May 17, 2023

Second grant to Zimring for Olive and Al

Dr. Rishona Zimring, Professor of English and Director of Gender Studies, has received a $2,000 fellowship to conduct research at the New York Public Library (NYPL). These competitive short-term fellowships are intended to support projects that will benefit significantly from research conducted on-site, drawing from collections unique to The New York Public Library. On the heels of another recent grant from the American Philosophical Society, NYPL funding will support Dr. Zimring conducting two weeks of research into the Rosika Schwimmer papers and Schwimmer-Lloyd Collection during her upcoming sabbatical. These materials are central to the conceptualization and progress of her book project, Olive and Al: A Story of Partnership in Life, Law, and Letters. This dual biography will recount the untold story of Olive Rabe (1887-1968), and pioneering lawyer and her domestic and creative partner Aileen (Al) Fisher (1906-2002), who was a poet, children’s book author, and avid naturalist. Olive and Al will both interest general audiences and contribute to scholarship in law, women’s history, literary studies, and American intellectual and social history.

May 2023