Marie J. Kuda

Marie Jayne Kuda (1940–2016) was an American writer, lecturer, publisher, and historian of LGBT culture in Chicago. Her collection contained over 100,000 documents and ephemera and her research extended to LGBT culture from ancient times through the 20th century. She was the founder of Womanpress, published the first annotated bibliography of lesbian literature, Women Loving Women, and organized five Lesbian Writers' Conferences in Chicago.

Early life Kuda was born in Chicago. As a child, she had osteomyelitis, an infection of the leg bone, and received a bone marrow transplant at the age of 8. During World War II, she spent time in a boarding school while her father served in the war and her mother was unable to care for her.

Career Kuda founded Womanpress in the 1970s, which published the first annotated bibliography of lesbian literature. She organized five Lesbian Writers' Conferences in Chicago. In 1991, she was inducted into the first class of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.

Personal life Kuda suffered from heart failure and died on October 1, 2016, at Alden Town Manor in Cicero, Illinois.