Meltzer (David) papers, 1885-2017, bulk, 1936-2017

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Summary

Title:
David Meltzer papers
Dates:
1885-2017, bulk, 1936-2017
Creators:
Meltzer, David
Abstract:
This collection documents the personal and professional life of Jewish-American musician, poet, and teacher David Meltzer. His papers also document over 50 years of literary and artistic life in the Bay Area and beyond, Meltzer's expertise as a scholar of Kabbalah, and the Humanities and Poetics programs at New College of California. The collection includes correspondence with poets and writers from a variety of literary movements; manuscripts by Meltzer and his writer friends; materials related to the small press world, Jewish-American poetry, and Jewish mysticism/Kabbalah; teaching materials from his tenure at New College and his prison writing workshops; Meltzer's research and writings on music, particularly jazz, and records of his career as a musician and music critic. There are materials related to his wife, musician and artist Tina Meltzer, and their children, as well as other biographical and personal records, literary ephemera that spans nearly 60 years, and a small amount of audiovisual material.
Extent:
64 Linear Feet (48 cartons, 1 oversize box, 11 oversize folders) and xx gigabytes 1 laptop, 1 hard drive, 11 CDs, 4 DVDs, and 54 floppy disks
Language:
Collection materials are in English, Hebrew, with some Yiddish.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], David Meltzer papers, BANC MSS 2003/256c,The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the personal and professional life of Jewish-American musician, poet, and teacher David Meltzer. His papers also document over 50 years of literary and artistic life in the Bay Area and beyond, Meltzer's expertise as a scholar of Kabbalah, and the Humanities and Poetics programs at New College of California. The collection includes correspondence with poets and writers from a variety of literary movements; manuscripts by Meltzer and his writer friends; materials related to the small press world, Jewish-American poetry, and Jewish mysticism/Kabbalah; teaching materials from his tenure at New College and his prison writing workshops; Meltzer's research and writings on music, particularly jazz, and records of his career as a musician and music critic. There are materials related to his wife, musician and artist Tina Meltzer, and their children, as well as other biographical and personal records, literary ephemera that spans nearly 60 years, and a small amount of audiovisual material.

The collection has been divided into 10 series: Correspondence/Writer Files; Writings; Tree, Judaica, Kabbalah; New College of California; Prison Teaching, Workshops, and Poetry Anthologies; Music; Tina Meltzer; Biographical Materials and Personalia; Literary Ephemera; and Audiovisual Materials.

Contents of folders were kept intact and original folder titles were retained. Please note that there is overlap between the series. This reflects the fact that the boundaries between the different parts of Meltzer's life and work – especially his writing, teaching, and music – overlapped and bled into one another.

Biographical / historical:

David Meltzer was an American poet and musician of the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance. Leon David Meltzer was born in 1937 in Rochester, New York to musician parents and raised in Brooklyn, Rockville, NY, and Los Angeles. Meltzer moved to San Francisco in 1957 and became part of a circle of writers that included Robert Duncan and Jack Spicer. He was also a key figure in the small press scene in California in the 1960s and 1970s, and a scholar of Judaica and Kabbalah. He founded the journal Tree and the publishing enterprise Tree Books in the 1970s and was well known as a music writer and critic. Meltzer formed a duo with his wife Tina, and the two were also in the bands bands The Serpent Power, and MIX. Meltzer wrote more than 50 books of poetry and prose, and edited many anthologies and collections of interviews, publishing most of them with small presses, such as City Lights and Oyez. He was a beloved teacher and mentor and taught poetry and humanities at the New College of California in San Francisco for nearly 30 years. Meltzer died at his home in Oakland in 2016.

Acquisition information:
The David Meltzer papers were purchased by The Bancroft Library between 2003 and 2018.
Processing information:

Arranged to the folder level.

Processed by Marjorie Bryer and Christina Velazquez Fidler in 2022.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Physical / technical requirements:

Access to audio-visual materials may be restricted due to technical limitations.

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.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Marjorie Bryer
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-02-15 11:25:51 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

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], David Meltzer papers, BANC MSS 2003/256c,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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