ruth weiss papers, approximately 1897-2020

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Summary

Creators:
Weiss, Ruth, 1928-2020 and The ruth weiss Trust
Abstract:
The ruth weiss papers document the life and work of the Austrian-American jazz poet, performer, and filmmaker associated with the Beat generation and California poetry. The papers include weiss's personal and professional correspondence, poetry and prose manuscripts and typescripts, artworks, photographs, audiovisual materials, publicity, published writings, and ephemera, as well as writings and artworks by other notable figures.
Extent:
84.5 linear feet (56 cartons, 5 boxes, 20 flat boxes; 7 oversize folders), 43.9 GB (4,352 files), 431 sound cassettes, 231 sound discs, 40 sound tape reels, 252 videocassettes, 170 videodiscs, and 5 diskettes
Language:
Materials are primarily in English and German, with some materials in Czech, French, Spanish, and Hebrew.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], The ruth weiss papers, BANC MSS 2021/139, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The ruth weiss papers include correspondence, writings, ephemera, professional papers, publicity, documents, artworks, photographs, and audiovisual materials related to weiss's artistic and personal life over the course of her seven decades of creative output. The collection has been divided into 11 series: Correspondence, Writings, Performances, Films, Professional Papers, Publicity, Personal Papers, Ephemera, Artworks, Photographs, and Audiovisual Materials.

The bulk of the collection documents weiss's writings, artworks, performances, and personal relationships from her childhood through the end of her life.

weiss's writings include poetry, drama, and prose, both published and unpublished. Poetry includes writings related to environmental activism, musical performance, tribute poems, biographical writings, and interviews. Along with manuscripts and typescripts, the collection includes extensive examples of weiss's published writings in local and underground periodicals, including Beatitude, Boston Gay Review, Love Lights, and San Francisco Phoenix.

The collection includes materials related to weiss's filmmaking, as in her film The Brink, and to her acting appearances, particularly in the films of Steven Arnold.

Also included in the collection are documents and photographs related to weiss's family dating back to approximately 1897, covering their time in Austria and Germany before their escape to the United States from the Nazi regime in 1939, as well as weiss's parents' lives in the United States.

weiss's correspondence includes many prominent poets, artists, and figures in 20th-century poetry, film, art, and music. Correspondents include Steven Arnold, Carol Berge, Eddy Falconer, Jack Hirschman, Kevin Killian, Anne McKeever, Jack Micheline, Danny Nicoletta, Theodore Roethke, Aya Tarlow, and others.

The collection also includes writings by other writers including Jack Hirschman and Aggie Falk, Madeline Gleason, Gary Gach, Mary Norbert Korte, Philip Lamantia, Sutter Marin, Aya Tarlow, and A.D. Winans.

Featured throughout the collection is the work of weiss's longtime partner, the visual artist Paul Blake. Other notable artists with work represented in the collection include Richard Barton, Bernice (Bingo) Bing, Sutter Marin, and Winston Smith.

Publicity, ephemera, photographs, and other materials in the collection document weiss's participation in multiple notable and iconic San Francisco scenes beginning in the early 1950s. Materials in the collection reflect weiss's connections to legendary poetry, North Beach, and Beat generation haunts including Minnie's Can-Do, the Old Spaghetti Factory, Gino and Carlo's, and Deno and Carlo's. They also document the San Francisco queer community beginning in the 1950s at the Black Cat Bar, continuing through weiss's association with legendary drag group The Cockettes, and her poetry performances in the 1970s and 1980s with the drag performer Mona Mandrake.

The collection includes a large quantity of photographs, both print and digital. Photographs of weiss's family date back to approximately 1897, and cover her childhood in Germany and Austria, as well as her childhood and teenage years in various cities in the United States, and in Europe. Photographs also document weiss's early years in Chicago and San Francisco, her time in North Beach in the late 1950s, various writers and artists she was associated with at the time, and early performances. Many photographs document weiss's performances around the United States and Europe through the end of her life.

A large collection of audiovisual materials includes many video and sound recordings of weiss's performances, as well as interviews and film appearances, dating back to the 1950s.

Biographical / historical:

ruth weiss (1928-2020) was an Austrian-American poet associated with jazz-poetry and the Beat generation.

ruth weiss was born Ruth Elisabeth Weisz in Berlin, Germany, on June 24, 1928. Fleeing Nazi rule in Europe, weiss's Austrian-Jewish family escaped to the United States in 1939, and eventually settled in Chicago.

After time spent in Chicago, New York, and New Orleans, weiss arrived in San Francisco in 1952. In North Beach of the early 1950s, weiss began performing poetry accompanied by jazz music, innovating "jazz-poetry" and the contemporary poetry scene in the city in the years before the boom of the Beat generation.

In 1961, weiss directed an experimental film, The Brink, building upon her long narrative poem of the same title. Beginning in 1967, weiss was a featured actress in several films of the filmmaker and artist Steven Arnold. In the same year, she met the artist Paul Blake, who would become her longtime partner and collaborator.

In the 1980s, weiss and Blake moved to Albion, California, where weiss would remain for the rest of her life.

weiss's significant publications include Desert Journal (1977), Single Out (1978) White is All Colors (2004), and A Fool's Journey (2012). She released several recordings of her poetry performances, under the title Poetry & All That Jazz.

weiss was a prolific poet whose creative output spanned seven decades, and many styles. In addition to jazz-poetry performance, weiss's poetry practices included haiku, environmental protest poetry, and frequent collaboration with visual artists including Blake and Sutter Marin.

Acquisition information:
The ruth weiss papers were donated to The Bancroft Library by the trustees of The ruth weiss Trust in 2021.
Processing information:

Processed by Bancroft Library staff in 2023 as part of a Mellon Foundation-funded grant to process archival collections relating to 20th-century women poets. Processed at Level 4. Collections processed at Level 4 are provided with a collection level description and a mixed-level (mostly file-level) container listing.

The ruth weiss digital files were received on 115 discs including 3.5" floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, and a zip disk. The files were scanned for viruses using Malwarebytes. Forensic disk images, logical copies, and CD audio ripping of the source media were completed by Library staff. To complete this work, staff used AccessData FTK Imager, the Digital Archivist's Resource Tool (DART), and Exact Audio Copy. Archivists extracted and analyzed the files in FTK and TreeSize Professional, screening material for personal identifiable information (PII). Four discs were found to be duplicates. Three CDs failed imaging and one 3.5" floppy disk was empty. 15 files were removed due to corruption. 95 files were deaccessioned. See deaccession note for further information.

This finding aid contains original descriptive language for materials that may contain outdated or harmful language. This may include transcribed titles of printed works. The use of this description is not an endorsement of the language it contains. Original descriptive language has been retained to promote searchability and discoverability of the collections.

Arrangement:

Arranged mostly to the file level, in some instances arranged to the item level.

Accruals:

Future addition is expected by end of 2024.

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.
Physical description:
Original labels and arrangement retained when possible, most folders arrived in poor condition and materials required rehousing with original labels copied onto archival folders. Items described in the Audiovisual Materials series have not been converted to digital formats, and exist in a variety of audiovisual formats (see Extent).
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Digital materials AVAILABLE BY REQUEST. Once the request has been processed, researchers will be provided with instructions to view materials.

Original archival audiovisual materials are restricted due to fragility. Materials must be reformatted for research access. Inquire with Bancroft Public Services regarding the creation of reading room viewing copies of archival audiovisual items.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections 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. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], The ruth weiss papers, BANC MSS 2021/139, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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