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
