Papers of poet Tony Seymour (1951- ), a contemporary San Francisco-based poet and performance artist. The collection contains writings, drawings, photographs, ephemera, and recordings related to Seymour's life and literary career.
Tony Seymour Papers, 1965-2006 (MSS 749)
OFF-SITE STORAGE: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW TWO TO THREE (2-3) WEEKS FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Restrictions: Original media formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies may be available for
researchers.
Extent: 7.6 Linear feet (18 archives boxes, 1 card file box), + 1.97 GB of digital files
Digital Content
The collection contains digital files described in the container list.
William Anthony "Tony" Seymour was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1951. Seymour attended the University of New Mexico and the University of Hawaii, and graduated with a B.A. in Communications.
A key event in Seymour's life was meeting Beat poet Bob Kaufman while working in the publicity department at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. Kaufman's life and work significantly influenced Seymour, who studied his poetry and interviewed him over a three year period. In 1976 Seymour initiated a "wave of publicity" for Kaufman with publications in California Living Magazine, The Berkeley Bard, Players Magazine and the Black Panthers Party Newsletter. Following Kaufman's death in 1986, Seymour organized a Bob Kaufman Day event at City Hall in San Francisco. Performers included Tony Seymour, Richie Havens, Ken Kesey, Jack Micheline, Marty Matz, Joie Cook and other artists.
During the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, Seymour combined freelance journalism with poetry writing and research. He conducted interviews with jazz composer Sun Ra, his friend and musician Richie Havens, and the spiritual leader Baba Ram Dass. Seymour's recordings of No Gods to Guide, No Herds to Follow: Bob Kaufman's Street-Bop-Zen includes an introduction by author Ken Kesey and features interviews by Kesey, Bob Kaufman, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, Jack Hirschman and Kunugh Stiles.
In 1997, Seymour self-published his collected works Poems for Another Time. Evolution of a Soul. The Collected Works of Tony Seymour. Excerpts from his collected works are also featured in Godzilla Verses Swan Blake, a dramatic poetry play collaboration with the poet and artist Blake More.
Tony Seymour currently lives in Hawaii.
Papers of poet Tony Seymour (1951- ), a contemporary San Francisco-based poet and performance artist. The collection contains writings, drawings, photographs, ephemera, and recordings related to Seymour's life and literary career. Also included are materials related to his mentor, San Francisco Beat poet Bob Kaufman.
Arranged in six series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) WRITINGS, 4) BOB KAUFMAN, 5), POETRY EVENTS & MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS, and 6) AUDIOVISUAL & DIGITAL MATERIALS.