Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: John M. Bennett collection
Date (inclusive): 1970-2009
Collection Number: PS3552.E5473.Z99
Creator :
Bennett, John M.
Extent:
Number of containers: 10 boxes
Linear feet: 3.2
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Collection contains works of avant-garde and visual poetry, mail
art, rubber stamp art, book and performance reviews, and announcements for public
performances.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite
and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research. COLLECTION STORED, IN PART, OFF-SITE: Advance notice
required for use.
Publication Rights
Materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17,
U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of
the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], John M. Bennett Collection, PS3552.E5473.Z99, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Bennett, John M.--Archives
Ackerman, Al
Experimental poetry
Poetry
Poets
American poetry--20th century
Poets, American
Publishers' advertisements.
Poems.
Broadside poems.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The John M. Bennett Collection was purchased by The Bancroft Library in January 2009.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Processed by Ken Fisher in 2010.
Biographical Information
John M. Bennett is an American author and artist whose work, though not well known to the
academic community, has made a significant contribution to the world of innovative poetry.
Born in Chicago, Bennett received his B.A. and M.A. from Washington University and his Ph.D.
from UCLA in 1970. He taught Hispanic literature from 1969 to 1976 at Ohio State University.
Bennett is the author of numerous books of poetry, all published by small presses, including
Luna Bisonte Prods, his own press. Much of his poetry relies upon the visual experience of
the poem for its effect. The interplay of texts with space, the physical appearance of the
page, and the printing process itself are all important elements in Bennett's work. He is
also one of a growing number of poets and artists who have made innovative use of
inexpensive mimeographic and xerographic processes. Luna Bisonte Prods, which he founded in
1976, publishes a variety of printed pieces including broadsides, rubber stamp art, labels,
and stickers. From 1975 to 2005 Bennett produced the Lost and Found Times.
Scope and Content of Collection
Contains works of avant-garde and visual poetry, mail art, rubber stamp art, book and
performance reviews, and announcements for public performances. Includes : "Tacky Little
Pamphlets" (TLP's or chapbooks), broadsides, postcards, labels, advertisements, reviews, and
miscellany. Also includes compact discs and audiocassette tapes of Bennett's performances of
his work.