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Lyn Hejinian Papers http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf5q2nb49h No online items Lyn Hejinian Papers Mandeville Special Collections Library Mandeville Special Collections Library The UCSD Libraries 9500 Gilman Drive University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093-0175 Phone: (858) 534-2533 Fax: (858) 534-5950 URL: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/ Copyright 2005 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Lyn Hejinian Papers MSS 0074 1 Descriptive Summary Creator: Hejinian, Lyn Title: Lyn Hejinian Papers, Date (inclusive): 1966-2004 Extent: 47.60 linear feet(119 archives boxes and 2 card file boxes) Abstract: Papers of Lyn Hejinian, American poet, publisher and editor of Tuumba Press, co-editor of POETICS JOURNAL, and co-director of the literary project Atelos. She has been a member of the Poetics Faculty at the New College of California and is a professor in the English department at the University of California, Berkeley. Hejinian has spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area and is associated with the Language School of contemporary poetry. Prominent correspondents in the collection include Charles Bernstein, Jack Collom, Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Ted Greenwald, Susan Howe, Hank Lazer, Katy Lederer, Alice Notley, Bob Perelman, Tom Raworth, Kit Robinson, Leslie Scalapino, Ron Silliman and Michael Palmer, as well as many younger experimental writers and students. The papers contain manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's published and unpublished poetry; drafts for MY LIFE (1987), THE HUNT (1991), OXOTA: A SHORT RUSSIAN NOVEL (1991), THE CELL (1992), THE COLD OF POETRY (1994), HAPPILY (2000), THE LANGUAGE OF INQUIRY (2000), BORDER COMEDY (2001), and THE BEGINNER (2002); notebooks; and critical writings. Other notable material includes translations of Russian poet Arkadii Dragomoshchenko's DESCRIPTION and XENIA; collaborations; editorial projects, especially for Atelos and Tuumba Press; lecture and teaching materials; and audiorecordings of Hejinian's poetry readings and talks. Repository: University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library. La Jolla, California 92093-0175 Collection number: MSS 0074 Language of Material: Collection materials in English Access Letters of recommendation located in Box 84, Folder 9 are restricted until 2050. Originals of audiovisual items are restricted. Duplicate copies have been made for use by researchers. Acquisition Information Not Available Preferred Citation Lyn Hejinian Papers, MSS 0074. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD. Publication Rights Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection. Biography Lyn Hejinian was born in 1941 in San Francisco. After spending high school and college years in New England, Hejinian returned to California in 1968. In the late 1970s Hejinian began publishing Tuumba chapbooks, which was to become one of the most important series of chapbooks of contemporary poetry in the United States. Her own published work began with The GREAT ADVENTURE (197_?), following which appeared A THOUGHT IS THE BRIDE OF WHAT THINKING (Tuumba, 1976), WRITING IS AN AID TO MEMORY (The Figures, 1978), GESUALDO (Tuumba, 1978), A MASK OF MOTION (Burning Deck, 1980), MY LIFE (Burning Deck, 1980; and Sun and Moon, 1987), THE GUARD (Tuumba, 1984) and REDO (Salt-Works Press, 1984). From 1981 to 1999, Hejinian was the co-editor, with Barrett Wratten, of POETICS JOURNAL and is co-director, with Travis Ortiz, of the literary project Atelos. She has been a member of the Poetics Faculty at the New College of California and is a professor in the department of English at the University of California, Berkeley. Hejinian lives in Berkeley with her husband, composer-musician Larry Ochs. Scope and Content of Collection Accession Processed in 1989 The papers document Lyn Hejinian's literary career and the careers of the language writers with whom she is associated. The collection includes correspondence dated 1973-1984 involving many important young writers. Because at her Tuumba Press Hejinian published a significant portion of the avant-garde writing of her day, her papers provide a wealth of material on recent work in the alternative tradition. Among prominent correspondents in the collection are Charles Bernstein, Susan Howe, Ron Silliman and Michael Palmer. Occasional copies of Hejinian's own letters enrich the collection. The largest group of letters are those from and to Hejinian's mother, Mrs. Kenneth Andrews. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, and thereunder chronologically. Many letters are undated or partially dated, so chronology Lyn Hejinian Papers MSS 0074 2 could only be surmised in some cases. Of special interest is a letter from Hejinian to Stephen Rodefer, dated January 25 1983, in which Hejinian provides a detailed discussion of her intellectual background. The Lyn Hejinian papers also include annotated typescripts and manuscripts of Hejinian's published work. These are arranged alphabetically by title. Materials within each folder remain in their original order. The papers are arranged in two series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE and 2) WRITINGS. Accession Processed in 1998 The accession processed in 1998 includes manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's writings (both published and unpublished); manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's translations of Russian poetry; manuscripts and annotated typescripts of collaborations between Hejinian and others; notebooks (1969-1993); audio and visual materials pertaining to Hejinian and other Language poets; Tuumba Press materials; miscellaneous photographs; and, miscellaneous material documenting Hejinian's poetry readings and conference activities. The accession is arranged in seven series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS, 3) COLLABORATIONS, 4) TRANSLATIONS, 5) TUUMBA PRESS MATERIAL, 6) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL, and 7) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL. SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE The CORRESPONDENCE series includes Hejinian's correspondence dated 1985-1994 and is arranged alphabetically. The series documents Hejinian's career, the careers of her contemporaries and collaborative projects between Hejinian and Jack Collum, Carla Harryman, Kit Robinson, Leslie Scalapino, and others. Prominent correspondents include Rae Armantrout, Charles Bernstein, Susan Howe, Tom Mandel, Michael Palmer, Bob Perelman, Kit Robinson, Leslie Scalapino, and Ron Silliman. Other correspondents include Hejinian's students and young experimental writers such as A.A. Hedge-Coke, Joel Kuszai, Rod Smith, and Juliana Spahr. Folders often contain writings submitted to Hejinian as attachments to letters. SERIES 2: WRITINGS The WRITINGS series is arranged in three subseries: A) Creative Writings, B) Critical Writings and C) Notebooks. A) The Creative Writings subseries includes manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's published and unpublished work. Included are drafts and completed typescripts of THE CELL; THE COLD OF POETRY; MY LIFE; OXOTA: A SHORT RUSSIAN NOVEL; SLEEPS; and, other uncollected writings. B) The Critical Writings subseries includes manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of essays, lectures and talks given and/or published by Hejinian. Included are notes for and drafts of "American Literary Realism," "The Rejection of Closure," "Stein Talks," and other essays and talks. The "American Literary Realism" materials include letters from other poets regarding the subject of her talk. C) The Notebooks subseries, arranged chronologically, includes diary entries and numerous first drafts of published and unpublished work. SERIES 3: COLLABORATIONS The COLLABORATIONS series documents Hejinian's two major collaborative projects: LENINGRAD: AMERICAN WRITERS IN THE SOVIET UNION, a work composed by Hejinian in collaboration with Michael Davidson, Ron Silliman, and Barrett Watten, and 5 + 5, a collaborative translation project including the work of American poets Clark Coolidge, Jean Day, Hejinian, Michael Palmer, and Kit Robinson, and Russian poets Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Nadezhda Kondakova, Ilya Kutik, Alexei Parshchikov, and Ivan Zhdanov. Hejinian's collaborations with Jack Collum, Carla Harryman, Michael Palmer, Kit Robinson, and Leslie Scalapino are located in the CORRESPONDENCE series, as they were composed in correspondence and are interwoven with letters and other documents. SERIES 4: TRANSLATIONS The TRANSLATIONS series is arranged in two subseries: A) Translations by Hejinian and B) Untranslated Materials. The first subseries includes manuscript and annotated typescript drafts of Hejinian's translations of DESCRIPTION and XENIA, both works written in Russian by Arkadii Dragomoshchenko. The second subseries consists primarily of material given to Hejinian for the purpose of translation. The subseries are arranged alphabetically by author. SERIES 5: TUUMBA PRESS MATERIAL The TUUMBA PRESS MATERIAL series includes reviews of Hejinian's letterpress edition publications, an example of a printed postcard poem and promotional materials. SERIES 6: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL This series contains announcements and posters regarding Hejinian's poetry readings, conference attendance and book publications. Also included are photographs of Hejinian and an abstract painting by Hejinian. SERIES 7: AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL Lyn Hejinian Papers MSS 0074 3 The AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL series is arranged by format in three subseries: A) Cassette Audiorecordings, B) Reel-to-reel Audiorecordings and C) Videorecordings. The audiorecordings include
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