Eddie Woods papers, circa 1957- 2009

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Summary

Creators:
Woods, Eddie and Woods, Eddie
Abstract:
The papers of writer, poet & publisher Eddie Woods (b.1940) includes correspondence, manuscripts, ephemera, publications, photographs, audiovisual media, and more.
Extent:
76 Linear Feet (92 manuscript boxes, 2 half boxes, 4 flat boxes, 39 map folders, 1 roll; 161 audio cassettes, 11 VHS, 1 KCA64 videocassette, 1 8mm film reel, 1 HDV tape.)
Language:
English and The majority of the collection is English, but there are materials in Dutch.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Eddie Woods papers, M1386. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Biographical / historical:

The Eddie Woods Archive documents an understudied, indeed largely undefined, segment of the "new American poetry and prose" of the post-1945 period – namely, the expatriate and, to a certain extent, surrealist school that has numerous connections with the Beats but is essentially an independent, coherent body of work. The leading figures of this school are represented in this collection by substantial numbers of manuscript materials, correspondence, scarce and rare books, photographs, and a variety of art prints, including numerous silk screens. The principal centers of this expatriate vein of post-WWII American cultural expression were Amsterdam, London, Morocco, Nepal, Bombay and other sites in India, Thailand, Bali, and to a lesser degree Paris. Eddie Woods (b. 1940, in New York) moved into this cultural circle in the early 1970s. Originally a journalist, he first made contact with it through his newspaper and radio work in Thailand, which was eventually followed by his becoming an editor for International Times (IT), a London-based monthly that was one of the counter-culture's major voices in the 1960s and 1970s. Woods had begun writing poetry and fiction by this time, and after he moved to Amsterdam in the late 1970s, he founded Ins & Outs magazine, then subsequently the Ins & Outs Press and Bookstore, all of which flourished as publishers, publicists, and organizers of expatriate cultural productions from the late 70s and into the 80s (with the Press continuing into the early 90s). In October 2004 the Press emerged from a decade of 'suspended animation' with the release of Eddie Woods' spoken-word CD Dangerous Precipice, followed a year later by his book Tsunami of Love: A Poems Cycle. The recorded version of Tsunami of Love appeared on compact disc in August 2007.

In his role as a cultural impresario and artistic entrepreneur, Eddie Woods, still an active poet and prose writer, is an important presence, both in American expatriate circles and among European avant-gardists, especially Dutch and Italian. Woods' promotional activities made him, in short, a crucial center to the movement, and his archive documents his close connections with its leading figures, including Paul Bowles, Ira Cohen, Bob and Eileen Kaufman, Louise Landes-Levi, William Levy, and Jack Micheline.

The Archive also contains manuscripts and many photographs of the principal Beat writers, including William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke, and Harold Norse. It features, as well, significant documentation on numerous European avant-garde figures of the period, such as the British writer Tom Raworth, the Dutch photographer Peter Edel (including portraits of William Burroughs, Julian Beck, Allen Ginsberg, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko, along with annotated contact sheets), Piero Heliczer (Italian-born American poet, playwright and filmmaker), and Chris Sanders, long-time publisher of the International Times.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased by Stanford University, Special Collections in July 2003. A small addenda was donated in 2007.
Arrangement:

The Eddie Woods papers consist of personal and business correspondence, diaries, rare books and periodicals, manuscripts, ephemera, assorted printed matter, original artwork, photographs, and audiovisual materials, circa 1957-2009.

This collection is arranged into nine series: 1. Correspondence, 2. Ins and Outs, 3. Eddie Woods' Diaries, 4. Little Magazines, 5. Manuscripts by Eddie Woods, 6. Ephemera, Printed Matter, Photographs, and Artwork, 7. Jenny Brookes, 8. Unsolicited Manuscripts, 9. Audiovisual Materials.

Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36-48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Eddie Woods papers, M1386. Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website