Janis Ian
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Stories from the Archive

Visitors to the Berea College Special Collections and Archives will be able to view Ian's correspondence with other musical artists, famous friends and collaborators, while flipping through song notebooks, diaries and a journal that includes lan's first poem, written at age 10.

Here are just a few of the many stories behind the items in the Janis Ian Archives.

Featured Items

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1937 Martin D-18

This guitar was a gift from Janis Ian's father, a music teacher and a farmer. It was the first guitar she ever owned and the one she learned to play on.

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Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Janis is an avid reader, collector, and author of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Learn about her friendships George RR Martin, Anne McCaffrey, and others.

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FBI Files

Ian's family had been under FBI surveillance since 1950. The FBI tapped their phone and discouraged schools from hiring her father, who was a music teacher.

Other Collection Highlights

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Action Figures

The story behind why fans began making their own Janis Ian action figure dolls and leaving them on stage for her.

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Tote Bag

That bag went all over the world with her, and she tracked each country with a silver pen on the outside of it.

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Joan Baez Drawing

Young Janis Ian learned to play guitar and sing by slowing down Joan Baez records and imitating her style. Along with Odetta and several other folk artists, Baez was her hero. They would later become friends.

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Song Draft

Janis's first draft of 'Hair of Spun Gold', written at 12 years old.

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Rude Girl

Learn the origins of “Rude Girl” and the Rudies.

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Boots

After spending 35 years singing for 90 minutes at a time while a guitar hung from her shoulders, footwear became really important.