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University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Poetry Center of Chicago Records 1974-2006

© 2009 University of Chicago Library

Acknowledgments

The Poetry Center of Chicago Records were processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Poetry Center of Chicago. Records

Dates:

1974-2006

Size:

7 linear feet (8 boxes)

Repository:

Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

The Poetry Center of Chicago was founded in 1973 and is a non-profit arts organization that strives to make poetry accessible to the public through education and events, as well as promote poets' careers. The Poetry Center of Chicago Records contain articles, brochures, posters, correspondence, administrative documents, annual reports, publications, and audio-visual material.

Information on Use

Restrictions on Use

Series II, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for part or all of the material in this series. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material in this series.

The collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Poetry Center of Chicago. Records, [Box#, Folder#], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Historical Note

Though founded in 1973, the groundwork for the Poetry Center of Chicago began in 1968 when Paul Carroll, former editor of Big Table, hosted and organized readings to promote his new Big Table Books series. Interest and awareness developed and in 1973, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs gave readings at the official inception of the Poetry Center. Paul Carroll was the first board president and other board members included Lisel Mueller, Mark Perlberg, and John Resek. Early members were poets such as Barry Schechter, Bill Knott, Paul Hoover, Michael Anania, Bill Hunt, Candace Rackenger, Rich Friedman, Peter Kostackis, Neil Hackman, Rose Simon, and Maxine Chernoff. Past Poetry Center presidents include Paul Hoover, Mark Perlberg, John Van Doren, and John Rezek.

The Poetry Center makes poetry accessible to the general public through programming and education. One such program is "Hands on Stanzas" which gives elementary school students an opportunity to learn and write about poetry. The Poetry Center also organizes and/or sponsors poetry readings, exhibits, movies, festivals, and other community events.

Poets featured at past events include Yehuda Amichai, John Ashbery, Margaret Atwood, Claire Bloom, Gwendolyn Brooks, John Cage, John Cheever, Lucille Clifton, Robert Creeley, Rita Dove, Carolyn Forché, Tess Gallagher, Allen Ginsberg, Donald Hall, Robert Hass, Anthony Hecht, Larry Heinemann, Kenneth Koch, Maxine Kumin, Stanley Kunitz, Galway Kinnell, Lisel Mueller, Gloria Naylor, Grace Paley, Gary Soto, William Stafford, and Derek Walcott.

Scope Note

The Poetry Center of Chicago was founded in 1973 and is a non-profit arts organization that strives to make poetry accessible to the public through education and events, as well as promote poets' careers. The Poetry Center of Chicago Records are organized into four series: Series I, Administrative; Series II, Events and Publications; Series III, Audio -Visual; and Series IV, Broadsides and Posters. The records contain articles, brochures, posters, correspondence, administrative documents, annual reports, publications, and audio-visual material.

Series I, Administrative, contains annual reports, board meeting documents, and advertising invoices. Board meeting materials include photocopies and originals of agendas, minutes, correspondence, and articles. The annual reports are photocopies of correspondence, grant proposals, federal tax exemptions, letters from Paul Carroll indicating officers and directors, and Articles of Incorporation. Also included is an application for Columbia College's 2002-2003 Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award.

Series II, Events and Publications, contains articles, advertisements, brochures, and announcements about Chicago’s poetry events. Events include poetry readings and festivals featuring poets such as Diane Ackerman, Sandra Cisneros, Lucille Clifton, Andrei Codrescu, Billy Collins, Donald Hall, Garret Hongo, Amy Ling, W.S. Merwin, Lisel Mueller, Ron Padgett, Mark Perlberg, Alice Randall, Robert Siegel, Sahara Spain, and James Tate. Also included are exhibit captions from Words of Art: Exhibitions of Broadsides. The publications are primarily chapbooks and published volumes from the "Hands on Stanza" program as well as chapbooks from the Annual Juried Readings.

Series III, Audio-Visual, contains compact discs, a videotape, and a DVD. The compact discs are of events featuring Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Luciano Erba. The videotape and DVD are of "Hands on Stanzas Documentary" directed by Kenneth Clarke.

Series IV, Broadsides and Posters, contains signed broadsides of poems from poetry readings and posters of readings and other poetry events.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html

Carroll, Paul. Papers

Subject Headings

INVENTORY

Series I: Administrative

Box 1    Folder 1

Advertising, 2002-2004

Box 1    Folder 2

Annual Reports, 1974-1975

Box 1    Folder 3

Annual Reports, 1974-1975

Box 1    Folder 4

Annual Reports, 1976-1979

Box 1    Folder 5

Annual Reports, 1980-1981

Box 1    Folder 6

Annual Reports, 1982-1985

Box 1    Folder 7

Annual Reports, 1986-1987

Box 1    Folder 8

Annual Reports, 1988-1995

Box 1    Folder 9

Annual Reports, 1995-1996

Box 1    Folder 10

Annual Reports, 1996-1997

Box 1    Folder 11

Annual Reports, 1996-1999

Box 1    Folder 12

Annual Reports, 2000

Box 1    Folder 13

Annual Reports, 2001-2003

Box 1    Folder 14

Annual Reports, 2003-2004

Box 1    Folder 15

Awards, 2002-2003

Box 1    Folder 16

Board Meetings, 2000

Box 1    Folder 17

Board Meetings, 2000-2001

Box 2   Folder 1

Board Meetings, 2001

Box 2   Folder 2

Board Meetings, 2002

Box 2   Folder 3

Board Meetings, 2002-2003

Box 2   Folder 4

Board Meetings, 2004

Box 2   Folder 5

Board Meetings, 2005

Series II: Events and Publications

Box 2   Folder 6 Exhibit, Words of Art

Exhibitions of Broadsides, 2003

Box 2   Folder 7

Exhibit, Words of Art: Exhibitions of Broadsides, 2003

Box 3   Folder 1

Events, 1991

Box 3   Folder 2

Events, 1992

Box 3   Folder 3

Events, 1993

Box 3   Folder 4

Events, 1994

Box 3   Folder 5

Events, 1995

Box 3   Folder 6

Events, 1996

Box 3   Folder 7

Events, 1997

Box 3   Folder 8

Events, 1998

Box 3   Folder 9

Events, 1999

Box 3   Folder 10

Events, 2000

Box 3   Folder 11

Events, 2001

Box 3   Folder 12

Events, 2002

Box 3   Folder 13

Events, 2003

Box 3   Folder 14

Events, 2003

Box 3   Folder 15

Events, 2003

Box 3   Folder 16

Events, 2003

Box 3   Folder 17

Events, 2004

Box 4   Folder 1

Events, 2004

Box 4   Folder 2

Events, 2004

Box 4   Folder 3

Events, 2004

Box 4   Folder 4

Events, 2005

Box 4   Folder 5

Events, 2005

Box 4   Folder 6

Events, 2005

Box 4   Folder 7

Events, 2006

Box 4   Folder 8

Events, undated

Box 5   Folder 1

Publications, ANGSTa, undated

Box 5   Folder 2

Publications, Annual Juried Readings, 2001-2004

Box 5   Folder 3

Publications, Chapbook, "Big Table Poetry Group," 2004

Box 5   Folder 4

Publications, Chapbook, "Digimon" by Aysha Estrada, 2005

Box 5   Folder 5

Publications, Chapbook, "How Far" by the girls of Off the Street Club, 2004

Box 5   Folder 6

Publications, Chapbook, "The Williams Poems" edited by Matthias Regan, 2005

Box 5   Folder 7

Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2001-2002 Anthology of Poetry, 2002

Box 5   Folder 8

Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2002-2003 Anthology of Poetry, 2003

Box 5   Folder 9

Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2003-2004 Anthology of Poetry, 2004

Box 6   Folder 1

Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2004-2005 Anthology of Poetry, 2005

Series III: Audio-Visual

Box 6   Folder 2

Compact Disc; Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Live At the Poetry Center, 2002

Box 6   Folder 3

Compact Disc; Luciano Erbai; Far Beyond the Frozen Seas, undated

Box 6   Folder 4

Compact Disc; Reverse, undated

Box 6   Folder 5

DVD; Hands on Stanzas Documentary, 2005

Box 6   Folder 6

Videocassette; The Poetry Center of Chicago, Hands on Stanzas Documentary, 2005

Series IV: Broadsides and Posters

Box 7   Folder 1

Broadsides, 2001

  • Codrescu, Andrei
  • Collins, Billy
  • Graham, Jorie
  • Tate, James
Box 7   Folder 2

Broadsides, 2002

  • Clarke, K.C.
  • Ferlinghetti, Lawrence
  • Lynch, Thomas
  • Mueller, Lisel
  • Padgett, Ron
  • Peacock, Molly
  • Perlberg, Mark
  • Spain, Sahara Sunday
  • Waldman, Anne
  • Wright, Charles
Box 7   Folder 3

Broadsides, 2003

  • Anania, Michael
  • Clarke, K.C.
  • Corgan, Billy
  • Duhamel, Denise
  • Grotz, Jennifer
  • Kinzie, Mary
  • Komunyakaa, Yusef
  • Lansana, Quraysh Ali
  • Lee, Li-Young
  • Madhubuti, Haki R.
  • McGrath, Campbell
  • Muench, Simone
  • Wiman, Christian
Box 7   Folder 4

Broadsides, 2004

  • Bowen, Kristy
  • Clifton, Lucille
  • Gluck, Louise
  • Greenberg, Arielle
  • Harper, Misty
  • Hollo, Anselm
  • Quick, Dan Beachy
  • Strand, Mark
  • Streckfus, Peter
  • Vandenberg, Katrina
  • Williams, Lucinda and Miller Williams
  • Williams, Miller
  • Wright, Franz
Box 7   Folder 5

Broadsides, 2005

  • Black, Baxter
  • Brown, Garrett J.
  • Brown, Rosellen
  • Castillo, Ana
  • Craig, Joel
  • Cumpian, Carlos
  • Forbes, Calvin
  • Hemon, Aleksandar
  • Monson, Ander
  • Muldoon, Paul
  • Odelius, Kristy
  • Reddy, Srikanth
  • Scott, Jill
  • Soto, Gary
  • Wehle, Ellen
Box 7   Folder 6

Broadsides, 2006

  • Ellis, Thomas Sayers
  • Kooser, Ted
  • Linehan, Moira
  • McManus, James
  • Pugh, Christina
  • Ryan, Kay
Box 7   Folder 7

Broadsides, Drafts, 2001

Box 7   Folder 8

Broadsides, Drafts, 2002

Box 7   Folder 9

Broadsides, Drafts, 2003

Box 7   Folder 10

Broadsides, Drafts, 2004

Box 7   Folder 11

Broadsides, Drafts, 2005

Box 8   Folder 1

Posters, 1974-1975

  • Brodsky, Josip, Tymoteusz Karpowicz, and Djordje Nikolic
  • An Evening of Poetry & Art to Honor Frank O'Hara
  • Ginsberg, Allen and William S. Burroughs
  • Knott, Bill
  • Poets Look at Paintings
Box 8   Folder 2

Posters, 1975-1976

  • Brutus, Dennis
  • Carroll, Paul, Martha Friedberg, Ralph J. Mills, Jr., Alice Notley, and Mark Perlberg
  • Edson, Russell and Charles Simic
  • Kumin, Maxine
  • Operation Minotaur
Box 8   Folder 3

Posters, 1976-1977

  • Ashbery, John
  • Atwood, Margaret
  • Bellow, Saul
  • Brooks, Gwendolyn and Etheridge Knight
  • Glück, Louise
  • Hoover, Paul, William Hunt, Peter Kostakis, and Lisel Mueller
  • Jarman, Joseph
  • Kunitz, Stanley
  • Levertov, Denise
Box 8   Folder 4

Posters, 1977-1978

  • Bly, Robert
  • Chernoff, Maxine, Barry Schechter, Walter Bradford, and G.E. Murray
  • Levine, Philip
  • Logan, John
  • Paley, Grace
  • Petrakis, Harry Mark
  • Walcott, Derek
Box 8   Folder 5

Posters, 1978-1979

  • Berrigan, Ted and Ron Padgett
  • Bonnefoy, Yves
  • Bradley, Ardyth, Richard Friedman and Ted Schaefer
  • Knoepfle, John and Lucien Stryk
  • McPherson, Sandra
  • Moss, Stanley
  • Stafford, William
Box 8   Folder 6

Posters, 1979-1980

  • Anania, Michael and John Frederick Nims
  • Cheever, John
  • Justice, Donald
  • Kicknosway, Fay and Naomi Lazard
  • Kinnell, Galway
  • Libbey, Elizabeth and Ross Talarico
  • Rothenberg, Jerome
Box 8   Folder 7

Posters, 1980-1981

  • Benedikt, Michael
  • Etter, Dave and John Dickson
  • Homage to Anna Akhmatova
  • Koch, Kenneth
  • Pastan, Linda
  • Rorem, Ned
  • Smith, Dave
  • Van Duyn, Mona
Box 8   Folder 8

Posters, 1981-1982

  • Cutler, Bruce and James Schevill
  • Duncan, Robert
  • Elmslie, Kenward and John Koethe
  • An Evening with Studs Terkel "Homage to Nelson Algren"
  • Haviaras, Stratis
  • Ryerson, Alice and Leslie Ullman
  • Strand, Mark
Box 8   Folder 9

Posters, 1982-1983

  • Baraka, Amiri
  • Dugan, Alan
  • Homage to Cesar Vallejo: An Evening with Clayton Eshelman
  • Lange, Art and Bob Perelman
  • Laughlin, James
  • Levis, Larry and Constance Urdang
  • Segal, Lore
Box 8   Folder 10

Posters, 1983-1984

  • Yehuda Amichai
  • Chase, Joan and June Brindel
  • Levertov, Denise
  • Poetry in Motion
  • Spender, Stephen
Box 8   Folder 11

Posters, 1984-1985

  • Paul Carroll and Alice Notley
  • Robert Creeley
  • Elizabeth Hardwick
  • Ted Kooser and A.K. Ramanujan
  • James Merrill
Box 8   Folder 12

Posters, 1985-1986

  • Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • Caroline Knox
  • Marjorie Perloff
  • Carl Rakoski
  • Gary Soto
Box 8   Folder 13

Posters, 1986-1987

  • Joan Colby and Robert Dana
  • Frederick Morgan
  • Ron Padgett
  • Charles Simic
  • William Carlos Williams
Box 8   Folder 14

Posters, 2003-2004

  • Billy Corgan
  • Lucinda Williams and Miller Williams
Box 8   Folder 15

Posters, General Events, 2000-2002

Box 8   Folder 16

Posters, Reading Series, 1994-2005