Stan Phillips Poetry Project Recordings Collection
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2019
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Business Number: 858-534-2533
Fax Number: 858-534-5950
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Stan Phillips Poetry Project Recordings Collection
Creator:
Phillips, Stan
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0819
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear feet
(1 archives box and 1 record carton)
Date (inclusive): 1962-1970
Abstract: The Stan Phillips Poetry Project Recordings Collection consists of spoken word poetry recordings and related correspondence
between Stan Phillips and poets James Broughton, Jess Collins, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Charles Olson and Louis Zukofsky.
Languages:
English
.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Stan Phillips Poetry Project Recordings Collection consists of spoken word poetry recordings and related correspondence
between Stan Phillips and poets James Broughton, Jess Collins, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Charles Olson and Louis Zukofsky.
The recordings were made in 1962, with the intention of being produced into a record of Black Mountain poets reading their
own work.
Arranged in two series: Series 1) SOUND RECORDINGS, and 2) PAPERS.
Historical Background
In 1953 Stan Phillips was a motion picture and audio-visual consultant at Western Cine, a film laboratory and sound recording
and editing studio in Denver, Colorado. He was also the cinematographer for
Interim, an experimental short film directed by his childhood friend, poet and filmmaker Stan Brakhage, who had become friends with
Robert Creeley and James Broughton. After Black Mountain College closed its doors in 1957, Phillips and Brakhage proposed
the idea of recording poets reading their own work and then making these recordings available to the public in the form of
long-playing records. This concept was influenced by Black Mountain poet Charles Olson, who believed poetry should be read
aloud in order for listeners to hear its rhythm, breath and nuances.
1962 Phillips and Western Cine were able to record, using studio reel-to-reel audio equipment, six poets reading poetry of
their choice: James Broughton, Jess Collins, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Charles Olson and Louis Zukofsky. Phillips also
sought to collect photographs of the poets and their background materials for the album cover and liner notes of the LP record.
After a decade at Western Cine, Phillips became an adjunct professor at the University of Denver in filmmaking and television
in 1962-1963, and subsequently started a business teaching screenwriting. When Phillips left Western Cine, the Poet Record
Project was without a manager to move the project forward, and eventually the tapes were sent to Phillips in the hopes that
he would complete the project on his own. A logo and the name Quest Records was draw up, but Charles Olson and Robert Duncan
never sent the final materials needed for the album cover, and although Phillips worked out an advertising plan, edited tapes
to length, and prepared them to be pressed, he was not able to raise enough funds to complete the project and LPs were never
produced.
Source material for this note is primarily from Judith Phillips's (spouse of Stan Phillips) account entitled "How Quest Records
Never Came to Be," which is in Box 2 of the collection.
Preferred Citation
Stan Phillips Poetry Project Recordings Collection. MSS 819. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2019
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Restrictions
Original sound recordings are restricted. Listening copies are available for researchers.
Digital Content
All master sound recordings and outtakes in this collection have been digitized.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American poetry -- 20th century
Oral interpretation of poetry
Black Mountain school (Group of poets)
Poetry readings (Sound recordings)
Spoken word poetry
Phillips, Stan -- Archives
Broughton, James, 1913-1999
Jess, 1923-2004
Creeley, Robert, 1926-2005
Duncan, Robert, 1919-1988
Olson, Charles, 1910-1970
Zukofsky, Louis, 1904-1978
SOUND RECORDINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) SOUND RECORDINGS: Reel-to-reel recordings arranged alphabetically by the last name of the poet. Includes recordings
of readings by James Broughton, Jess Collins, Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Charles Olson and Louis Zukofsky. The recordings
include both master recordings and some outtakes. Back-up copies of the master recordings were retained in the collection,
but are not available for use.
Box 1, Folder 1-3
Broughton, James - Master reels #1-3
1962 January 19
Box 1, Folder 7-8
Collins, Jess - Master reels #3-4
1962 March 26
Box 1, Folder 10-11, 14-16
Creeley, Robert - Master reels #1-2 and outtakes
1962 April 25
Box 1, Folder 17-18, 20
Duncan, Robert - Master reels #1-2 and outtakes
1962 March 26
Box 1, Folder 21-22, 25
Olson, Charles - Reels #1-2 and outtakes
1962
Oversize OM-1, Folder 11-13
Olson, Charles - Master edited recordings, Reels #1-3
1962
Box 1, Folder 26-29, 32
Zukofsky, Louis - Master reels #1-4 and outtakes
1962 August 28
PAPERS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) PAPERS: Includes correspondence arranged alphabetically by the last name of the poet; primarily between Stan Phillips
and James Broughton, Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, and Louis Zukofsky and others associated with the photographic and/or
recording rights of these poets. The correspondence focuses primarily on details about the recordings and proposed record,
and the earliest correspondence with Robert Creeley suggests that he was the first poet contacted and subsequently recommended
and contacted Charles Olson and Louis Zukofsky to be a part of the project. This series also includes "How Quest Records Never
Came to Be" by Judith Phillips, Stan Phillips's wife; some photographic material and background material intended for the
album cover and liner notes of the records; and original drawings for the proposed Quest Records logo.
Box 2, Folder 1
Broughton, James
1962-1965
Box 2, Folder 2
Collins, Jess and Robert Duncan
1962
Box 2, Folder 3
Creeley, Robert
1962-1969
Box 2, Folder 5
Zukofsky, Louis
1962-1963
Box 2, Folder 6
"How Quest Records Never Came to Be" - Account of the Black Mountain Poet Record Project by Judith A. Phillips
Box 2, Folder 7
Phillips's business correspondence and handwritten notes regarding Quest Records and the Black Mountain Poet Record Project
1962-1964
Box 2, Folder 8
Photographs for album cover and liner notes
General note
Portraits and background material for James Broughton, Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, and Louis Zukofsky.
Box 2, Folder 9
Quest Records original drawings of logo design
