http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt2199q0t9 Online items available Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) Processed by Dean Smith. The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ © 2003 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen BANC MSS 2000/93 p 1 Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) Collection number: BANC MSS 2000/93 p The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ Finding Aid Author(s): Processed by Dean Smith. Date Completed: 2002 June Finding Aid Encoded By: GenX © 2014 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Collection Summary Collection Title: Philip Whalen papers Date (inclusive): circa 1923-2002 Date (bulk): 1960-1997 Collection Number: BANC MSS 2000/93 p Creator: Whalen, Philip Extent: 2 cartons, 36 boxes, 11 oversize folders, 3 oversize boxes, and 1 tubecirca 30 linear feet4 digital objects (5 images) Repository: The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ Abstract: The Philip Whalen Papers, circa 1940-2001, consist of the writings (notebooks, poems, prose works), correspondence, professional papers, artwork and personal papers that detail Whalen’s dual life as poet (coming to prominence during San Francisco’s Beat era of the 50’s and often associated with his fellow Reed graduates, Gary Snyder and Lew Welch), and later, Buddhist monk. Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Access Collection open for research. Publication Rights Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen BANC MSS 2000/93 p 2 Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html . Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Philip Whalen papers. BANC MSS 2000/93 p, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley., BANC MSS 2000/93 p, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Alternate Forms Available Digital reproductions of selected items are available. Related Collections Auerhahn Press. Title: Auerhahn Press records, 1959-1967. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 71/85 c Brautigan, Richard. Title: Richard Brautigan papers, [195-]. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 93/91 c Brautigan, Richard. Title: Richard Brautigan papers, 1958-1984. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 87/173 c City Lights Books. Title: City Lights Books records, 1953-1970. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 72/107 c City Lights Books. Title: City Lights Books records: additions, 1947-[on-going], (bulk 1970-1994). Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 77/89 c Duncan, Robert Edward. Title: Robert Edward Duncan papers, 1948-1959 (inclusive), 1952 (bulk) Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 86/29 c Duncan, Robert Edward. Title: Robert Edward Duncan papers, 1960-1977. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 81/33 c Duncan, Robert Edward. Title: Robert Edward Duncan papers, [ca. 1944-1966] Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 78/164 c Ferlinghetti, Lawrence. Title: Lawrence Ferlinghetti papers, 1919-[on-going]. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 90/30 c McClure, Michael. Title: Michael McClure papers, [ca. 1963-1975]. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 76/91 c Spicer, Jack. Title: Jack Spicer papers, 1954-1964. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 71/135 c Spicer, Jack. Title: Jack Spicer papers, [1956]-1963. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 99/94 c Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library. Videotapes/sound recordings have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library. Indexing Terms Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen BANC MSS 2000/93 p 3 Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997 McClure, Michael Sagan, Miriam, 1954- Scalapino, Leslie Snyder, Gary, 1930- Whalen, Philip--Archives Whalen, Philip--Art Whalen, Velna San Francisco Zen Center Beat generation--California Beat generation--Poetry Buddhism--United States Poets, American--20th century--California Zen Buddhism Japan--Description and travel Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)--Description and travel Acquisition Information The Philip Whalen Papers were purchased by The Bancroft Library on February 7, 2000. Additions were received in 2005 and 2008. Accruals Additions were received in 2005 and 2008. System of Arrangement Arranged to the folder level. Processing Information Processed by Dean Smith in 2002. Additions processed by Dean Smith in 2008. 1923 Born the only child of Glenn Henry and Phylis Arminta Bush Whalen in Portland, Oregon. Childhood spent in a small town on the Columbia River southeast of Portland called, The Dalles. 1939 Writes first poem in high school social science class. Mother dies. 1941 Graduates from high school. Family moves to Portland, Oregon 1943-1946 Drafted in to the U.S. Army Air Corps. Trained to teach radio operation and repair. 1946 Attends Reed College under the GI Bill. 1948-1949? Meets Lew Welch. Meets Gary Snyder soon thereafter. 1950 Moves into rooming house where Lew Welch and Gary Snyder also lived. William Carlos Williams visits Reed on tour of western states. Whalen, Welch and Snyder give Williams their manuscripts for criticism. Also takes creative writing and calligraphy courses from Reed professor, Lloyd Reynolds. 1951 Produces a small book of poems, Three Satires. Senior thesis project entitled, The Calendar. Graduates with a degree in Literature and Languages. Moves south to San Francisco, California and then to Venice, California, then returns to San Francisco. 1952 Moves into an apartment with Gary Snyder. Spends the following three summers working at a fire station in the Skagit Valley of Mt. Baker National Forest. 1955 Participates in the historic Six Gallery reading that included, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, Philip Lamantia, Kenneth Rexroth, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Soon after the reading he meets more of the Beat writers: Neal Cassidy, Gregory Corso, and Peter Orlovsky. Takes peyote for the first time. 1955-1956? Has first experimental Zen sesshin (meditation practice) with Gary Snyder, Albert Saijo and a few others in a cabin in Mill Valley, California. 1956 Lives in Berkeley. Meets Robert Duncan and Jack Spicer. Moves to Newport, Oregon for the following two years. 1959 Returns to San Francisco. Evergreen Review 2: The San Francisco Scene, which includes Whalen, is published. Meets Richard Baker at Grove Press in New York. 1960 First full-length book of poems, Like I Say, published followed by Memoirs of an Interglacial Age. Included in Donald Allen's New American Poetry anthology. 1962 Recipient of the Poets Foundation Award. Finding Aid to the Philip Whalen BANC MSS 2000/93 p 4 Papers, circa 1923-2002 (bulk 1960-1997) 1963 Writes first novel, You Didn't Even Try, which was later published in 1967. 1964 Receives V.K. Ratliff Award. 1965 NET (The National Educational Television Center) film series, USA: Poetry films a portrait of Whalen. Receives, with the help of Ginsberg, a grant-in-aid from the National Academy of Arts and Letters which helps him pay for his move to Kyoto, Japan. 1966-1967 Lives in Kyoto, Japan where he teaches English, tours and writes. Gary Snyder and family living in Japan at the same time. 1967 Returns to California. 1969 On Bear's Head: Selected Poems published. 1970 Severance Pay: Poems 1967-1969 published. 1969-1971 Second trip to Japan. Stays with Richard Baker and family for a brief period. 1971 Returns to Bolinas, California. Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi invites Whalen to visit the Zen Center in San Francisco which Whalen accepts. Begins formal Zen training. 1972 A novel, Imaginary Speeches for a Brazen Head is published. Whalen requests ordination as an Unsui (Zen monk). 1973 Ordained as Unsui. 1975 Takes the position of Shuso (acting head monk) at the Zen Mountain Center, in Tassajara Springs, California. 1976 The Kindness of Strangers: Poems, 1969-1974 published. 1977 Decompressions: Selected Poems published. Attends the Centrum Foundation poetry conference in Port Townsend, Washington. 1980 The Diamond Noodle, a prose text, is published. 1981-1982 Resident head monk at South Ridge Zendo in San Francisco. 1983 Heavy Breathing, Poems 1967-1983 published. Attends the International Poetry Conference, Rome. 1984 Presides as Tanto (practice leader) at the Dharma Sangha, Santa Fe, New Mexico under the direction of Zentatsu Richard Baker Roshi. 1985 Two Novels a reprinting of two earlier books, You Didn't Even Try and Imaginary Speeches for a Brazen Head published. 1986 Receives the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 1987 At the end of July Whalen's formal training as Zen monk successfully completed.