Finding Aid for the Manazar Gamboa Papers, 1939-2001 88
Processed by CSRC.
Chicano Studies Research Center Library
2010
144 Haines Hall
Box 951544
Los Angeles, California 90095-1544
librarian@chicano.ucla.edu
Contributing Institution:
Chicano Studies Research Center Library
Title: Manazar Gamboa Papers
Creator:
Gamboa, Manazar 1934-2000
Identifier/Call Number: 88
Physical Description:
4.5 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1939-2001
Abstract: Manazar Gamboa was a Chicano poet and playwright who had spent much of his early years in prison. This collection consists
of his plays, poems, and writing notes. It also includes research material on Chavez Ravine, the neighborhood where he grew
up, which was demolished to make way for Dodger Stadium.
Physical Location: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library
and Archive for paging information.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
Open for research.
Acquisition Information
Collection donated to the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center by Michelle Kholos Brooks. Deed on file at the Archive office.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series 1. Writings by Manazar Gamboa
- Series 2. Correspondence
- Series 3. Chavez Ravine research
- Series 4. Printed material
Biography
Born in East L.A. in 1934 and raised in Chavez Ravine, Manazar Gamboa spent his youth picking crops with his family across
the Central and San Fernando Valley. As one of the first Latino students to attend Nightingale Junior High in Cypress Park
he rebelled against school authorities by speaking Spanish.
He also began to sell marijuana and steal cars. In 1954 he began his first prison term and would spend 17 of the next 23
years behind bars. In the 1970's Gamboa became a heroin addict and shortly after the woman he loved overdosed and died in
his arms. He then committed an armed robbery and was sent to Soledad State Prison.
In Soledad he began to read any literature available to him taking a particular interest in poetry. Despite the derision
of his fellow inmates he avidly read the work of the Romantics: Shelley, Keats, Coleridge and Blake. Gamboa was given the
complete works of Shakespeare which he regarded as his greatest treasure.
He began to write poetry and was published by a journal run by a University of Colorado professor. In 1977 Gamboa was released
and joined the L.A. poetry scene by working at Beyond Baroque, a literary center in Venice and edited its magazine Obras.
From 1981 to 1983 he was the Director of the L.A Latino Writers Association and editor of ChismeArte magazine.
In the 1980s he began teaching writing workshops for substance abusers, youths in juvenile halls and prison inmates often
driving over 120 miles a day to teach literacy and writing to youths across the county. In 1988 he received a Brody Arts Fund
for $2500 and replaced his 1963 Dodge. In 1989 he became the Artistic Director of the Homeland Neighborhood Cultural Center.
He turned his epic poem "Memories of a Bulldozed Barrio" into a stage performance and worked with the non-profit L.A Theater
works for over 13 years. He died in Long Beach at age 66 on Dec. 13, 2000.
*Some language for this biographical note is borrowed from the obituary "Manazar Gamboa; Poet Wrote About Chicano Experience"
by Elaine Woo,
Los Angeles Times, January 7, 2001.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Manazar Gamboa Papers, 88, Chicano Studies Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processing Information
Processed by CSRC, 2010. Finding aid revised by Jason Lowder under the supervision of Doug Johnson, August 2021. The revision
occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic so there was no access to the physical collection.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of manuscripts of Manazar Gamboa's poems, plays, and short stories, as well as notes showing his
creative process. There is also research material on Chavez Ravine, as well as clippings and other printed material.
Publication Rights
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user
must assume full responsibility for any use of materials, including but not limited to infringement of copyright and publication
rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Chavez Ravine (Los Angeles, Calif.)
American poetry--Mexican American authors
Dramatists
Los Angeles Dodgers (Baseball team)
Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team)
Series 1. Writings by Manazar Gamboa
Box 1, Folder 1
"The Boy from Niquinhomo"
undated
Box 1, Folder 4
"Paula Rodrigues"
1998-07
Box 1, Folder 9
Resume of Published Works
1998-12
Box 2, Folder 12
Poems by Emily Dickinson, translated into Spanish by Manazar Gamboa
undated
Box 3, Folder 1
Poems
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes: "The Running One"; "A Prayer After Writing a Poem"; "For the Singer"; Net"; Imageless Land and the Cloud"; "A Poet's
Prayer."
Box 3, Folder 2
Poems
2000
Scope and Contents
Includes: "The Eye Pt. 4"; "Cruising Antiquity Pt. 7."
Box 3, Folder 3
Poems
1990-1999
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Pam"; "Earthy"; "El Mariachi"; "Train of Smoke"; "Crimson Red Nails on the Green Felt Pool Table"; "Aqui y Alla/Here
and There"; "Curandera."
Box 3, Folder 4
Poems
1983-1989
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Canto"; "Song"; "Spot on the Ceiling"; "Children in the Shadow of the City"; "Paper Shadow"; "Xipe."
Box 3, Folder 5
Poems
1974-1978
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Valentine's Night"; "Bandera/Flag"; "Buttonwillow"; "Trilogy"; "Star Fish One"; "Piedra y Sangre."
Box 3, Folder 6
Poems
1940-1948
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Concrete and Steel"; "Martha"; "The Game."
Box 3, Folder 7
Poems
1939
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Buttonwillow"; "Nina."
Box 4, Folder 2
"Olmeca/Through The Tunnel"
1982
Box 4, Folder 3
Poem "Man of Roots"
1976-1997
Scope and Contents
Includes rough drafts.
Box 4, Folder 4
"Cell E-304 Prison Manuscript"
1974-1977
Box 4, Folder 6
Play "Floating Louie"
1991
Scope and Contents
Includes rough drafts.
Box 4, Folder 7
Orlando Tardencilla Project
1982-1994
Box 5, Folder 1
Play "The Hole"
1964-1993
Box 5, Folder 2
Play "The Hole"
1998
Scope and Contents
Includes notes, name changes, and character profiles
Box 5, Folder 3
"Chicano del Barrio" / "Downtown L.A: 1942"
1999
Box 5, Folder 4
Play "The Dance Never Ends"
2000
Box 5, Folder 5
Short stories and edits
1992-1999
Scope and Contents
Includes short stories "Going Away"; "Fire"; "Passage"; "Ponchi." Also includes Name changes and character studies for "War
Starts 1941" and "Don Eduardo."
Box 6, Folder 1
"Memories Around A Bulldozed Barrio" / "War Starts: 1941"
1997-1998
Scope and Contents
Includes rough and revised drafts.
Box 6, Folder 2
Play "Chicano Youth"
1994-1995
Scope and Contents
Includes notes and drafts.
Box 6, Folder 3
List of documents and notes for various manuscripts
undated
Box 6, Folder 5
"Buttonwillow"
1990-1992
Scope and Contents
Includes three drafts.
Box 6, Folder 6
Short stories and one-act play
1998-1999
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Kittens"; "Middle Finger"; "Something Else"; "You're So Pretty"; "Sad Eyes"; "My Streets"; "Dream Towel"; one-act
play "Laura."
Box 6, Folder 7
Novella "Escape in Brown"
circa 1967
Scope and Contents
Includes notes and drafts.
Box 7, Folder 1
Duplicate short stories
undated
Box 7, Folder 2
Fragments and notes from untitled story
undated
Box 7, Folder 3
Title page and name key, outlines, and character profiles
2000
Scope and Contents
Includes material on:
Memories Around A Bulldozed Barrio; "1941"; "1942."
Box 7, Folder 4
Partial manuscripts
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes: "La Bishop" Chapters 2 and 4; "L.A. Chicano" Chapters 24-35 and epilogue.
Box 7, Folder 5
Semi-autobiographical stories and accounts
1989-1997
Box 7, Folder 6
Assorted autobiographical writings set from 1941-1945
1989-1994
Box 1, Folder 3
MacLaren Hall Certificate of Honor
1985-06-25
Scope and Contents
Includes letter from Alistair Hunter.
Box 1, Folder 7
Request to publish excerpt from Memories Around a Bulldozed Barrio
1998-09-01
Box 1, Folder 10
Letters from students
1988-06
Box 2, Folder 1
Letter to juvenile court and community schools
1990-10-29
Scope and Contents
Includes: poem "It Tells A Story" by Helen Silvas; drawings.
Series 3. Chavez Ravine research
Box 1, Folder 2
"The Taking of Chavez Ravine" by Marcus Bastida
1991-1995
Scope and Contents
Includes: letter from Bastida to Gamboa; timeline.
Box 1, Folder 5
"Battler for Chavez Ravine Home Dies at 75"
1972-08-12
Box 1, Folder 6
"1953-1971, The Arechigas"
1971-10-17
Box 1, Folder 13
"Years of Discontent: The Battle of Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles, 1949-1959" by Victoria Valdez
1983-05-23
Box 1, Folder 14
"Spring Street Massacre"
1953-07
Scope and Contents
From
Frontier Magazine.
Box 1, Folder 15
"Homes into Kindling"
1959-12
Box 1, Folder 16
"Elephant with a Headache"
1955-09
Scope and Contents
From
Frontier Magazine.
Box 1, Folder 17
"Ravine Once Was Close Knit Community"
1972-06-04
Box 1, Folder 19
Chavez Ravine and eviction of residents
1950-1999
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Field of Uprooted Dreams"; three maps for Elysian Park Heights; photocopies of letters form the Housing Authority
of Los Angeles to families of the Chavez Ravine and Palo Verde area; "Senor Chavez and His Ravine"; "Sixty Years in Southern
California"; "North From Mexico"; "Our Fight for Chavez Ravine."
Box 1, Folder 20
Dodgers' move to Los Angeles
1957
Box 1, Folder 26
"Housing, Baseball, and Creeping Socialism: The Battle of Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles 1949-1959" by Thomas S. Hines
1982-02
Scope and Contents
From
The Journal of Urban History Vol. 8, No. 2.
Box 2, Folder 4
"Los Angeles and the Dodger War" by Cary S. Henderson
1980-1995
Scope and Contents
From The Historical Society of Southern California.
Box 2, Folder 6
"Angel in the Outfield" by Patt Morrison
1939-1997
Scope and Contents
Includes photocopies of street maps of Elysian Park.
Box 2, Folder 7
Dodgers' move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles
1957-1995
Scope and Contents
Includes comments and notations.
Box 2, Folder 8
"Public Housing and the Brooklyn Dodgers"
1957
Scope and Contents
From
Frontier Magazine.
Box 2, Folder 9
"Chavez Ravine Proves Fertile Soil for O'Malley"
1978-06-04
Box 2, Folder 10
"Arechigas Continue Chavez Fight"
1962
Box 2, Folder 11
"The Untold Story of Chavez Ravine" by Norris Poulson
1962-04
Scope and Contents
From
Los Angeles Magazine.
Box 2, Folder 13
"Chavez Ravine",by Culture Clash
1987-2003
Scope and Contents
Program; also includes list of Gamboa's electronic files.
Series 4. Printed Material
Box 1, Folder 8
"One of the Old Guard" by Chas F. Lummis
undated
Box 1, Folder 11
"When L.A. Exploded With Joy"
1995-08-14
Box 1, Folder 12
"Rebuilding a City" by Robert E. Alexander and Drayton S. Bryant
1951
Scope and Contents
Photocopied excerpts from The Haynes Foundation.
Box 1, Folder 18
"Chance to Belong: Story of the Los Angeles Youth Project 1943-1949" by Duane Robinson
1959
Box 1, Folder 21
Los Angeles Times
1995
Scope and Contents
Includes: "Be Happy It's In Your Backyard" by Mike Downey; letter to the editor from Manazar Gamboa re: above column; "Will
NFL Play Dodgeball?" by T.J. Simers.
Box 1, Folder 22
Construction of a football stadium in Los Angeles
1995-12
Box 1, Folder 23
Materials concerning community organizations opposing the construction of a football stadium near Dodger Stadium
1995
Scope and Contents
Includes: handwritten notes; community newsletters; photos of documents; maps; news articles.
Box 1, Folder 24
"The Making of Occupied America" by Rodolfo Acuna
undated
Box 1, Folder 25
Southern California Quarterly Fall/Winter 1993 Vol. LXXV, No.3-4
1993
Box 1, Folder 27
Poetry readings and programs
1989-1990
Scope and Contents
Programs and flyers for readings and other events with Manazar Gamboa as a featured Artist/Speaker; clipping on the L.A. Poetry
Festival.
Box 1, Folder 28
"Brody Grants Help Keep Artists on the Go"
1988-01-16
Box 1, Folder 29
"Poetry, Politics and The New Chicano" by Kate Braverman
undated
Scope and Contents
Interview with Manazar Gamboa.
Box 1, Folder 30
Celebration of the 20th anniversary of Manazar Gamboa's release from prison
1997-04
Box 1, Folder 31
"Why They Call the City Council Chambers the Cave Of Winds"
1961-11
Box 1, Folder 32
Miscellaneous
1987-2001
Scope and Contents
Includes: photograph sheets in envelope marked "To Manazar From Laura"; summary of Gamboa's art activities from Summer 1987-May
1988; assorted thank-yous for public service; brochures and programs for poetry readings and performances, 1997-1999; articles
on Gamboa in English and Spanish press; two obituaries for Gamboa,
L.A. Times 2001-01-07 and
Long Beach Press-Telegram 2000-12-16.
Box 2, Folder 2
Petition protesting Manazar Gamboa's forced resignation as president of Beyond Baroque
undated
Box 2, Folder 3
Announcement for reading by Manazar Gamboa
1990-08
Scope and Contents
From
L.A. Weekly.
Box 2, Folder 5
Article on Los Angeles history
1984
Box 3, Folder 8
Rosario Murio interview
1998
Scope and Contents
Also includes information on Community Residency Exchange Program Nomination (U.S. to Northern Ireland).