Bill Pearlman Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2022
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Bill Pearlman Papers
Creator:
Pearlman, Bill
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0789
Physical Description:
10.6 Linear feet
(27 archives boxes and one oversize folder)
Physical Description:
.154 GB
of digital files
Date (inclusive): 1957-2013
Abstract: Papers of Bill Pearlman (1943-2016), poet, actor, playwright, Jungian psychotherapist and founding director of the Institute
for Archetypal Drama.
Languages:
English
.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of Bill Pearlman, poet, actor, playwright, Jungian psychotherapist and founding director of the Institute for Archetypal
Drama. Materials include writings, notebooks, artwork, a small selection of photographs and biographical materials, and correspondence
with colleagues, friends and family.
Arranged in five series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) JOURNALS AND ARTWORK, 4) WRITINGS, and 5) MISCELLANEOUS.
Biography
William (Bill) Dennis Pearlman was born in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. He attended Mira Costa High School in Manhattan
Beach, California, obtained a B.A. in English Literature and Theatre Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles, and
went on to earn his M.A. in English Literature from the University of New Mexico. In addition to literature and theatre, Pearlman
had a lifelong interest in athletics. He played football at both Mira Costa High School and UCLA, and was an All-American
volleyball player.
After graduate school, Pearlman trained extensively in Jungian psychotherapy, psychodrama and family therapy, and became a
licensed professional counselor and substance abuse therapist in the state of New Mexico. In 1987, combining his interest
in psychology and theatre, Pearlman founded the Institute for Archetypal Drama, and for several years as Director, he developed
and conducted innovative educational workshops for college students and adults in drama therapy.
Pearlman taught workshops and classes on a variety of subjects relating to theatre, drama therapy, English literature and
poetry at several institutions throughout the course of his professional career: He was on the faculty of Southwestern College
in Santa Fe, New Mexico; was an Instructor of English Literature at the Writing Center at the University of California, Santa
Barbara; and was the Program Director of the graduate level Archetypal Drama Therapy program at Ottawa University in Phoenix.
Pearlman, a multi-linguist, also taught drama therapy workshops in Portuguese in Brazil, and in Spanish in Mexico and Spain.
In 1992, Pearlman presented at the national ASGPP Psychodrama Conference in New York and the National Association for Drama
Therapy in San Francisco.
In addition to teaching drama, Pearlman was a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Actors' Equity Association and had
small rolls in feature films and television, including: Falcon Crest (1989); Lazarus Man (1995); and East Meets West (Japanese
Production, 1996). He acted in several plays, including: Waiting for Godot at the Vortex Theatre (1976); Figaro Gets a Divorce
at the La Jolla Playhouse (1986); Glengarry Glen Ross at the Arizona Theatre Co. (1987); Caine Mutiny Court Martial at the
Actors Lab, Arizona (1988); and directed Samuel Beckett's Krapps Last Tape at the Zócalo Theatre in New Mexico (1982).
Pearlman wrote in a variety of genres, often combining his interested in poetry, archetypes and the dramatic arts and published
several books including:
Surfing Off the Ark (Poems 1965-1969) by Grasshopper Press (1970);
Inzorbital: A Novel published by Duende Press (1974);
Elegy for Prefontaine and Other Track Poems (1977);
Characters of the Sacred: The World of Archetypal Drama published by Duende Press (1995);
Flareup of Twosomes, Poems by La Alameda Press (1996);
Brazilian Incarnation, New and Selected Poems by Rough Road Press (2000); and was part of the poetry anthology,
In Company: Anthology of New Mexico Poets, (University of New Mexico Press, 2004).
Pearlman passed away in 2016 in San Miguel, New Mexico.
Preferred Citation
Bill Pearlman Papers. MSS 789. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2016
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Digital Content
A small selection digital files are decribed in the container list.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Poets, American -- New Mexico -- Archives
American poetry -- 20th century
American poetry -- 21st century
Drama -- Therapeutic use -- Research
Pearlman, Bill -- Archives
BIOGRAPHICAL
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) BIOGRAPHICAL: Arranged alphabetically, a small selection of materials documenting Pearlman's early life through
professional career, and include school memorabilia, resumes, credentials, acting headshots and photographs of Pearlman.
Box 1, Folder 1
Bio Book page, Mira Costa High School Class of 1961 50th reunion
2011
Box 1, Folder 2
School ephemera
1957-1961
Box 1, Folder 3-5
Photographs - Portraits and miscellaneous
1993-2001 and undated
Box 1, Folder 6
Résumé, credentials and business cards
1995-2000
Box 1, Folder 7
Publicity and reviews
1983-1984
Box 1, Folder 8
SAG/Equity acting resume and headshots
ca. 1995
Box 27, Folder 5
Football memorabilia
1955-1961
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) CORRESPONDENCE: Includes letters with colleagues, family and friends. Correspondence is divided into two subseries,
a) Literary Correspondence and b) A-Z Personal Correspondence, reflecting Pearlman's original organization of the material.
Highlights include letters from poets Robert Creeley, Gloria Frym, Larry Goodell, and Charlie Vermont, as well as extensive
correspondence with poet and journalist Peter Marin.
Box 1, Folder 10
Creeley, Robert
1979-2002
Box 1, Folder 11
Eschelman, Clayton (Editor, Sulfur)
1984-1990
Box 1, Folder 14
Grossinger, Richard
1972-1978
Box 1, Folder 15
Gullans, Charles
1970-1991
Box 1, Folder 16
Hillman, James (Jungian psychologist)
1991-1992
Box 2, Folder 1
La Alameda Press
1995-2003
Box 2, Folder 2
La Jolla Playhouse
2002-2003
Box 2, Folder 6
McAnuff, Des (Director, La Jolla Playhouse)
1986-1987
Box 2, Folder 10
Robertson, Kell
1971-1975
Box 2, Folder 11
Rodefer, Stephen
1971-1996
Box 2, Folder 14
Vermont, Charlie
1970-1973
Box 2, Folder 15
A - Miscellaneous
1971-1997
Box 2, Folder 18-19
B - Miscellaneous
1967-2000
Box 2, Folder 20
C - Miscellaneous
1962-2003
Box 3, Folder 2-3
D - Miscellaneous
1965-1994
Box 3, Folder 4
Elliston, Paul ("Pancho")
1973-1990
Box 3, Folder 5
E - Miscellaneous
1974-1993
Box 3, Folder 6
F - Miscellaneous
1970-1991
Box 3, Folder 8-9
G - Miscellaneous
1970-1991
Box 3, Folder 10
Hanson, Richard
1971-1974
Box 3, Folder 12
Hopkins, Richard (Dick)
1986-1996
Box 3, Folder 13
H - Miscellaneous
1968-1995
Box 3, Folder 15
I - J - Miscellaneous
1965-1994
Box 3, Folder 16
K - Miscellaneous
1967-1997
Box 3, Folder 18
LaVene, Meredith
ca. 2001
Box 3, Folder 19
L - Miscellaneous
1972-1995
Box 3, Folder 21
M - Miscellaneous
1970-2003
Box 4, Folder 2
N - Miscellaneous
1965-1990
Box 4, Folder 3
O - Miscellaneous
1969-1992
Box 4, Folder 4
P - Miscellaneous
1968-1996
Box 4, Folder 5-6
Pearlman family
1961-1987
Box 4, Folder 7
Pearlman, Bill outgoing correspondence
1989-1999
Box 4, Folder 8
Q-R - Miscellaneous
1969-2003
Box 4, Folder 9
Silverberg, Lenny
1973-1992
Box 4, Folder 10
S - Miscellaneous
1970-2003
Box 4, Folder 11
T - Miscellaneous
1967-1986
Box 4, Folder 12
U-V - Miscellaneous
1975-1999
Box 4, Folder 15
W - Miscellaneous
1958-2000
Box 4, Folder 16
X, Y, Z - Miscellaneous
1972-2003
JOURNALS AND ARTWORK
Scope and Content of Series
Series 3) JOURNALS AND ARTWORK: Arranged in two subseries, a) Notebooks and b) Artwork. Pearlman kept extensive journals throughout
the greater part of his life, from the 1970s through 2013. These notebooks often included early drafts of poems, daily musings,
and notes relating to archetypal drama, relationships and other subjects. Pearlman also kept visual journals in the form of
abstract paintings, mostly in watercolor and tempera paint, and ink drawings. Pearlman's images, many on watercolor paper
pads and titled and dated, relate to his interest in archetypes, dreams and psychotherapy.
Box 27, Folder 1
1970
General note
Includes "Seal Rock Stadium."
Box 5, Folder 1-7
1970-1979
General note
Includes photographs from 1965 and Whole Life Workshop writings.
Box 13, Folder 1-7
1999-2001
General note
Includes San Miguel notes and "Frida in La Jolla."
Box 14, Folder 1-7
2001-2003
General note
Includes San Miguel notes and poem "Tennis Butterfly."
Box 15, Folder 1-8
2002-2005
General note
Includes poem "Buttress Snarleagle (Patriot)."
Box 17, Folder 1-10
undated
General note
Includes "An educational approach to healing."
Box 19, Folder 1-12
Paintings and drawings
ca. 1985-1993
Box 20, Folder 1-10
Paintings and drawings
ca. 1994-2010
Oversize FB - 515, Folder 14
Oversized paintings
ca. 1990-1994
Box 27, Folder 3-4
Paintings on board, "Embryo with Jump Shot" and "Blue Strands"
1973
WRITINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 4) WRITINGS: Arranged alphabetically by title, includes drafts of Pearlman's published and unpublished poetry, plays,
and essays on archetypal drama and psychology, as well as notes and undated and/or untitled poems. Highlights include drafts
of Pearlman's
Characters of the Sacred: The World of Archetypal Drama, his definitive book on archetypal drama therapy, and his anthology of collected poems,
Brazilian Incantation: Poems 1997-2000. Also included is a recorded video of Pearlman's
Jung at Heart: A One Man Show with Four Parts.
Box 21, Folder 1
An Elegy for Prefontaine, chapbook and mock-up
1973
Box 21, Folder 2
Archetypal Drama Therapy in an Adult Psychiatric Setting, draft chapter
ca. 1992
Box 21, Folder 3
Archetypal Psychodynamics in Modern American Plays, essay
undated
Box 21, Folder 4
Backstop: A Catcher's Fictional Quest, draft
ca. 1986
Box 21, Folder 8
Brazilian Incantation: Poems 1997-2000
2000
Box 21, Folder 9
Buttress Snarleagle, (Patriot), draft poems
Box 21, Folder 10
Chainletter: A Short Play
Box 21, Folder 11-12
Characters of the Sacred: The World of Archetypal Drama, cover and drafts. Early working title, The World of Archetypal Drama:
Mobilization of the Numinous Experience
1995
Box 21, Folder 13
The Comeback, for Jerry Stephenson; and The Rise, in Fervent Valley
1972
Box 21, Folder 14
Documentation (A Play)
1987
Box 21, Folder 15-16
Flareup of Twosomes (2015) - Galley Proof and draft poetry
1996
Box 21, Folder 17
For Larry Goodell on his 60th Birthday, poem
1995
Box 21, Folder 18-19
Gil & Spark: A Modern Mystery Play, draft
Box 22, Folder 1
If Only… A collaboration of image and poem, by Bill Pearlman and Roland Salazar Rose
2008
Box 22, Folder 2
Jung at Heart: A One Man Show with Four Parts, cover design and quotes
Box 26, Folder 17
Jung at Heart: A One Man Show with Four Parts, VHS tape
ca. 1990s
Box 22, Folder 4-5
Love's Laborer: Poems and Short Prose
1972-1992
Box 22, Folder 6-8
Matters Fidelity, draft writings
Box 22, Folder 9
Mental Warfare, draft
1984
Box 22, Folder 10-11
Poems ("Miscellany")
ca. 1969-1979
Box 22, Folder 12
The Monogrammed Beeper Play
Box 23, Folder 2
Plans: The Progress of an E-mail Romance, A poem
1998
Box 23, Folder 3
Possible Peak, manuscript draft
Box 23, Folder 4
Psychodrama: Discovering New Meaning in Personal Drama, in New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education
1990 Spring
Box 23, Folder 5
The Psychologist and the Teacher: Divergent Views of J. Krishnamurti and C. G. Jung, essay
1989
Box 23, Folder 8
The Scout: A Play in Two Acts
1987
Box 23, Folder 9
Searching: A Fictional Lament. Also titled "Fresh Intentions: A Fictional Lament"
Box 23, Folder 12
Shortcuts, essay in The London Review of Books
2009 December 17
Box 24, Folder 1
The Theory of the Crunch, essay
Box 24, Folder 2-3
Ultimate Yo-Yo Trophy, draft poems and essays
Box 24, Folder 4
Voices in the Wind: A Play
Box 24, Folder 5
The Volleyball Wars: A Play
Box 24, Folder 6
What Lives Here? Part II, partial draft
Box 24, Folder 7
Where a Heart Spins on a Table, mock-up of book
1995
Box 24, Folder 8
Zoning, Notes from Brazil
Box 25, Folder 1-10
Miscellaneous poems, undated drafts
Box 25, Folder 11-14
Miscellaneous writings, undated drafts
Box 27, Folder 2
Miscellaneous writings - Two Sides of a New: A Play in One Act; Dome City and Other Plays
Writings
1998-2004
General
Three PDFs: Draft of forty-page story, "The Unfinished Notebooks of Lew Orwen Peak;" "2004 - New Work"; Editorials - "Sporting
a World View, Poetry and Dissent, On the Death of Gus Blaisdell, JFK Remembered."
"Recent writings"
2000-2004
General
Seven PDFs: Draft writings, including essay entitled "Mexico"; draft letters and essays; and beginning paragraph of unfinished
memoir.
Writings
2000-2004
General
Seven PDFs: Draft writings, including "Her and Him: An Archetypal Dialog"; 170-page draft of "Pierenopolis & Other Poems:
New and Selected Poems (1967-2003)"; "Poems for Katherine"; Notebook entries; "The Active Polarities in Archetypal Drama";
Jon Bentley; and "This Blessing that Startles Again" as part of 93 pages of draft poems.
MISCELLANEOUS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 5) MISCELLANEOUS: A small selection of material which primarily include draft proposals, correspondence, handouts,
notes and information on Pearlman's Institute for Archetypal Drama, and other workshop materials relating to Pearlman's teaching
and psychodrama.
Box 26, Folder 1-6
Archetypal drama
ca. 1990-1995
General note
Includes the Institute for Archetypal Drama classes and workshop materials and correspondence.
Box 26, Folder 8
Events and workshops flyers and announcements
Box 26, Folder 9
Figaro, The La Jolla Playhouse production materials
1986
Box 26, Folder 10
The Great Psychic Institute, notes
Box 26, Folder 11-12
Path To, by Larry Goodell, Duende Press signed broadside; 6 Poems by Larry Goodell, No Press Press
2003
Box 26, Folder 14
Regarding Bill Pearlman, essay by unnamed friend
Box 26, Folder 15
Regarding William F. Buckley's OP-ED on Jerry Garcia, response written by Pearlman
1995 August 21
Box 26, Folder 16
Theatre related materials
Box 26, Folder 17
Workshop on Archetypes (1 and 2) Hi8 videotapes
1989-1990
Albuzerxque Vol. 14, tracks 2, 10 and 11 - Digital sound recordings
2002
General
Three .WAV files, includes spoken word poetry. Bill Pearlman is featured in tracks 2 "Aftereffects" and 10 "In the Coffee
House" recorded May 16 2002; Simon Ortiz interview at KUNM by Marcos Martinez on May 10 2002.
