Finding Aid to the Michael McClure Papers : Additions, 1874-2003, bulk 1949-2002
Finding Aid written by Dean Smith; revised by Tanya Hollis; revised by Lara Michels in March 2022.
The Bancroft Library
© 2007
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Michael McClure papers : additions
Creator:
McClure, Michael
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2003/222 c
Physical Description:
104.5 linear feet
(54 cartons, 54 boxes, 14 volumes, 7 oversize boxes, 25 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1874-2019
Date (bulk): 1949-2019
Abstract: 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.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Language of Material: Collection materials are predominately in English
Access
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.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Acquisition Information
The Michael McClure Papers: Additions, 1874-2002 were purchased by The Bancroft Library between 2002 and 2019.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Biographical Information
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.
On October 7, 1955, at the Six Gallery in San Francisco, McClure, along with Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and
Philip Lamantia, shared the bohemian literary spotlight in what became the most famous poetry reading event of the Beat generation.
The reading was followed by the publication of McClure's books of poems,
Passages (1956),
For Artaud,
Hymns to St. Geryon (1959),
Dark Brown,
The New Book/A Book of Torture (1961), and
Ghost Tantras (1964) and his first book of essays,
Meat Science Essays (1963). But it was McClure's controversial play,
The Beard (1965), an imaginary erotic encounter in a blue velvet eternity between 30s Hollywood star, Jean Harlow and Wild West outlaw,
Billy the Kid, which catapulted him into the national spotlight while highlighting the debate of artistic expression versus
obscenity.
The late 1960s saw McClure expand his notoriety by befriending Jim Morrison of
The Doors (they co-authored a film script based on McClure's novel,
The Adept (1971) in which Morrison was to star). He became an intimate with Hell's Angels' secretary, Frank Reynolds (co-authoring
his memoirs) and even co-wrote the chart-topping rock/pop song, "Mercedes Benz", made famous by singer Janis Joplin.
McClure's creative collaborations often bore fruitful and inspired aesthetic results. His long relationship, from the 50s
through the 80s, with artist and filmmaker Bruce Conner resulted in several enigmatic poetry/image publications, a early video
project made for public television entitled,
Liberty Crown (1967), and a sound recording of McClure reading
Ghost Tantras outside the lion's cages at the San Francisco Zoo. During the 70s, McClure worked intensively with John Lion, General Director
of the Magic Theater in San Francisco, producing numerous McClure plays. Since the late 1980s, his partnership with former
Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek has allowed McClure to expand upon the intersection of music and the spoken word. Most recently,
composer Terry Riley wrote the musical score for the revival of McClure's play,
Josephine: The Mouse Singer.
McClure's emphasis as a writer has been the attempt to heal, if not subvert, the Cartesian mind/body split. Man is "meat"
not mentality. Influenced by Blake and Whitman, McClure's poetry developed quite early into a highly visual, ecstatic, and
spontaneous form that reflected his deeply felt belief that humanity is not separate from the fabric and often coarse function
of nature, that there is a deep connection between biology and mysticism, flesh and spirit. As McClure explained in his foreword
to
Jaguar Skies (1975). He writes, "Poetry is a muscular principle- an athletic song or whisper of flashy thought. We can be as serious as
blue-black gloom or bright as a buttercup in the dawn. The spirit of poetry is loops we send out from the expanding helix
of our lives. With poetry we can meet an old perception on a mountain top or in a subway, or view a new perception loping
in the distance like a wolf- or glimmering like an opal in the twilight."
To these ends, McClure combined ideas from Antonin Artaud and the projective verse tradition of Charles Olson, Robert Creeley,
and Robert Duncan for creating his "body language," the use of animal noises, growls, and cries most explicitly given voice
in his book of poems,
Ghost Tantras. Throughout his career McClure, like friend and poet, Gary Snyder, has championed environmental awareness and holistic living
by making impassioned pleas toward the defense of nature through the vehicle of his poetry and essays, for example,
Wolf Net. McClure's deep and sensitive understanding of Eastern philosophy and religion, namely Buddhism, has also been a steady underpinning
of his work and thought as has his lifelong interest in biology.
The late 60s and 1970s were a fertile period in McClure's development as a playwright. During this period he wrote numerous
works of often satirical, humorous bent that bordered on the Dadaistic, including,
Gorf, whose hero is a flying purple phallus, and a series of small plays under the rubric of
Gargoyle Cartoons. His plays often premiered at the Bay Area's Magic Theater, and many were produced in venues nationally and internationally.
McClure received a Rockefeller Grant in playwriting in 1974 and in 1978 was awarded an Obie Award for best play for the Off-Broadway
production of
Josephine: The Mouse Singer. Despite his success in theater and its concomitant demands, McClure never ceased writing poetry. He published books of collected
poems,
Star (1970) and
September Blackberries (1974), and the long single poem,
Rare Angel (1974). These were followed by the publications of the books of poems,
Jaguar Skies (1975) and
Antechamber, and other poems (1978). McClure was even able to find the time to publish his first novel, the autobiographical
The Mad Cub (1970) and quickly followed one year later with
The Adept , whose anti-hero is a handsome, narcissistic drug dealer.
The following decade was no less busy for McClure. He was to compile and publish a new series of essays,
Scratching the Beat Surface (1982) and three books of poems,
Fragments of Perseus (1983),
Fleas (1985), and
Specks (1985). By the mid-80s his long marriage to Joanna McClure (herself a poet) began unraveling and the couple divorced in 1986.
At this time McClure met the artist, Amy Evans, whom he married in 1997. In 1988, McClure began working collaboratively with
longtime friend, Ray Manzarek, after both were billed at an event at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California where
McClure was headlining and Manzarek played piano with poet Michael C. Ford. Since then, McClure and Manzarek have performed
nationally in a variety of venues ranging from cafes to college campuses, and television, and have produced several videos
of their performance events.
The 1990s saw McClure's energy pour forth into ever more published work, including the book of poems,
Rebel Lions (1991) and another collection of essays, which included interviews,
Lighting the Corners: on Art, Nature, and the Visionary (1993). Most recently McClure has been focusing his poetic concerns on Buddhist themes and ideas in the two books of poems,
Touching the Edge: Dharma Devotions from the Hummingbird Sangha (1999) and
Plum Stones: Cartoons of No Heaven (2002). Michael McClure continues to give poetry readings, as he has done regularly throughout his career, and currently
(2006) lives in Oakland, California with his wife, Amy Evans McClure.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Michael McClure Papers : Additions, BANC MSS 2003/222 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley.
Processing Information
Portions of the collection processed by Dean Smith, Holly Fox, and Tanya Hollis. Completed in 2005.
Related Collections
Michael McClure papers, circa 1963-1975, BANC MSS 76/91 c
Michael McClure papers: additions, [circa 1972], BANC MSS 77/65 c
Michael McClure papers relating to Meat science essays, 1962-1963, BANC MSS 94/26 c
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
Separated Material
Printed materials, including poetry broadsides, have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library. Photographs
and some original artworks have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. Videotapes/sound recordings
have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library. Objects have been transferred to the Pictorial
Collection of The Bancroft Library.
Publication Rights
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 .
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
McClure, Michael--Archives
Conner, Bruce
Jahrmarkt, William
Batman Gallery
Hell's Angels
Poets, American--20th century--California
Beat generation
Authors, American--20th century
Poetry, Modern--20th century
American poetry--20th century
Theater--Censorship
Poems.
Posters.
Broadsides.
Series 1.
Notebooks
1956-2003,
undated
Physical Description: Boxes 1-32; Volumes 1-14
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically. Divided into four subseries: 1.1 Notebooks, 1.2 Appointment Notebooks, 1.3 Travel Notebooks, and
1.4 Receipt Notebooks.
Subseries 1_1.
Notebooks
1956-2003,
undated
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
Part diary and part workbooks for poems, these collected notebooks are extremely rich in content. They detail, often quite
intimately, McClure's concerns, both personally and professionally, from his meditations on being poet, husband, and father,
to his place in the world of the Beats and beyond. The notebooks also amply illustrate McClure's thinking process as a poet
and how, through various revisions, he constructs his highly distinctive verse.
box 1, folder 1-12
Notebooks
1956 May 17-1958 Jan. 1
box 2, folder 1-11
Notebooks
1958 Apr. 11-1964 May 10
box 3, folder 1-11
Notebooks
1961 Feb. 3-[1962?]
box 4, folder 1-11
Notebooks
1962 Apr. 12-May 20
box 5, folder 1-13
Notebooks
1964 May 10-1966 [Sep.] 12
box 6, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1966 Sep. [28]- 1970 Oct. 12
box 7, folder 1-3
Notebooks
1970 Oct. 13-1971 Aug.
volume 1
Notebooks
1971 Aug. 23-1973 Oct. 25
box 7, folder 4-6
Notebooks
1971 Dec. 15-1972 Sep. 15
box 8, folder 1-2
Notebooks
1972 Sep. 17-1973 June 22
volume 2
Notebooks
1973 Oct. 26-1974 Apr. 4
volume 3
Notebooks
1974 Apr. 11- Nov. 21
box 8, folder 3-6
Notebooks
1974 Nov. 22-1976 July 8
box 9, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1976 July 12-1979 Feb. 2
box 10, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1979 Feb. 5-1981 Sep.
box 11, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1981 Sep. 24-1983 Oct. 31
box 12, folder 1-9
Notebooks
1983 Nov. 13-1985 June 27
box 13, folder 1-9
Notebooks
1985 June 28-1987 Mar. 27
box 14, folder 1-6
Notebooks
1987 Mar. 30-1988 Apr.
volume 4
Notebooks
1988 Apr. 5- July 15
box 14, folder 7
Notebooks
1988 Dec. 6-1989 Mar. 10
volume 5
Notebooks
1989 Feb. 10- June 15
box 15, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1989 Mar. 15-1990 Oct. 29
box 16, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1990 Oct. 29-1991 July 24
box 17, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1991 July 2-1992 Dec. 27
box 18, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1992 Dec. 28-1994 May 13
box 19, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1994 May 15-1995 Apr. 19
box 20, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1995 Apr. 22-1996 July 13
box 21, folder 1-7
Notebooks
1996 July 16-1998 Feb. 5
box 22, folder 1-6
Notebooks
1998 Feb. 6-1999 July 9
box 23, folder 1-8
Notebooks
1999 July 9-2000 Oct. 11
box 24, folder 1-7
Notebooks
2000 Oct. 11-2001 Oct. 17
box 25, folder 1-3
Notebooks
2001 Oct. 19-2002 Feb. 17
volume 6
Notebooks
2002 Feb. 17-Mar. 14
box 25, folder 4
Notebooks
2002 Mar. 14-Apr. 6
box 25, folder 6
Notebooks Fragments
1960 June 16, circa 1955-1965
box 25, folder 7
Notebooks Fragments
undated
Subseries 1_2.
Appointment notebooks
[1961]-1999
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The appointment notebooks detail the minutia of McClure's daily life: meetings, events, etc., and also include sketches and
notes for poems.
box 26, folder 1-15
Appointment Notebooks
1961-1972
box 27, folder 1-7
Appointment Notebooks
1984-1987 Jan. 23
box 28, folder 1-13
Appointment Notebooks
1987-1990
box 29, folder 1-2
Appointment Notebooks
[1980s], 1999 Mar. 23
Subseries 1_3.
Travel notebooks
1970-2001
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The travel notebooks are somewhat an extension of the notebooks, but center on specific travels he undertook both for pleasure
and profession.
box 29, folder 3-5
Travel Notebooks
1970-1976
box 30, folder 1-6
Travel Notebooks
1975-1990
box 31, folder 1-4
Travel Notebooks
1993-2000
box 32, folder 1-5
Travel Notebooks
2000-2001
Subseries 1_4.
Receipt notebooks
1969-1978
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The receipt notebooks are mostly collections of business receipts used for tax purposes. They also include appointments and
notes that give insight to McClure's daily life.
Series 2.
Writings
1949-2002,
undated
Physical Description: Boxes 33-49; Oversize Box 1, folders 1-6.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically. Divided into two SubSeries: 2.1 Poetry and 2.2 Prose
Subseries 2_1.
Poetry
1949-2002
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically. Further subdivided into: Individual Poems, Printed Poems, Prose Poems, Collected Poems, Miscellaneous,
Translations, and By Others.
Scope and Contents
Consists of McClure's poetry, both individual poems and the collected poems. Most of the individual poems are from the period
of the late 1950s through the early 1960s. The collected poems, ranging primarily from the late 1960s through the 1980s, are
especially noteworthy in that they detail McClure's thinking process in collecting, coordinating, and editing poems to book
form.
2_1_1.
Poetry,
1949-2002,
undated
box 33, folder 1
"Ah, Mother"
[1978 Nov. 28]
box 33, folder 2
["Assassination"?]
[1964]
box 33, folder 3
"Automatic Prose Sonnet for Milton Blake"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 4
"Billy the Kid: An Intro"
undated
box 33, folder 5
"Boney Skull: Poem for Allen Ginsberg"
undated
box 33, folder 7
"Circumstance"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 8
"Congress"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 9
"Cradle Song - For Caledonia"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 11
"Decadence"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 12
"Declaim Death..."
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 13
"Delight in Blood and Sleep"
1963 Jan. 28
box 33, folder 14
"Doggerel Editorial"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 15
"Dream Table I II"
1964 Sep. 9
box 33, folder 16
"Drunk Writing"
[1959-1960?]
box 33, folder 18
"Father's Day"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 19
"Fidelio"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 20
"For Anger"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 21
"For JoAnn (Preface to Dark Brown)"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 22
"For Mayakovsky"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 23
"From a Forgotten Book"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 24
"Fuck Ode"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 25
"Give Me the Loveliness of Immortal Pink Dahlias"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 26
"The Gonzales Broadside by Philip Whalen"
undated
box 33, folder 27
"He and She"
1960 Aug. 26
box 33, folder 28
"Hollywood: the Spiritual Chase"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 29
"The Huge Dark Bed"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 30
"I Imagined a Book of Figures"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 31
"I Love You That Your Hands Heal..."
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 32
"Insomniac Joy - For Keera"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 33
"Keera, Si. Janey, Si. Irving, Si. Diane..."
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 34
"Let Our Speeches Drip in the Air"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 35
"Libra A"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 36
"Libra B"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 37
"Light Brown Ode to God"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 38
"Lines to a Rat"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 39
"The Lion-Beams"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 40
"Listen Lawrence"
[1980?]
box 33, folder 41
"Lullaby (?)"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 43
"Mad Sonnet"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 45
"Message"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 46
"Michael Sides with Satan"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 48
"Morning Poem"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 49
"Morning Poem from a Journal"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 50
"Mt. Morphia for LaVigne"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 51
"Must Life be Boyish Prank?"
1963 Jan. 9
box 33, folder 55
"Ode to Man"
1961-1965 Sep. 20
box 33, folder 56
"Oh Grizzly Bears and Whales..."
1960 Aug. 27
box 33, folder 57
"Oh the Great Porpoise Lovers"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 58
"Oh What is Evil Oh?"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 59
"Oh Yes Morning Light"
[1965] Dec. 6
box 33, folder 60
"Oh You Divine Creature!!!"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 61
"On Hearing the Tape of :
Let Us Have Done with the Judgment of God"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 62
"On My Paintings"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 63
"On Seeing Through Shelley's Eyes..."
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 64
"Overpop"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 66
"Portrait of the Moment"
1993 Mar. 5
box 33, folder 68
"The Room is Gray Cool Still and Dark"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 69
"A Rose / After Anacreon"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 70
"Rose Dream White"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 71
"Rose Musk Rose Amber"
undated
box 33, folder 72
["Scarlet Knight"]
undated
box 33, folder 73
"Schubert"
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 74
"The Sight of You Appeared to Me..."
circa 1955-1965
box 33, folder 75
"Small Ode on the Need to Drink"
1963 Jan. 9
box 33, folder 76
"Smile Ode"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 1
"Something of India"
2000 Dec.- 2001 Feb. 9
box 34, folder 5
"Spontaneous Hymn to Kundalini"
1961
box 34, folder 6
"Spontaneous Poem"
1963 Dec. 6
box 34, folder 7
"Stanzas in Memory"
undated
box 34, folder 8
"Steady, Steady, Man Gun Beams"
[1960s]
box 34, folder 9
"Suite for John Ashbery"
1985
box 34, folder 10
"That She is Not Dead..."
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 11
"This Lion-Elf Book/This Mutated Sheer!"
1963 Dec. 6
box 34, folder 12
"A Thought"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 13
"Thought, I Have Never Loved Thee"
1963 Dec. 6
box 34, folder 14
"To A Chalice"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 15
"To Science"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 16
"To the Senate"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 17
"Triumph"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 19-20
"Untitled"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 22
"Valentine's Day Sonnet"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 23-24
"Variation"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 25-26
"Velvet Question"
1963 Jan. 9
box 34, folder 27
"Virtues"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 28
"Vishnu Carved at Mammalapuram"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 29
"William H. Bonney"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 31
"Wondersmitten!"
1964 Jan. 16
box 34, folder 32
"Written While Hearing Schubert's God Nature"
circa 1955-1965
box 34, folder 33
"Yea! Yea! Have I Forgotten Beauty?"
1963 Jan. 9
box 34, folder 34
"91 Words for Joanna"
undated
box 34, folder 37
"Blue-Black Winged Space Rainbow Grahhr"
[1960s]
box 34, folder 39
"The City Oh Yeah"
undated
box 34, folder 40
"I Cried for the Odem the Wondersoul"
undated
box 34, folder 44
"To James B. Rector"
undated
box 34, folder 47
"Love Me for the Fool"
1976
box 34, folder 48
"Madame Secretary"
undated
box 34, folder 52
"A Spirit of Mt. Tamalpais"
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 1
Various [Published in the San Francisco
Examiner and
Chronicle]
1975 Nov. 30-1980 Dec. 7
box 34, folder 54
"War is Decor in My Cavern Cave"
undated
box 34, folder 55
["White Rainbow Nirvana Torch"]
undated
box 34, folder 56
"Winter Solstice 1972"
1972
box 34, folder 59
"Gaahhrooogar's Message"
undated
box 35, folder 1
"Among the Stars"
Undated
box 35, folder 2-3
Antechamber
1974-1977,
undated
box 35, folder 4
"Back at the Ranch"
1986 July 3
box 35, folder 5-11
"Clubs Diamonds"
[1980],
undated
box 35, folder 12
"Connective Tissue"
1976 July 30-Aug. 15
box 35, folder 13
Exercises for
Dark Brown
1959 Sep 9-Sep 17
box 36, folder 3
"Elf Lands: New Shots"
1968 Dec. 6-1970 Aug. 20, undated
box 36, folder 4-9
Fleas
1968 Dec. 30-1969 Jan. 24
box 37, folder 1-3
"Fox of Reason"
1990-1992,
undated
box 37, folder 4-6
Fragments of Perseus
1977 Mar.-1981, undated
box 37, folder 7
"Italian Selection"
1949-1978
box 37, folder 8
Jaguar Skies
1951,
1973-1975,
undated
box 37, folder 9
"Night Walk"
2002 July 19
box 38, folder 1-2
"Pierre Variations"
undated
box 38, folder 6-9
Rebel Lions
1988,
undated
box 39, folder 2
"Thought Writings"
1970 Sep. 25-1974 June, undated
box 39, folder 3
"Untitled"
1957 July 26-1959 Mar. 4, undated
box 39, folder 4
"Untitled"
1962 Aug. 6, undated
box 39, folder 5-6
"Untitled"
circa 1955-1965
box 39, folder 7
"Untitled"
1985 Spring Summer
box 39, folder 8
"Untitled"
1986 June 6-2002 Dec. 6
box 40, folder 1
"Haikus from Maui"
2002 May
box 40, folder 2
"Personal Universe Deck"
undated
box 40, folder 3
"Rare Angel" [French]
1977 May 21
box 40, folder 4
September Blackberries [German]
1983 Dec. 19
box 40, folder 5
Various Poems [Italian]
[1981?]
box 40, folder 6
McClure, JoAnna
1957-1979,
undated
box 40, folder 7
Šindolić, Vojo
1981-1983 Aug. 21
box 40, folder 8
Whalen, Philip
1963 May-1965 Mar.
box 40, folder 9
Miscellaneous A-Z
undated
box 40, folder 10
"Nezahualcóyotl" [Aztec/Miztec]
1990 Aug. 8
box 40, folder 11
"Deer Hunt Song" [Pueblo]
[1963-1964]
Subseries 2_2
Prose
Circa 1955-2000
Arrangement
Further subdivided into: Articles, Essays, Fiction, Filmscripts, Lectures, Non-Fiction, Plays, Radio Plays, Translations,
and Miscellaneous. Plays are further subdivided into Unfinished and Notes.
Scope and Contents
Contains articles, essays, fiction (brief pieces), filmscripts, lectures, and short non-fiction works; with plays constituting
the bulk. Often there are several revisions of the same work. Also included are unfinished plays and notes for plays that
McClure intended to write. There are also two versions of his Radio Play, "Music Peace." Also represented are a few translations
into French, Italian and Swedish of various prose pieces. The series concludes with miscellaneous items, such as the lyrics
(with accompanying music) to the rock song, "Midnight Fright," some fragmentary work, and prose works by others.
box 41, folder 1
Articles
1971 June-1985 May
box 41, folder 3
"Essay on the Media"
undated
box 41, folder 4
"A Little Essay in Honor of David Haselwood"
circa 1955-1965
box 41, folder 5
"MMDA/Miniature High"
circa 1955-1965
oversize_box 1, folder 3
"The Poet's Poet"
1974 Mar. 14
box 41, folder 6
"The Rose Flush, Straight Speech..."
1959 Dec. 10
box 41, folder 7
"Scratching the Beat Surface"
undated
box 41, folder 10
"The Universe Speaking"
undated
box 41, folder 11
"When Acid Rock Was a Baby"
1974 Jan. 22
box 41, folder 12
"Wolf Net, Parts I-II"
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 4
"Wolf Net, Part II" [Published in Clear Creek]
1971 July
box 41, folder 13
"Wolf Net, Part III"
undated
box 41, folder 14-18
Untitled
circa 1950-1967,
undated
box 41, folder 19
By Others - Brakhage, Stan
1960
box 41, folder 20
By Others - Jacyszyn, Lisa
1999 Apr. 28
box 41, folder 22
The Adventures of a Novel in Four Chapters
1975,
undated
box 41, folder 23
The Elf King (A Trip Book)
undated
box 41, folder 24-25
Untitled
1964 May 10, undated
box 42, folder 4
Untitled [fragment]
undated
box 42, folder 7
"A Constellation of Poems"
undated
box 42, folder 8
"Notes on Poetry Rock Roll"
1987 Apr. 24
box 42, folder 9
"Shelley Speaking"
undated
box 42, folder 10
"Romantic Exercises"
undated
box 42, folder 11
"Shelley Speaking" - Lecture #1
undated
box 42, folder 12
"Life's Triumph" - Lecture #2
undated
box 42, folder 13
"Romantic Exercises" Lecture #3
undated
box 42, folder 15
"Eating Olloloqui Fudge"
circa 1955-1965
box 42, folder 16
"Jim Morrison Rock-Poet"
1979 Aug.
box 42, folder 17
"JoAnna McClure Bio"
undated
box 43, folder 3-4
The Beard [Prologue]
undated
box 43, folder 5
The Beard [Ephemera]
undated
box 43, folder 14-15
Chekhov's Grandmother
undated
box 44, folder 4-6
Dream Mirror Voices
undated
box 44, folder 10-11
General Gorgeous
1975,
undated
box 44, folder 12
Goethe: Ein Fragment
undated
box 44, folder 15
The Grabbing of the Fairy
undated
box 45, folder 2-3
Minnie Mouse and the Tap-Dancing Buddha
undated
box 45, folder 12-14
The Red Snake
1979 Apr., undated
box 46, folder 1
The Red Snake
1979 Aug. 30
box 46, folder 6-8
VKTMS: Orestes in Scenes
undated
box 46, folder 9
2 Miniature Dramas
1962 Oct. 20
box 46, folder 10
Several Short Plays By Others
undated
box 46, folder 11
Breuer, Lee
1980 June 10-1983 May 17
box 46, folder 14
Williams, Tennessee
1975 Oct. 11
box 48, folder 4
Fragments
[1977 May 1], undated
box 48, folder 6-7
The Black Gull
1979-2000,
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 5
Hamlet and The Black Gull
undated
box 49, folder 3
VIMILIKIRTI
1999 Sep.-Oct., undated
box 49, folder 4-5
Music Peace
1974 Mar., 1979 May 1
box 49, folder 6
"Meat Science Essays" [French]
1977
box 49, folder 7
The Beard [French - Variant of Original Play]
1981
box 49, folder 8
The Beard [French]
undated
box 49, folder 9
The Beard [Italian]
undated
box 49, folder 10
"99 Teser" [Swedish]
undated
box 49, folder 11
"Spider Rabbit "[French]
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 6
"Midnight Fright" [Song Lyrics], and "Notes for Neo Physics"
1966
box 49, folder 13
Prose Fragments
circa 1955-1965
oversize-drawer B, folder 1
Billboard: "Re-dream the Systems..."
undated
box 49, folder 16
Ginsberg, Allen
1978 June 28
box 49, folder 17-19
King, William R.
1980-1983,
undated
Series 3.
Professional
[1952]-1990,
undated
Physical Description: Boxes 50-51; Box 52, folders 1-4; Oversize Box 1, folders 7-18; Oversize Box 2, folders 1-10; Oversize folders 2-7.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The professional papers focus primarily on the business aspects of publishing books and producing plays. Included are contracts
for books and plays and royalty statements for published works. Awards, teaching contracts and honoraria receipts for readings
and lectures are also represented. There is also a fairly comprehensive collection of flyers, posters, program notes, interviews,
articles, reviews, and newspaper clippings about McClure's writings and plays, including announcements for readings and performances
with Ray Manzarek. Contains very little detailed correspondence.
box 50, folder 1
General
1965-1983,
undated
box 50, folder 2
From/To Charles Olson
1959-1968,
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 7
From/To Charles Olson
undated
box 50, folder 3
General - From Michael McClure
undated
box 50, folder 4
Regarding Copyrights
1963 Sep. 4-1966 July 15
box 50, folder 5
Regarding "Ghost Tantras"
1964 Apr.-1966 Nov.
Awards/Fellowships/Grants
box 50, folder 6-8
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
1962-1973
box 50, folder 9
NEA, Literature Program
1973
box 50, folder 10
Rockefeller Foundation
1974 Nov. 11
box 50, folder 12
Membership - Société Des Auteurs et Composituers Dramatiques
1970 Sep. 15
box 50, folder 13
Published Books
1959 Oct. 1-1985 Mar. 12
box 50, folder 14
Dramatic Compositions
1965 Apr. 1-1970 Apr. 24
box 50, folder 15
Agreements to Publish
1960 Feb. 8-1993 Feb. 17
box 50, folder 16
Agreements to Produce Plays
1967 Aug. 15-1978 Oct. 1, undated
box 50, folder 17
Agreements for Play-Licensing
1979 Nov. 27-1983 Apr. 19
box 50, folder 18
Agreement for Motion Picture Rights
1969 May-June
box 50, folder 19
Lease Agreement, Theater
1967 Mar.
box 50, folder 20
Agreements for Public Lectures
1983 Jan.-Aug.
box 50, folder 21
Foreign Play Leasing
1968 Apr. 15
box 51, folder 1
Artists Management
undated
box 51, folder 3
Teaching
1963 June 14-1985 May 8
box 51, folder 4
Agreements - Miscellaneous
1959 Sep. 20-1985 Oct. 13, undated
box 51, folder 5-6
Rights to Publish Poetry
1964 -1974
box 51, folder 7
Royalties
1962 Nov. 8-1982 Dec. 30, undated
oversize_box 1, folder 8
Royalties - Grove Press
1965 Mar. 22-1980 June 4
box 51, folder 8
Honoraria - Lectures/Readings/Writing
1962 May 21-1983 Feb. 14, undated
oversize_box 1, folder 9
Printing Stats - "Scratching the Beat Surface"
[1982]
box 51, folder 9
Art Exhibition Announcement
1961 Jan. 4
box 51, folder 10
Poetry Readings Flyers, posters and broadsides
1956-1983 Mar., undated
oversize-drawer B, folder 2
oversize_box 2, folder 1-2
Flyers and broadsides
1967-1978
oversize_box 2, folder 3
Tribal Stomp posters
1978
oversize_box 2, folder 4-7
Flyers, posters and broadsides
1980-2002,
undated
oversize_box 2, folder 8
Flyers for readings with Ray Manzarek
1994,
undated
box 51, folder 11
Flyers for readings with Ray Manzarek
1990-2000,
undated
box 51, folder 12
Flyers for readings by others
1982-2001,
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 10
Flyers for readings by others
1983
oversize-drawer B, folder 3
Posters for readings for others
1994,
undated
oversize-drawer B, folder 4
Duncan, Robert and Jess, announcement for readings in Berkeley
1970
oversize-drawer B, folder 5
Ginsberg, Allen
1994,
undated
box 51, folder 13
Flyers
[1967-1976],
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 11
oversize_box 2, folder 10
Posters,
The Beard
undated
oversize-drawer B, folder 6
Posters
1969-1975,
undated
box 51, folder 14
Playbills
[1969-1976],
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 12
box 51, folder 15
Program Notes
[1974]-1976
box 51, folder 16
Program Notes - By Others
1971 Nov. 13
box 51, folder 17
Rehearsal Schedules
[1973] Dec. 11-[1974] Feb. 11
box 51, folder 19
Performance Schedules
1970-1977
box 51, folder 21
Ephemera -
The Beard
[1965?]
box 51, folder 22
Prospectus - Film -
The Adept
1985 June
box 51, folder 23
Prospectus - Opera-
Josephine: The Mouse Singer
undated
box 51, folder 24
Interviews - Published
1977-1982
oversize_box 1, folder 13
Interviews - Published
1990
box 51, folder 25
Interviews - Unpublished
1962 Sep. 1, undated
box 51, folder 26
Writings
1962 Apr. 8-1983 Oct.
oversize_box 1, folder 14
box 51, folder 27
Theater Productions
1966 Oct. 2-1978 Feb. 9
oversize_box 1, folder 15
Theater Productions
1965 Dec. 21
box 51, folder 28-29
About Michael McClure
1964 June-1981 Oct. 2, undated
oversize_box 1, folder 16
About Michael McClure
1966 Sep. 20
box 51, folder 30
That Mention Michael McClure
[1952]-1981 Dec. 29, undated
oversize_box 1, folder 17
That Mention Michael McClure
1963 July-1980 Apr. 20
box 52, folder 1
About
The Beard - Obscenity Charges
1966 Aug. 19-1969 Jan. 12, undated
box 52, folder 2
That Mention
The Beard
1966 Aug. 29- Nov. 22
box 52, folder 3
Regarding Plagiarism of
The Beard
1974 July 1
box 52, folder 4
Writings
1962-1981,
undated
oversize_box 1, folder 18
Simple Eyes and Other Poems broadside
undated
box 52, folder 5
Theater Productions
1966 Aug. 20-1977
box 52, folder 6
Television Production
1967 Apr.
box 52, folder 7
Public Art Exhibition
1977 Nov.
oversize-drawer B, folder 7
Poster, Norman Mailer's
Beyond the Law
1968
box 52, folder 8
Conference - Stockholm U.N. Environmental Conference
1972
box 52, folder 9
Antioch University
1988 Nov.-Dec.
box 52, folder 13
Archive of Michael McClure at Simon Fraser
1972 May 8-1983 Jan. 13
box 52, folder 14
Curriculum Vitae / Biographical Material
1971-1974,
undated
Series 4.
Artwork, Posters and Broadsides
[1952]- 2001,
undated
Physical Description: Box 52, folders 15-25; Box 53, folders 1-7; Oversize Box 1, folder 19; Oversize Box 2, folders 11-13; Oversize folders 8-13.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by artist.
Scope and Contents
Includes sketches and drawings by McClure, his family, and friends; materials from William Jahrmarkt pertaining to the Jahrmarkt
family and the Batman Gallery; posters by or about Wallace Berman and Bruce Conner, announcements for exhibitions of Jay DeFeo,
and posters for Hells Angels gatherings and various other events.
oversize_box 2, folder 11
Berman, Wallace, poster CMN/DENOMINATOR MIC.W736 [verifax collage]
[1967]
oversize_box 2, folder 12
Conner, Bruce - posters, broadsides
1968-1978,
undated
oversize_folder 8B
Posters, "Bruce Conner Supervisor" and Exhibit announcement, "Poets of the Cities" at SFMOMA
1967,
1975
oversize_folder 9C
Poster, N.Y. Film Festival
1965
oversize_box 1, folder 19
DeFeo, Jay - exhibition announcements
1990,
undated
box 52, folder 16
Duncan, Robert Edward, and Jess - Boob Number One: A Dada Derivative (2 broadsides)
[1952]
box 52, folder 17
Heisenberg, Jerry
undated
box 52, folder 18
Broadsides [one with poem by Freewheelin Frank (Frank Reynolds)]
undated
oversize-drawer B, folder 10
Posters, ""Hells Angels present...Big Brother and the Holding Co...." and Hells Angels Frisco Party in Honor of Gino Heinicke,
1946-1969"
[1969],
undated
oversize_folder 11C
Poster, "Chocolate George's Funeral"
1967
Jahrmarkt, William (Batman Gallery)
box 52, folder 19
Correspondence
1962-1964,
undated
box 52, folder 20
Poetry
1963-1970,
undated
box 52, folder 21
Artwork
1962-1964,
undated
box 52, folder 22
Herms, George
1961-1964,
undated
box 52, folder 23
Gallery publicity
1963,
undated
box 52, folder 24
Star charts
1965-1966,
undated
oversize_box 2, folder 13
Mechanix Illustrated Angels Closet Galaxy Dragonfuck talking (poster)
[1968]
box 53, folder 1
[McClure, Jane ?]
undated
box 53, folder 2
McClure, JoAnna
1961 Apr. 12, undated
box 53, folder 3
McClure, Michael
circa 1955-1965
box 53, folder 4
McClure, Michael
[1970s?]
box 53, folder 5
McClure, Michael
1999 July 23
oversize_folder 12B
Riley, Terry Poster, "A 25th Year Celebration of Terry Riley in C"
1995
box 53, folder 7
Whalen. Philip
1963 May 30
oversize_box 2, folder 14
Miscellaneous Posters
1969-1993,
undated
oversize_folder 13C
Miscellaneous Poster, "Pop Song" by Derek Boshier and Christopher Logue
undated
Series 5.
Personal
1874-1991,
undated
Physical Description: Box 53, folders 8-14.
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
Scope and Contents
McClure's personal papers consist of mostly personal documents, including his B.A. diploma and Coast Guard papers (where he
worked briefly during the 50s), and personal papers relating to his daughter Jane McClure. Also included is a notebook of
Amy Evans McClure.
box 53, folder 8
Correspondence - General
1973 Aug. 7, undated
box 53, folder 9
From Henry Johnson
1874 Apr.-1915 June 28, undated
box 53, folder 10
From/To Marian [Johnson] McClure
[1976],
undated
box 53, folder 12
Jane McClure's [Home?] School Lessons
1969 June-Sep.
box 53, folder 12
CV, artist's statement, writings about
1998-2003,
undated
box 53, folder 14
Exhibit announcements, clippings
1983-2003,
undated
box 53, folder 15
Notebook
1990 Mar. 2-1991 Oct. 20
box 53, folder 14
Miscellaneous
1966,
undated
