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Funsten (Kenneth) Research Collection
mssFunsten
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Kenneth Funsten research collection
Creator:
Funsten, Kenneth, 1952-
Identifier/Call Number: mssFunsten
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1977-1980
Abstract: A collection of material related to the
California poet Bert Meyers collected by Kenneth Funsten.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Kenneth Funsten research collection, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Kenneth Funsten, 1987.
Kenneth Funsten (1952-) is a native Californian. He worked in the Rare Books stacks in the
Huntington Library in the 1970s and, since then, Funsten has had a multifaceted career as a
poet, journalist, speech writer, and businessman. Bert Meyers (1928-1979) was born in Los
Angeles, his parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. Meyers dropped out of high school to
become a poet and during the 1940s and 1950s he was involved with the communist youth in Los
Angeles. He married Odette Sarah Miller in 1957 and they had two children. In 1964, he was
admitted to the Claremont Graduate School and in 1967 earned a Master's degree in English
Literature; he was then hired to teach literature and poetry at Pitzer College in Claremont.
He published various poetry collections including: "Early Rain" (1960), "Sunlight on the
Wall" (1976), and "The Wild Olive Trees" (1979). Meyers died of lung cancer in 1979.
A collection of letters, manuscripts, and printed material assembled by Kenneth Funsten
related to the California poet Bert Meyers. Funsten wanted to publish a tribute to Meyers so
in May and June 1979 sent letters to various poets, friends, colleagues, and students of
Meyers requesting their help. The collection contains copies of Funsten's letters, letters
and memoirs in response, and printed material related to Meyers collected by Funsten.
Significant persons in the collection include: Sam Bluefarb, Alvaro Cardona-Hine, Dennis
Cooper, French R. Fogle, Leland Hickman, George Hitchcock, Denis Levertov, Oscar Mandel,
Odette Meyers, Robert Mezey, John B. Nomland, Maximillian E. Novak, Robert Peters, William
Pillin, Benjamin Saltman, Ann Stanford, and the West Coast Poetry Review.
The collection was processed by Gayle Richardson in July 2022.
Arranged alphabetically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Poetry, Modern -- 20th century
Poets, American -- California
Women poets, American -- California
California -- Poetry
Ephemera -- California -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 20th century
Poems -- California -- 20th century
Bluefarb, Sam
Cardona-Hine, Alvaro
Cooper, Dennis, 1953-
Fogle, French R.
Hickman, Leland
Hitchcock, George
Levertov, Denise, 1923-1997
Mandel, Oscar
Meyers, Bert, 1928-1979
Meyers, Odette
Mezey, Robert
Nomland, John B., 1923-
Novak, Maximillian E. (Maximillian Erwin)
Peters, Robert, 1924-2014
Pillin, William
Saltman, Benjamin
Stanford, Ann
West Coast Poetry Review
(Firm)