The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Leza Lowitz Papers 1982-2005
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
The Leza Lowitz Papers were processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
| Title: | Lowitz, Leza. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1982-2005 |
| Size: | 16 linear feet (25 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Leza Lowitz, writer, editor, and Japanese translator. The Leza Lowitz Papers contain correspondence, photographs, Japanese ephemera, articles, literary reviews, art and literary publications, artwork, drafts and manuscripts, audio-visual material. The collection documents Lowitz’s work as a professional writer and translator. |
Series III, Audio-Visual, does not include access copies for part or all of the material in this series. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting material from this series.
The remainder of the collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Lowitz, Leza. Papers, [Box#, Folder#], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Leza Lowitz was born December 29, 1962 in San Francisco. Lowitz received a B.A. in English Literature from the University of California-Berkeley 1984 and a M.A. in English from San Francisco State University 1988. She was a lecturer at San Francisco State University, Rikkyo University in Tokyo, and Tokyo University.
Lowitz worked as an advertising copywriter for Kanebo Cosmetics. She wrote about Japanese literature and art for the Japan Times, Art in America, the Asahi Evening News and Tokyo Journal, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her essays on expatriate life were broadcast regularly on NHK Radio’s “Japan Diary.” Lowitz, alongside Edgar Honetschlager, co-wrote a Japanese film entitled MILK. She was also a corresponding editor for Mānoa.
Lowitz’s publications include, NPR’s “The Sound of Writing;” Yellow Silk; Awaiting a Lover; An Eye For An Eye: Poets on 9/11, etc.; Translations in A Chorus for Peace; A ZigZag Joy; It’s A Woman’s World; and Haiku: The Poetry of Zen.
She was honored with the PEN Syndicated Fiction Award, a fellowship in Translation from the National Endowment for the Arts, an Independent Scholar Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the California Arts Council Artists Fellowship in Poetry, the Tokyo Journal Fiction Translation Award and, the Japanophile Fiction Award.
Lowitz married Japanese writer and translator Shogo Oketani in March 1995. She is currently reviewing books for KQED Radio’s “Pacific Time,” writing and teaching yoga.
The Leza Lowitz Papers are organized into four series: Series I, Personal; Series II, Publications and Translations; Series III, Audio-Visual; and Series IV, Oversize. The Leza Lowitz Papers contain correspondence, photographs, Japanese ephemera, articles, literary reviews, art and literary publications, artwork, drafts and manuscripts, audio-visual material. The collection documents Lowitz’s work as a professional writer and translator.
Series I, Personal, contains announcements, biographies, correspondence, class notes, photographs, and Japanese ephemera. The announcements feature events and poetry readings given by Lowitz and other literary figures. Biographies are from the Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series, Volume 24 and feature poet Jack Foley and Lowitz. The class notes are from a course, “Thinking in Film,” given by Professor David Korr. The correspondence is kept in Lowitz's original order and arranged chronologically. The letters document the publishing of Lowitz’s work and include correspondence between Lowitz and literary publishers such as Stone Bridge Press, Orion Literary Agency, Graywolf Press, and Yellow Silk. Also included is correspondence between fellow Japanese translators and literary friends and colleagues. Some correspondence is in Japanese. Japanese ephemera includes a Japanese comic book, I Saw It, and a museum booklet. See Series II and Series IV for additional correspondence.
Series II, Publications and Translations, contains manuscripts, drafts, Japanese translations of poetry, short stories, and essays, correspondence, artwork, articles, interviews, reviews, and journals. The articles feature Donald Richie. There are drafts and manuscripts of poems, fiction, translations, and a film script, MILK, translated and edited by Lowitz. Interviews are conducted by Lowitz. The reviews are written by Lowitz as well as others reviewing Lowitz’s work. The artwork features the work of artists David Lynch, Andres Serrano, and Yukinori Yanagi. The journals, including Mānoa, Tokyo Journal, Runes, Harper’s, and San Francisco Focus, feature Lowitz’s poetry, articles, essays, and translations. Some journals and publications are in Japanese, such as The Subaru Monthly, Blue Flame, Poetry Kanto, and Japan Poetry Review. Lowitz edited and translated “Boy’s Town” and “Four Hours Sleep.” She was also the editor of Donald Richie’s The Japan Journals, The Erotic Gods, and A Richie Reader. See Series IV for additional publications and translations.
Series III, Audio-Visual, contains audio cassettes, compact discs, and video cassettes of literary interviews, poetry readings, a documentary, and a film. The documentary is on the children of Japanese internment camps and there are video cassettes of the film MILK. Literary interviews include those of Allan Ginsberg, Jack Foley, and Lowitz. The NHK broadcasts feature readings given by Lowitz. Also included are readings by Jack Foley and Morgan Gibson. Digital documentation of a protest march Lowitz participated in is included. An interview conducted by Lowitz with Nadine Gordimer is featured in The Study of Current English, 1993.
Series IV, Oversize, contains artwork, Japanese translations, drafts, correspondence, reviews, and journals. The manuscripts, translations, and correspondence are for the creation of a Japanese women’s poetry anthology compiled by Lowitz. Articles document the Suntory Beer Hall anti-Nazi protest movement. There is a film promotion kit for the Japanese film Natasha and a poster for the Japanese film MILK. Also included is the first draft of a novel, Kakoe no Tsuyoka, by Shogo Oketani, written in Japanese.
Elliott, William I. Papers
Stroud, Drew McCord (Ryu Makoto). Papers
Series I: Personal |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Announcements, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Biography, Jack Foley, 1996 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Biography, Lowitz, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Class Notes, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Correspondence, 1982-2003 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Correspondence, 1989-1996 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Correspondence, 1989-2003 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Correspondence, 1989-2003 |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Correspondence, 1990-2004 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Correspondence, 1990-2004 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Correspondence, 1991-1995 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Correspondence, 1991-1997 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Correspondence, 1991-1997 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Correspondence, 1991-1998 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Correspondence, 1991-1998 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Correspondence, Publishers, 1991-1998 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Correspondence, Publishers, 1991-1998 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Correspondence, 1991-2000 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Correspondence, 1991-2002 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Correspondence, 1992-1997 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Correspondence, 1992-2000 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Correspondence, 1992-2000 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Correspondence, Donald Richie, 1993-2004 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Correspondence, Donald Richie, 1993-2004 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Correspondence, 1994-1997 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Correspondence, 1995-1997 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Correspondence, MILK, 1995-1997 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Correspondence, MILK, 1995-1997 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Correspondence, Japan Society Talk, 2002 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Grant Application, 1993 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Grant Application, 1997 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Himeyuri Peace Museum, undated |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | I Saw It: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, 1982 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Photographs, Donald Richie, 1992-1993 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Photographs, Lowitz and Others, 1993-1994 |
| Box 4 Folder 10 | Program, Memorial Service for David Silverstein, 1992 |
Series II: Publications and Translations |
| Box 4 Folder 11 | All Asia Review, 1990 |
| Box 4 Folder 12 | Art in America, 1991 |
| Box 4 Folder 13 | Art in America, 1991-1992 |
| Box 4 Folder 14 | Art in America, 1992 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Articles, 1993-2004 |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | "Arts for a Better World," 1987 |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | Artwork, 1990-1994 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Artwork, Andres Serrano, 1991 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Artwork, David Lynch, 1991 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Artwork, Yukinori Yanagi, 1991 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Athena Incognito 10, 1989 |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Being A Broad, 1998 |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Blue Flame, 1994-2000 |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | "Boy's Town: The Concrete Murder," 1990-1994 |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | "Boy's Town: The Concrete Murder," 1990-1994 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | "Boy's Town: The Concrete Murder," 1993 |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | "Boy's Town: The Concrete Murder," 1993 |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Brick, 2005 |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Convolvulus, 1998-2001 |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Coracle, 1998-1999 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | The Dickens, 2000-2001 |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Donald Richie and Kenkichi Ito, The Erotic Gods, 1967 |
| Box 6 Folder 8 | Donald Richie, The Japan Journals, 1996 |
| Box 6 Folder 9 | Donald Richie, The Japan Journals, 1996 |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Donald Richie, The Japan Journals, 1996 |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Donald Richie, Manuscripts, 1992-2004 |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | Donald Richie, Manuscripts, 1993-2004 |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Donald Richie, A Richie Reader, 1947-1994 |
| Box 7 Folder 5 | Electric Rexroth, 1994 |
| Box 7 Folder 6 | Eye-Ai, 2004 |
| Box 7 Folder 7 | Five Fingers Review 12, 1993 |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | "Four Hours Sleep," 1993 |
| Box 8 Folder 2 | "Four Hours Sleep," 1993-1994 |
| Box 8 Folder 3 | "Four Hours Sleep," 1994 |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | "Four Hours Sleep," 1994 |
| Box 8 Folder 5 | Harper's, 1992 |
| Box 8 Folder 6 | Hummingbird, 1993 |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | Ink 4, 1990 |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Interviews, 1992-1993 |
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Japanese Environment Monitor, 1991-1995 |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Japan Poetry Review, 1995 |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | Japan Scope, 1994 |
| Box 9 Folder 2 | Japanese Journals, 1994-1998 |
| Box 9 Folder 3 | Japanese Journals, 2000-2005 |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | Japanese Literature Today, 1992 |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | Japanophile, 1999-2000 |
| Box 9 Folder 6 | JSelect, 2004 |
| Box 9 Folder 7 | Kanebo Cosmetics, undated |
| Box 9 Folder 8 | Kyoto Journal, 1999 |
| Box 9 Folder 9 | Lines to Unfold By, undated |
| Box 9 Folder 10 | Magazine, 1990 |
| Box 9 Folder 11 | Mānoa, 1991 |
| Box 10 Folder 1 | Mānoa, 1992 |
| Box 10 Folder 2 | Mānoa, 1993 |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | Mānoa, 1993 |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | Mānoa, 1995 |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Mānoa, 1996 |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Mānoa: Century of Dream, 1997 |
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Mānoa: Inland Shores, 1998 |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Mānoa: Secret Places, 2001 |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Mānoa: Silenced Voices, 2000 |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | Mānoa: Silence to Light, 1999-2000 |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | Mānoa: Silence to Light, 1999-2000 |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | Mānoa: Silence to Light, 1999-2000 |
| Box 12 Folder 1 | Mānoa: Song of the Snow Lion, 2000 |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | Mānoa: Special Japan Feature, 1995 |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Mānoa: Special Japan Feature, drafts 1992-1995 |
| Box 12 Folder 4 | Mānoa: The Wounded Season, 1999 |
| Box 12 Folder 5 | Mānoa: The Zigzag Way, 1998 |
| Box 12 Folder 6 | Marion Poetry Center Anthology, 2000 |
| Box 12 Folder 7 | Metropolis, 2004 |
| Box 12 Folder 8 | MILK, Drafts, 1995-1999 |
| Box 13 Folder 1 | MILK, 1st Draft, 1995 |
| Box 13 Folder 2 | MILK, 4th Draft, 1996 |
| Box 13 Folder 3 | MILK, Notecards, 1995-1996 |
| Box 13 Folder 4 | MILK, Reciepts, 1995-1996 |
| Box 13 Folder 5 | MILK, Script, 1996 |
| Box 13 Folder 6 | MILK, Script Workbook, 1995-1996 |
| Box 13 Folder 7 | Modern Haiku, 2003 |
| Box 13 Folder 8 | Ms. Special Issue, 1995 |
| Box 13 Folder 9 | My Neighbors Life: The San Damiano Anthology, 1999 |
| Box 13 Folder 10 | National Endowment for the Arts: Operation Homecoming, undated |
| Box 13 Folder 11 | National Institute for Research Advancement Annual Report, 1993 |
| Box 13 Folder 12 | National Institute for Research Advancement Research Output,1992 |
| Box 14 Folder 1 | Noctiluca, 1992 |
| Box 14 Folder 2 | The New England Journal of Medicine, 1990 |
| Box 14 Folder 3 | Out of Line, 2003 |
| Box 14 Folder 4 | "Outward Bound—The Millennial Haiku Circle," 1998 |
| Box 14 Folder 5 | The Plaza, 1993 |
| Box 14 Folder 6 | Poetry Kanto, 1993-2001 |
| Box 14 Folder 7 | Prairie Schooner, 1996 |
| Box 14 Folder 8 | Printed Matter, 1990-1991 |
| Box 14 Folder 9 | Printed Matter, 1992-1994 |
| Box 14 Folder 10 | Reviews, 1997-2000 |
| Box 14 Folder 11 | Reviews, by Lowitz, 1984-2000 |
| Box 14 Folder 12 | Reviews, A Long Rainy Season and Other Side River, 1992-1995 |
| Box 15 Folder 1 | Rooms, 1998 |
| Box 15 Folder 2 | Runes: A Review of Poetry, 2002 |
| Box 15 Folder 3 | San Francisco Focus, 1986 |
| Box 15 Folder 4 | The San Francisco Review, 1997 |
| Box 15 Folder 5 | San Francisco State University Magazine, 2001 |
| Box 15 Folder 6 | Sculptus, 1991 |
| Box 15 Folder 7 | Shearsman, 1993 |
| Box 15 Folder 8 | Shirim: A Jewish Poetry Journal, 1988 |
| Box 15 Folder 9 | "Snow White/Snow Write: Donald Barthelme and the Making of a
|
| Box 15 Folder 10 | Studies in American Literature, 1991 |
| Box 15 Folder 11 | The Subaru Monthly, 2001 |
| Box 15 Folder 12 | Tokyo Journal, 1992-1994 |
| Box 15 Folder 13 | Tokyo Time Out, 1991 |
| Box 16 Folder 1 | Tokyo Today, 1990-1993 |
| Box 16 Folder 2 | Tokyo Today, 1993-1994 |
| Box 16 Folder 3 | Transfer, 1987-1988 |
| Box 16 Folder 4 | Translations, Lowitz, 1997 |
| Box 16 Folder 5 | Translations, Lowitz, 1997-1998 |
| Box 16 Folder 6 | Translations, Lowitz, 1998 |
| Box 16 Folder 7 | Translations, Lowitz, Signed Contracts, undated |
| Box 16 Folder 8 | Translations, Lowitz, Signed Contracts, undated |
| Box 17 Folder 1 | Translations, Lowitz, Tanka Poetry, 2002 |
| Box 17 Folder 2 | Trends, 1993 |
| Box 17 Folder 3 | Tsubushi, 1991 |
| Box 17 Folder 4 | Tundra, 1999-2001 |
| Box 17 Folder 5 | Ultra Haiku Magazine, 1998 |
| Box 17 Folder 6 | Weatherhill, 1994-1995 |
| Box 17 Folder 7 | Winds, 1992-1994 |
| Box 17 Folder 8 | Wingspan, 2002-2003 |
| Box 17 Folder 9 | Wingspan, 2003-2004 |
| Box 17 Folder 10 | Yellow Silk, 1994 |
| Box 18 Folder 1 | Yoga Poems, Drafts, 2005 |
| Box 18 Folder 2 | Yoga Voices, 2000 |
| Box 18 Folder 3 | Yominono, undated |
Series III: Audio-Visual |
| Box 18 Folder 4 | Audio Cassette, Interviews, 1976, 1996-1997 |
| Box 18 Folder 5 | Audio Cassette, Jack Foley, 1996 |
| Box 18 Folder 6 | Audio Cassette, Kenkyusha, 1992 |
| Box 18 Folder 7 | Audio Cassette, NHK Broadcasts, 1992-1994 |
| Box 18 Folder 8 | Audio Cassette, NHK Broadcasts, 1992-1994 |
| Box 19 Folder 1 | Audio Cassette, Poetry Readings, 1991-2001 |
| Box 19 Folder 2 | Audio Cassette, The Study of Current English, 1993 |
| Box 19 Folder 3 | Compact Disc, Collected Poems of Shuntaro Tanikawa, 2000 |
| Box 19 Folder 4 | Compact Disc, Generator 12, undated |
| Box 19 Folder 5 | Compact Disc, Japanese, undated |
| Box 19 Folder 6 | Compact Disc, Lowitz Peace March, 2003 |
| Box 19 Folder 7 | Compact Disc, Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry, undated |
| Box 20 Folder 1 | Compact Disc, The Oracles of Distraction, 1989 |
| Box 20 Folder 2 | Compact Disc, Poetry Readings, 2001-2003 |
| Box 20 Folder 3 | Video Cassette, Children of the Camps, 1999 |
| Box 20 Folder 4 | Video Cassette, MILK, circa 1996 |
Series IV: Oversize |
| Box 21 Folder 1 | Articles, circa 1990 |
| Box 21 Folder 2 | Articles, by Lowitz, circa 1991 |
| Box 21 Folder 3 | Artwork, undated |
| Box 21 Folder 4 | The Bloomsbury Review, 2001 |
| Box 21 Folder 5 | Correspondence, 1989-1995 |
| Box 21 Folder 6 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 21 Folder 7 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 22 Folder 1 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 22 Folder 2 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 22 Folder 3 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 22 Folder 4 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 23 Folder 1 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 23 Folder 2 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 23 Folder 3 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 23 Folder 4 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 24 Folder 1 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 24 Folder 2 | Japanese Women's Poetry Anthology, 1991 |
| Box 24 Folder 3 | Kakoe no Tsuyoka, (Past/Retrospect), undated |
| Box 24 Folder 4 | Kakoe no Tsuyoka, (Past/Retrospect), undated |
| Box 25 Folder 1 | "A Long Rainy Season," 1992 |
| Box 25 Folder 2 | Mānoa Symposium on Translation of Asian Poetry, 1990-1998 |
| Box 25 Folder 3 | Natasha, undated |
| Box 25 Folder 4 | Pacific Reader, 1997 |
| Box 25 Folder 5 | Pacific Sun, 2000-2001 |
| Box 25 Folder 6 | Poetry Flash, 1991-2002 |
| Box 25 Folder 7 | Poetry USA, 1990 |
| Box 25 Folder 8 | Poster, MILK, undated |
| Box 25 Folder 9 | Reviews, 1983-1998 |
| Box 25 Folder 10 | Reviews, 1990-1993 |
| Box 25 Folder 11 | Reviews, 1991-1997 |
| Box 25 Folder 12 | Yoga Poems, Drafts, 2005 |