The Lena Allen-Shore Collection

Collection Description

Lena Allen-Shore was a prolific poet, educator, composer, and scholar. After surviving the Holocaust, she dedicated her life to building a greater sense of understanding between peoples. This collection documents her life and career. Her journals range from the pre-war period of 1938, her experiences during World War II, and the early post-war period. Later journals range from 1950 until 2016 and include notes about her family as well as her meditations on God. The bulk of this collection is her correspondence from 1934 to 2018. Her letters reflect her literary endeavors, personal relationships, and dialogue with prominent individuals. 

This collection is divided into eleven series: Series I: Writings, with sub-series that include Manuscripts, Poetry, Music, Course Materials and Public Speeches. Series II: Correspondence, Series III: Journals, Series IV: Audio Visual Materials, Series V: Photography, Series VI: Newspaper Clippings, Series VII: Artwork, Series VIII: Family Papers, Series IX: Student Papers, Series X: Oversized Boxes and finally Series XI: Lena Allen-Shore’s published books.

Extent: 36 linear feet
Access the full Finding Aid here.

Collection Contents

Series I: Writings—Boxes 1–5
       Sub-Series I: Manuscripts—Box 1–3
       Sub-Series II: Poetry—Box 3-4
       Sub-Series III: Music—Box 4
       Sub-Series IV: Course Materials—Box 4–5
       Sub-Series V: Public Speeches—Box 5
Series II: Correspondence—Box 6–9
Series III: Journals Box—9–10
Series IV: Audio Visual Materials—Box 11–17
Series V: Photographs—Box 18
Series VI: Newspaper Clippings—Box 19
Series VII: Artwork—Box 20
Series VIII: Family Papers—Box 21
Series IX: Student Papers—Box 22–36
Series X: Oversized Materials—Box 37–40
Series XI: Allen-Shore’s published books—Box 41   

Processed by Lena Lannutti, Spring 2025.