Descriptive Summary
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Gloria Oden Papers
Dates: 1955-2010
Collection number: H.Mss.1112
Creator:
Oden, Gloria
Creator:
Hall, Donald, 1928-2018
Extent:
1.2 Linear Feet
(1 records box, 1 slim document box)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: This collection
contains materials relating to the poet Gloria Oden, created between 1955 and 2010. The
collection predominantly consists of correspondence and poetry, but also includes
photographs, newspapers clippings, and VHS tapes. A majority of the correspondence consists
of letters from poetry critic Donald Hall to Gloria Oden written between 1974 and 1979, and
letters from Gloria Oden to Claremont McKenna College humanities and government professor
Jay Martin from 1999 to 2010.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the
collection: English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to
Special Collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Gloria Oden Papers (H.Mss.1112). Special Collections, The
Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Donated by Jay Martin in 2019.
Accruals
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Processing Information
Processed in 2019 by library assistant Myles Mikulic, in the Special Collections branch
of the Honnold Mudd Library with assistance from Sara Chetney and Lisa Crane. Materials
have been stored in acid free folders and placed in a record box. Folders have been
organized alphabetically by subject. Unopened letters have been opened and arranged
chronologically. VHS tapes have been placed in acid free cases. High school report cards
relating to Jay Martin were deemed out of scope and offered back to the donor.
Biographical / Administrative History
Gloria Oden was born on October 30, 1923 in Yonkers, New York. In 1939 she graduated from
New Rochelle High School. She went on to attend Howard University, earning a BA in 1944
and a JD in 1948.
Oden began writing poetry at a young age, and in 1952 self-published her first book of
poetry,
The Naked Frame. She continued publishing poems in magazines
throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and in 1978 published a second book of poetry,
Resurrections. The book, about the murder of her mother and older sister,
went on to be nominated for the 1979 Pulitzer Prize. In 1980 Oden published a third book
of poetry,
The Ties that Bind, about her father. In 2004 Oden published a
fourth book of poetry,
Appearances, followed by
Homage in
2011.
Oden died on December 16, 2011.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The collection contains materials relating to Gloria Oden, created between 1955 and 2010.
Most of the collection consists of correspondence and poetry, with a majority of the
correspondence consisting of letters from poetry critic Donald Hall to Gloria Oden written
between 1974 and 1979, and letters from Gloria Oden to Claremont McKenna College humanities
and government professor Jay Martin from 1999 to 2010. The collection does not contain any
letters from Oden to Hall, nor does it include letters from Martin to Oden.
Oden's letters to Martin frequently include newspaper clippings (mostly from The New York
Times) and typed poems. The folders containing typed poems were likely included in letters
to Martin, but were and undated and found unsorted when received.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection has been organized alphabetically by subject. Correspondence has been
organized in chronological order.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Subject Terms
Hall, Donald, 1928-2018
Martin, Jay, 1935-
Oden, Gloria
Poets
Williams, Galen
Genre and Form of Materials
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Letters
Photographs
Poetry
Video tapes
