Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Morris Herman Collection
- Dates:
- 1960-1993
- Creators:
- Morris (Morry) Herman (1934-1993)
- Abstract:
- Extent:
- .25 cubic feet
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
Morris Herman Collection. Cal Poly Humboldt, Library Special Collections and Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection is about 150 loose sheets of type written poems. Several contain Morry's handwritten edits. Friends, lovers, and favorite local places are frequent topics for the poems. The poems have been left in the order in which they arrived. The only change was to clip together the pages for the several poems that are more than one page. One copy each of: Something Inside Us Which Flys, What Makes the Plum Tree Blossom, The Swimmer Kicks Free.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The obituary for Morris Herman, printed in The Union on November 18, 1993, summarizes his life. Long time friend, Patsy Givens wrote the obituary. On October 31, 1993, Morry had been walking home and was struck by a car as he crossed Highway 101 at Indianola Cutoff. For the last several years of his life Morry had stayed at the Old Arcata Rd-Myrtle Ave. home of his friend Truman Rocke Warlick. Morry continually worked at writing poetry. For many years he supported himself as a bartender in several Arcata Plaza establishments. Frequently he shared his poems at local readings. Often he submitted poems to publications and nearly as often he received rejection notices. He kept on writing. The Jambalaya hosted a memorial poetry reading for Morry. His publications include: What Makes the Plum Tree Blossom, Grandmother's Print Dresses. With Jim Linn he published Something Inside Us Which Flys; a copy of this is in the HSU Library's Humboldt County Collection.
- Acquisition information:
- Patsy Givens delivered the small box of poems to the HSU Library after having received them from Jenna Magneson Anderson who had held them since shortly after Herman's death in 1993. Patsy donated four copies of Morry's poetry books: two copies of Something Inside Us Which Flys, one copy each of What Makes the Plum Tree Blossom, and The Swimmer Kicks Free. One copy of Something Inside Us Which Flys will be cataloged and placed in the Library's Humboldt County Collection. The other copies remain with the collection of poems.
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Poetry
Arcata, CA
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1960-1993
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for use by appointment.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the Humboldt State University Library.
- Preferred citation:
-
Morris Herman Collection. Cal Poly Humboldt, Library Special Collections and Archives
- Location of this collection:
-
Third Floor, Room 3031 Harpst StreetArcata, CA 95521-8299, US
- Contact:
- (707) 826-3419