancy Morejón. Her poetry translations, especially of Cuban poets (Nancy Morejón, Fayad Jamís, Cintio Viter, Eliseo Diego, Fina García Marruz, Samuel Feijóo, Roberto Fernández Retamar) have appeared in reviews and textbooks. Her own poems have also appeared in reviews.
Following the dissolution of her marriage to Francovich in 1986, she became associated with and later married painter, poster and printmaker, KPFA Radio
public events producer, and co-founder of Black Oak Books, Bob Baldock
— one of only two North Americans who went from the mainland in March, 1958, to join Fidel Castro’s own 26th of July Group
as a combatant in the Sierra Maestra
of Cuba. With his help she wrote the first English-language biography of Peruvian feminist, poet, and progressive activist Magda Portal
. She has worked as guest faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute and for a number of years as a member of the adjunct faculty in English at Berkeley City College. She lives with her husband in Berkeley, California.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, who was born in 1945 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Raised in Polo
Polo, Illinois
Polo is a city in Ogle County, Illinois. The population was 2,355 at the 2010 census, down from 2,477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Polo is located at ....
, Illinois, she went on to study art and political science at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. After, she earned a B.A. and M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of California Berkeley (UCB) as a Ford Career Fellow. While a graduate student, she received an Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in poetry. As part of the women’s studies movement in UCB's Comparative Literature Department she co-edited one of the first anthologies of international women’s literature: The Other Voice, Twentieth Century Women's Poetry in Translation, following which she co-edited The Penguin Book of Women Poets.
While a student in Berkeley she met documentary film director Allan Francovich
Allan Francovich
Allan Francovich was an American film producer and director who made a series of films purporting to expose Central Intelligence Agency covert operations....
whom she married in 1970; together they participated in the F.W. Murnau film society, the cinematic rediscovery circle around Tom Luddy, founder of the Pacific Film Archives. She co-edited three editions of the national reference Film Programmer’s Guide to 16mm Rentals, which received grants from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the NEA, and the California Arts Council.
She collaborated on a number of Francovich’s films, including the award-winning and controversial On Company Business, A Documentary History of the CIA, 1980, directed by Francovich, co-produced by Howard Dratch. The couple’s travels to Cuba and Central America led to her translation of a number of works from Spanish, including Fire from the Mountain: The Making of a Sandinista by Omar Cabezas, and Julio Cortázar’s Nicaraguan Sketches, as well as the first book-length translation into English of Cuban poet Nancy Morejón. Her poetry translations, especially of Cuban poets (Nancy Morejón, Fayad Jamís, Cintio Viter, Eliseo Diego, Fina García Marruz, Samuel Feijóo, Roberto Fernández Retamar) have appeared in reviews and textbooks. Her own poems have also appeared in reviews.
Following the dissolution of her marriage to Francovich in 1986, she became associated with and later married painter, poster and printmaker, KPFA Radio
KPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
public events producer, and co-founder of Black Oak Books, Bob Baldock
Bob Baldock
Robert "Bob" Lee Baldock was one of the few U.S. citizens to participate in the Cuban Revolution as a combatant in Fidel Castro's unit based in the Sierra Maestra in 1958. He went on to have a substantial career as a bookman...
— one of only two North Americans who went from the mainland in March, 1958, to join Fidel Castro’s own 26th of July Group
26th of July Movement
The 26th of July Movement was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba...
as a combatant in the Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra
Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province to Niquero in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges , which joins with others extending to the west...
of Cuba. With his help she wrote the first English-language biography of Peruvian feminist, poet, and progressive activist Magda Portal
Magda Portal
Magda Portal was a Peruvian poet, feminist, author, and political activist and leader. She was recognized in the vanguardia poetry literary movement in Peru and Latin America, and she was one of the founders of the APRA political party.- Early life :Magda Portal was born on May 27, 1900 in...
. She has worked as guest faculty at the San Francisco Art Institute and for a number of years as a member of the adjunct faculty in English at Berkeley City College. She lives with her husband in Berkeley, California.