Venise T. Berry papers

Collection

Identifier: IWA0344

Staff Only
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Scope and Contents

The Venise Berry papers date from 1990 to 2004 and measure five linear inches. The papers consist of biographical material, three books, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, publicity material and writings.

The Biographical material consists of a copy of Berry's resume dated 1997 and information printed from the home page that she maintains on the Internet. The home page includes reviews of Berry's books.

The Newspaper clippings include interviews with Berry and reviews of her books "So Good" and "Mediated Messages and African-American Culture". Announcements of Berry's readings are included in the publicity material. The collection also includes articles written by Berry, which examine the effects that the media and rap music have on blacks.

Copies of the hardcover and paperback versions of "So Good" and a version of "Mediated Messages and African-American Culture" are shelved in the printed works collection.

Dates

Creation: 1996-2004

Creator

Berry, Venise T. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Venise Torriana Berry, author, journalist and educator, was born in 1956 to Jean and Virgil Berry and reared in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1977, she received a bachelor's degree with a double major in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. Two years later, she received her master's degree in communication studies, also from the University of Iowa. She earned her Ph.D. in Radio, Television and Film from the University of Texas in 1989.

Berry worked in various radio stations in Texas as a news reporter and director. While in Texas, she taught mass communication and had administrative responsibilities at Huston-Tillotson College and served as an instructor of telecommunications at Texas Southern University. In 1991, Berry returned to the University of Iowa to assume the position of assistant professor of journalism and mass communication. Berry is the author of the novel So Good and co-editor of Mediated Messages and African-American Culture: Contemporary Issues, both of which were published in 1996. She is also the author of several articles pertaining to music and the media's influence on black society.

In 1998, Berry received the Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights in North America for her work on Mediated Messages and African American Culture. This national award is given annually to the best scholarship on the subject of intolerance in North America. Berry has one daughter named Averi, born in the fall of 1996.