Papers of Lyn Hejinian (1941-2024), American poet, publisher and editor of Tuumba Press, co-editor of Poetics Journal, and co-director of the literary project Atelos. She was a member of the Poetics Faculty at the New College of California and a professor in the English department at the University of California, Berkeley. Hejinian spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area and was associated with the Language School of contemporary poetry. Prominent correspondents in the collection include Charles Bernstein, Jack Collom, Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Ted Greenwald, Susan Howe, Hank Lazer, Katy Lederer, Alice Notley, Bob Perelman, Tom Raworth, Kit Robinson, Leslie Scalapino, Ron Silliman and Michael Palmer, as well as many younger experimental writers and students. The papers contain manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's published and unpublished poetry; drafts for My Life (1987), The Hunt (1991), Oxota: A Short Russian Novel (1991), The Cell (1992), The Cold of Poetry (1994), Happily (2000), The Language of Inquiry (2000), Border Comedy (2001), and The Beginner (2002); notebooks; and critical writings. Other notable material includes translations of Russian poet Arkadii Dragomoshchenko's Description and Xenia; collaborations; editorial projects, especially for Atelos and Tuumba Press; lecture and teaching materials; and audio recordings of Hejinian's poetry readings and talks.
Lyn Hejinian Papers, 1965-2023 (MSS 74)
Extent: 85.0 Linear feet (212 archives boxes, 2 card file boxes, 1 oversize folder), + 2.104 GB of digital files
Digital Content
Audiovisual recordings from this collection are available online.
Lyn Hejinian was born Carolyn Frances Hall on May 17, 1941 in San Francisco. After graduating from Harvard University in 1963, Hejinian returned to California in 1968. In the late 1970s Hejinian began publishing Tuumba chapbooks, which was to become one of the most important series of chapbooks of contemporary poetry in the United States. Her own published work began with The gRReat Adventure (1972), followed by A Thought is the Bride of What Thinking (Tuumba, 1976), Writing is an Aid to Memory (The Figures, 1978), Gesualdo (Tuumba, 1978), A Mask of Motion (Burning Deck, 1980), My Life (Burning Deck, 1980; and Sun and Moon, 1987), The Guard (Tuumba, 1984) and Redo (Salt-Works Press, 1984). From 1981 to 1999, Hejinian was the co-editor, with Barrett Watten, of Poetics Journal and is co-director, with Travis Ortiz, of the literary project Atelos. She was a member of the Poetics Faculty at the New College of California and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. She lived most of her life in Berkeley, married first to physician John Hejinian and later to musician and composer Larry Ochs. Hejinian died on February 24, 2024.
Papers of Lyn Hejinian (1941-2024), American poet, publisher and editor of Tuumba Press, co-editor of Poetics Journal, and co-director of the literary project Atelos. She was a member of the Poetics Faculty at the New College of California and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley. Hejinian spent most of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area and is associated with the Language School of contemporary poetry. Prominent correspondents in the collection include Charles Bernstein, Jack Collom, Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Ted Greenwald, Susan Howe, Hank Lazer, Katy Lederer, Alice Notley, Bob Perelman, Tom Raworth, Kit Robinson, Leslie Scalapino, Ron Silliman and Michael Palmer, as well as many younger experimental writers and students. The papers contain manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's published and unpublished poetry, translations, collaborations, editorial projects (especially for Atelos and Tuumba Press), lecture and teaching materials, and audio recordings of Hejinian's poetry readings and talks.
Accession Processed in 1989
Includes correspondence dated 1973-1984 involving many important young writers. At Tuumba Press, Hejinian published a significant body of avant-garde writing, and the papers include a wealth of material on recent work in the alternative tradition. Among prominent correspondents in the collection are Charles Bernstein, Susan Howe, Ron Silliman and Michael Palmer. Occasional copies of Hejinian's own letters enrich the collection. The largest group of letters are those from and to Hejinian's mother, Mrs. Kenneth Andrews. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, and then chronologically. Many letters are undated or partially dated, so chronology could only be surmised in some cases. Of special interest is a letter from Hejinian to Stephen Rodefer, dated January 25 1983, in which Hejinian provides a detailed discussion of her intellectual background. The papers also include annotated typescripts and manuscripts of Hejinian's published work, arranged alphabetically by title. Materials within each folder remain in their original order.
Arranged in two series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE and 2) WRITINGS.
Accession Processed in 1998
The accession processed in 1998 includes manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's writings (both published and unpublished); manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's translations of Russian poetry; manuscripts and annotated typescripts of collaborations between Hejinian and others; notebooks (1969-1993); audio and visual materials pertaining to Hejinian and other Language poets; Tuumba Press materials; miscellaneous photographs; and miscellaneous material documenting Hejinian's poetry readings and conference activities.
Arranged in seven series: 3) CORRESPONDENCE, 4) WRITINGS, 5) COLLABORATIONS, 6) TRANSLATIONS, 7) TUUMBA PRESS, 8) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL, and 9) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL.
Accession Processed in 2005
The accession processed in 2005 contains manuscripts and annotated typescripts of Hejinian's published collected writings; manuscripts and annotated typescripts of collaborations between Hejinian and other poets and artists; manuscripts and annotated typescripts for Hejinian's editorial projects; notebooks and journals (1974-2002); and miscellaneous material documenting Hejinian's courses, poetry readings and publication activities.
Arranged in seven series: 10) CORRESPONDENCE, 11) WRITINGS, 12) COLLABORATIONS, 13) EDITORIAL PROJECTS, 14) TEACHING MATERIALS, 15) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL, and 16) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL.
Accession Processed in 2016
Arranged in seven series: 17) BIOGRAPHICAL, 18) CORRESPONDENCE, 19) WRITINGS, 20) COLLABORATIONS, 21) TRANSLATIONS, 22) MISCELLANEOUS, and 23) PHOTOGRAPHS.
Accession Processed in 2025
This material is minimally processed and is in its original folders.
Arranged in two series: 24) CORRESPONDENCE, and 25) WRITINGS.
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