Description
The Michael McClure Papers: Additions, 1874-2002, (bulk 1949-2002), present a comprehensive view of his work as a writer,
spanning the length of McClure's career. The bulk consists of notebooks and writings, including poems, prose, and plays in
manuscript, draft and final form. There is very little correspondence. There are also professional papers, which include posters,
flyers, and broadsides, many advertising readings by McClure and others, and productions of his plays, including
The Beard. There is a small amount of artwork by McClure, his family, and friends; and materials by and about artists Bruce Conner,
Wallace Berman, and George Herms from William Jahrmarkt and the Batman Gallery, among others. The small amount of personal
papers include records and family correspondence. These papers complement The Bancroft Library's other extensive holdings
documenting the postwar San Francisco poetry renaissance and its influence on American literature.
Background
Poet, playwright, novelist, and essayist Michael McClure has spread his literary net wide, but is best known as one of the
leading poets of the Beat generation. Born in Marysville, Kansas on October 20, 1932, McClure became intimately associated
with the counter-culture of the West coast. His childhood was initially spent in the environs of Seattle, Washington, but
McClure and family were to return to Kansas where he finished high school and attended college, first at the University of
Wichita, Kansas and then the University of Arizona. He finished his studies in San Francisco, receiving his Bachelor of Arts
from San Francisco State College in June of 1955. During this time he studied with poet Robert Duncan.
Extent
104.5 linear feet
(54 cartons, 54 boxes, 14 volumes, 7 oversize boxes, 25 oversize folders)
Restrictions
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, 94270-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Availability
Cartons 1-54, box 54, oversize boxes 3-7, and oversize folders 14-25 are UNARRANGED COLLECTION AND UNAVAILABLE FOR USE. Inquiries
regarding these materials should be submitted to The Bancroft Library via the Notice of Interest in Unprocessed Collections
form.