The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Poetry Center of Chicago Records 1974-2006
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The Poetry Center of Chicago Records were processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
| Title: | Poetry Center of Chicago. Records |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1974-2006 |
| Size: | 7 linear feet (8 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | The Poetry Center of Chicago was founded in 1973 and is a non-profit arts organization that strives to make poetry accessible to the public through education and events, as well as promote poets' careers. The Poetry Center of Chicago Records contain articles, brochures, posters, correspondence, administrative documents, annual reports, publications, and audio-visual material. |
Series II, 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 in this series.
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Poetry Center of Chicago. Records, [Box#, Folder#], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Though founded in 1973, the groundwork for the Poetry Center of Chicago began in 1968 when Paul Carroll, former editor of Big Table, hosted and organized readings to promote his new Big Table Books series. Interest and awareness developed and in 1973, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs gave readings at the official inception of the Poetry Center. Paul Carroll was the first board president and other board members included Lisel Mueller, Mark Perlberg, and John Resek. Early members were poets such as Barry Schechter, Bill Knott, Paul Hoover, Michael Anania, Bill Hunt, Candace Rackenger, Rich Friedman, Peter Kostackis, Neil Hackman, Rose Simon, and Maxine Chernoff. Past Poetry Center presidents include Paul Hoover, Mark Perlberg, John Van Doren, and John Rezek.
The Poetry Center makes poetry accessible to the general public through programming and education. One such program is "Hands on Stanzas" which gives elementary school students an opportunity to learn and write about poetry. The Poetry Center also organizes and/or sponsors poetry readings, exhibits, movies, festivals, and other community events.
Poets featured at past events include Yehuda Amichai, John Ashbery, Margaret Atwood, Claire Bloom, Gwendolyn Brooks, John Cage, John Cheever, Lucille Clifton, Robert Creeley, Rita Dove, Carolyn Forché, Tess Gallagher, Allen Ginsberg, Donald Hall, Robert Hass, Anthony Hecht, Larry Heinemann, Kenneth Koch, Maxine Kumin, Stanley Kunitz, Galway Kinnell, Lisel Mueller, Gloria Naylor, Grace Paley, Gary Soto, William Stafford, and Derek Walcott.
The Poetry Center of Chicago was founded in 1973 and is a non-profit arts organization that strives to make poetry accessible to the public through education and events, as well as promote poets' careers. The Poetry Center of Chicago Records are organized into four series: Series I, Administrative; Series II, Events and Publications; Series III, Audio -Visual; and Series IV, Broadsides and Posters. The records contain articles, brochures, posters, correspondence, administrative documents, annual reports, publications, and audio-visual material.
Series I, Administrative, contains annual reports, board meeting documents, and advertising invoices. Board meeting materials include photocopies and originals of agendas, minutes, correspondence, and articles. The annual reports are photocopies of correspondence, grant proposals, federal tax exemptions, letters from Paul Carroll indicating officers and directors, and Articles of Incorporation. Also included is an application for Columbia College's 2002-2003 Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award.
Series II, Events and Publications, contains articles, advertisements, brochures, and announcements about Chicago’s poetry events. Events include poetry readings and festivals featuring poets such as Diane Ackerman, Sandra Cisneros, Lucille Clifton, Andrei Codrescu, Billy Collins, Donald Hall, Garret Hongo, Amy Ling, W.S. Merwin, Lisel Mueller, Ron Padgett, Mark Perlberg, Alice Randall, Robert Siegel, Sahara Spain, and James Tate. Also included are exhibit captions from Words of Art: Exhibitions of Broadsides. The publications are primarily chapbooks and published volumes from the "Hands on Stanza" program as well as chapbooks from the Annual Juried Readings.
Series III, Audio-Visual, contains compact discs, a videotape, and a DVD. The compact discs are of events featuring Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Luciano Erba. The videotape and DVD are of "Hands on Stanzas Documentary" directed by Kenneth Clarke.
Series IV, Broadsides and Posters, contains signed broadsides of poems from poetry readings and posters of readings and other poetry events.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html
Carroll, Paul. Papers
Series I: Administrative |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Advertising, 2002-2004 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Annual Reports, 1974-1975 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Annual Reports, 1974-1975 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Annual Reports, 1976-1979 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Annual Reports, 1980-1981 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Annual Reports, 1982-1985 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Annual Reports, 1986-1987 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Annual Reports, 1988-1995 |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Annual Reports, 1995-1996 |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Annual Reports, 1996-1997 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Annual Reports, 1996-1999 |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | Annual Reports, 2000 |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Annual Reports, 2001-2003 |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | Annual Reports, 2003-2004 |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | Awards, 2002-2003 |
| Box 1 Folder 16 | Board Meetings, 2000 |
| Box 1 Folder 17 | Board Meetings, 2000-2001 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Board Meetings, 2001 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Board Meetings, 2002 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Board Meetings, 2002-2003 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Board Meetings, 2004 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Board Meetings, 2005 |
Series II: Events and Publications |
| Box 2 Folder 6 Exhibit, Words of Art | Exhibitions of Broadsides, 2003 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Exhibit, Words of Art: Exhibitions of Broadsides, 2003 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Events, 1991 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Events, 1992 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Events, 1993 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Events, 1994 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Events, 1995 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Events, 1996 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Events, 1997 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Events, 1998 |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | Events, 1999 |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | Events, 2000 |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | Events, 2001 |
| Box 3 Folder 12 | Events, 2002 |
| Box 3 Folder 13 | Events, 2003 |
| Box 3 Folder 14 | Events, 2003 |
| Box 3 Folder 15 | Events, 2003 |
| Box 3 Folder 16 | Events, 2003 |
| Box 3 Folder 17 | Events, 2004 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Events, 2004 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Events, 2004 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Events, 2004 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Events, 2005 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Events, 2005 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Events, 2005 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Events, 2006 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Events, undated |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Publications, ANGSTa, undated |
| Box 5 Folder 2 | Publications, Annual Juried Readings, 2001-2004 |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | Publications, Chapbook, "Big Table Poetry Group," 2004 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Publications, Chapbook, "Digimon" by Aysha Estrada, 2005 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Publications, Chapbook, "How Far" by the girls of Off the Street Club, 2004 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Publications, Chapbook, "The Williams Poems" edited by Matthias Regan, 2005 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2001-2002 Anthology of Poetry, 2002 |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2002-2003 Anthology of Poetry, 2003 |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2003-2004 Anthology of Poetry, 2004 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Publications, Hands on Stanzas: 2004-2005 Anthology of Poetry, 2005 |
Series III: Audio-Visual |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Compact Disc; Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Live At the Poetry Center, 2002 |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Compact Disc; Luciano Erbai; Far Beyond the Frozen Seas, undated |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Compact Disc; Reverse, undated |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | DVD; Hands on Stanzas Documentary, 2005 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Videocassette; The Poetry Center of Chicago, Hands on Stanzas Documentary, 2005 |
Series IV: Broadsides and Posters |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Broadsides, 2001
|
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Broadsides, 2002
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| Box 7 Folder 3 | Broadsides, 2003
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| Box 7 Folder 4 | Broadsides, 2004
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| Box 7 Folder 5 | Broadsides, 2005
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| Box 7 Folder 6 | Broadsides, 2006
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| Box 7 Folder 7 | Broadsides, Drafts, 2001 |
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Broadsides, Drafts, 2002 |
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Broadsides, Drafts, 2003 |
| Box 7 Folder 10 | Broadsides, Drafts, 2004 |
| Box 7 Folder 11 | Broadsides, Drafts, 2005 |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | Posters, 1974-1975
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| Box 8 Folder 2 | Posters, 1975-1976
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| Box 8 Folder 3 | Posters, 1976-1977
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| Box 8 Folder 4 | Posters, 1977-1978
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| Box 8 Folder 5 | Posters, 1978-1979
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| Box 8 Folder 6 | Posters, 1979-1980
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| Box 8 Folder 7 | Posters, 1980-1981
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| Box 8 Folder 8 | Posters, 1981-1982
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| Box 8 Folder 9 | Posters, 1982-1983
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| Box 8 Folder 10 | Posters, 1983-1984
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| Box 8 Folder 11 | Posters, 1984-1985
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| Box 8 Folder 12 | Posters, 1985-1986
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| Box 8 Folder 13 | Posters, 1986-1987
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| Box 8 Folder 14 | Posters, 2003-2004
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| Box 8 Folder 15 | Posters, General Events, 2000-2002 |
| Box 8 Folder 16 | Posters, Reading Series, 1994-2005 |