James Humphrey papers (Ms.2014.013)

This collection consists of the literary and personal papers of James Humphrey. It includes correspondence with many American poets as well as with friends, family, publishers, literary agents, actors and directors; manuscripts for poems, novels and screenplays, both published and unpublished; unframed abstract artwork, photographs and scrapbooks. The audio material in these papers consists of one audiocassette, two copies of a compact disc, and eight reel-to-reel tapes. The papers are dated from 1957 to 2009. Most of the material is dated from 1971 to 2006.

Many of Humphrey's original folders were signed and dated by him and were decorated with his abstract drawings. These original folder covers have been retained. The material within each folder was left in the order in which it was found.

The papers have been organized into the following series:

Series 1. Personal has been organized into two subseries:

Subseries A. Biographical information includes letters of recommendation from James Schevill (1920-2009) and Edwin Honig (1919-2011), both poets and Professors of English at Brown University when Humphrey was enrolled there, and Donald Hall (1928-), an American poet, writer, editor and critic. This subseries also includes biographical information from The Writer's Directory and Who's Who in the East, material such as fliers and posters regarding various poetry readings, and short quotations collected by Humphrey. The material in this subseries is dated from 1972 to 1996.

Subseries B. Correspondence includes correspondence from James Schevill, writer Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), poet Robert Creeley (1926-2005), American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega (1959-), Daniel Berrigan, S.J., (1921-), a Catholic priest, peace activist and poet; psychotherapist Nancy Leeming (1936-2011), and correspondence with various literary agents and publishers. This subseries also includes letters from family members and from family friends, especially from Charlie (Chazz) Schiff, who lived in Providence, Rhode Island. Two folders contain a collection of letters to and from Humphrey which he labeled "letters of encouragement and praise" and "some carbons of outgoing mail." One folder contains letters written on Poets Alive! Press letterhead stationery to various persons and organizations, including a letter to the Nobel Committee in Sweden nominating Humphrey for the "Nobel Prize in Poetry". This subseries also includes correspondence regarding Humphrey's donation of two of his books of poetry, In Pursuit of Honour and Paying the Price, to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, in 2000. The subject of most of the correspondence is Humphrey's work, his family and his struggle with ill health. The material in this subseries is dated from 1974 to 2005.

Other correspondence may be found in all other series in these papers except Series 9. Artwork.

Series 2. Education and teaching includes class notes, course syllabi and writing assignments for classes Humphrey took at Brown University, as well as materials that he used in teaching poetry writing workshops in elementary and high schools in Massachusetts. The writings found in this series are primarily poetry, short stories and one-act plays. This series also includes letters of recommendation written for Humphrey by faculty members at Brown University, his resume, and a handwritten short story written by Saroyan Humphrey in 1982 as part of his high school advanced composition class. The material in this series is dated from 1974 to 1996.

Series 3. Poetry - published includes material related to Humphrey's published books of poetry. It has been organized into subseries which are arranged alphabetically by the title of the book. Material regarding two of his chapbooks, An Homage: The End of Some More Land (1972) and The Visitor (1972) was not found in these papers. The folders in each subseries are arranged by date. Most of the works in this series were published by Poets Alive! Press, which was founded by Humphrey and only published his work. The material in this series is dated from 1975 to 2006.

Subseries A. After I'm Dead, Will My Life Begin? , originally titled Straight Talk, is a collection of poems published in 1986 by Poets Alive! Press in Harrisburg, North Carolina. The contents of the folders are both handwritten and typed and often include annotations by Humphrey. Poems that Humphrey identified as having been written for this collection of poems and later deleted are also included in this subseries. In addition, this subseries contains a copy of the book to be typeset, correspondence regarding the book, photographs of Humphrey taken by his son Saroyan, and a copy of Ploughshares (v.12, no. 3, 1986) and American Poetry Review (Jan.-Feb. 1987). Both journals contain advertisements for the book. A copy of Susan Katz's Two Halves of the Same Silence (1985), originally included in the folder containing correspondence from her to Humphrey, has been transferred to the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays at Brown University. A copy of the title page and Katz's inscription to Humphrey are included in the folder. The material in this subseries is dated from 1982 to 1987.

Subseries B. Argument for Love was published in 1970 by Kendall Publishing Company in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This subseries consists of only one folder containing several versions of the poem "Poem for Myself". The material in this subseries is dated from 1982 to 1985.

Subseries C. The Athlete was published in 1988 by Poets Alive! Press in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was originally titled You've Got to Get Close to Get to the Truth. The folders labeled "First", "#2" and "#3" also contain correspondence. Most of the correspondence in these folders is from Humphrey to various bookstores asking permission to give a poetry reading. One folder contains correspondence between Humphrey and the University of Illinois Press regarding permission to include the poem "The Athlete" in the anthology Hummers, Knucklers and Slow Curves: Contemporary Baseball Poems (1991). This subseries also includes a cover for the book. The material in this subseries is dated from 1986 to 1991.

Subseries D. Bud was published in 1996 by Poets Alive! Press in New York, New York. It is the second of a four part series about James and Norma Humphrey's Iowa roots and is dedicated to Norma's father, Charles Van Vooren (1902-1956). Humphrey described the poems as a contemporary interpretation of spring in rural North East Iowa. Bud is also a family history of Norma Humphrey's childhood years. This subseries includes several versions of poems in the collection, both handwritten and typed; a typeset of the book with handwritten corrections, and a newspaper article regarding Humphrey's reading from Bud at a bookstore in Independence, Iowa, in 1996. The material in this subseries is dated from 1982 to 1997.

Subseries E. The Five Cent Poem was published in 1981 by Cardinal Press in Cincinnati, Ohio. It includes illustrations by Saroyan Humphrey. This subseries includes several versions of the poems in the book, galley proofs, photographs and negatives of Humphrey and his family that appear to have been taken in Colorado, and a newspaper review of the book dated November 7, 1981. These poems were written during the time Humphrey was recovering from ruptured discs in his back. They concern the New England seasons and the daily life of the Humphrey family. The title of the book comes from a comment made to Humphrey by James Schevill while they were walking on the Brown University campus. Schevill suggested that Humphrey "write against the pain". A few minutes later Humphrey saw a nickel lying on the ground. Shevill picked it up and said "The Five Cent Poem is the title of your next poem". The material in this subseries is dated from 1975 to 1981.

Subseries F. Ice was published in 1989 by Poets Alive! Press in Dobbs Ferry, New York. It is the first of four books of poetry about Humphrey's childhood and the changing seasons in Iowa. It was inspired by a Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1988-1989. The poems, which Humphrey describes as rural Zen poems, were written during Humphrey's trip to Iowa from New York in January 1989. This subseries includes various versions of the poems, correspondence promoting the book, a letter from Edwin Honig to Humphrey, and a letter from Humphrey to the poet Charles Bukowski. The material in this subseries is dated from 1988 to 1989.

Subseries G. In New York City Air was published in 1984 by Flying Trapeze Press in Los Angeles, California. It includes illustrations by Saroyan Humphrey. It is subtitled "For Ted Berrigan, 1934-1983". These poems are the product of a trip taken in 1983 by James and Saroyan Humphrey from Greensboro, North Carolina to New York City to attend a memorial service for Ted Berrigan. This subseries contains several versions of the poems, illustrations for the book by Saroyan Humphrey, a paste-up of the book, and fliers advertising poetry readings by Humphrey. The material in this subseries is dated from 1983 to 1985.

Subseries H. In Pursuit of Honour was published in 2000 by Poets Alive! Press in Yonkers, New York. The book design and cover are by Saroyan Humphrey. It is dedicated "to all the baseball greats who never got to the majors because of career ending injuries". It is one of two books of poetry that Humphrey donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. This subseries includes several versions of the poems in the book, correspondence with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team's front office regarding Humphrey's request to practice with the team prior to one of their home games, and printouts from Humphrey's website. The printouts include correspondence, pictures of his paintings, and information about several of his published works. The material in this subseries is dated from 1999 to 2000.

Subseries I. In Tribute to Survivors was published in 1984 by White Porcelain Press in Kansas City, Missouri. The book is illustrated by Saroyan Humphrey and is dedicated "to all survivors out there doing it in the face of the world's ferocity". This subseries includes several versions of the poems in the book, a typed manuscript, original illustrations by Saroyan Humphrey, and book jacket blurbs from authors and poets such as Robert Creeley, Charles Bukowski, Fred Chappell, Kurt Vonnegut, and Donald Hall. The material in this subseries is dated from 1983 to 1984.

Subseries J. Lef was published in 1997 by Poets Alive! Press in Yonkers, New York. The book design and photography are by Saroyan Humphrey. Lef (Leaf) is the fourth of the four book series about Humphrey's Iowa roots and the changing Midwestern seasons. The theme of this book is autumn. The material in this subseries is dated from 1988 to 1997.

Subseries K. Mize & Kathy was published in 1998 by Poets Alive! Press in Yonkers, New York. The book design is by Saroyan Humphrey. It is dedicated "to all sexually abused and neglected children, teens, and adults with deep compassion, love, and strength to fight back". The character Mize is based partly on one-time first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals Johnny Mize, and partly on the character John Milner from the film "American Graffiti." It is about a young couple discovering intimacy, written in a combination of free verse and prose. The book of poems was later expanded into two novel-length versions which were unpublished. This subseries includes correspondence regarding the book, several versions of the poems with handwritten and typed revisions, a bound copy of the book, and manuscripts of the novels. One folder includes pencils and a pen. The material in this subseries is dated from 1993 to 2005.

Subseries L. Naked: Poems Selected and New 1969-2006 was published in 2006 by Poets Alive! Press in New York, New York. The book design is by Saroyan Humphrey. It includes selected poems from Humphrey's previous published works as well as new poems written between 2001 and 2006. This subseries consists of several versions of the poems in the collection, many with handwritten revisions by the author; and several folders containing emails and fliers regarding Humphrey's art exhibit and poetry reading at the Yonkers Public Library on April 7, 2006. That event was called "Jim's Last Night Out." The material in this subseries is dated from 1982 to 2006.

Subseries M. Paying the Price , originally titled Masks, was published in 1998 by Poets Alive! Press in Yonkers, New York. The book design is by Saroyan Humphrey. The book is divided into two sections. The first, "January Night Music," includes poems inspired by Humphrey's experience driving through a blizzard on a trip to the Midwest. The title of the second section, "Paying the Price," came about during Humphrey's conversation with Brother Harold Ruplinger, C.S.C., of Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Their wide-ranging conversation led them to the question of what prices people were willing to pay to justify their way of living. This subseries includes various versions of the poems, an unbound paste-up and galley proof, correspondence with Saroyan regarding the book design, and correspondence with Harold Ruplinger and Chazz Schiff regarding the poems. A copy of this book was donated by Humphrey to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The material in this subseries is dated from 1992 to 1998.

Subseries N. The Re-Learning was published in 1976 by Hellcoal Press at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. This subseries contains original typed copies of the book with the author's revisions and a paste-up of the final version of the book. It also contains a November 1976 issue of the journal Anyart. This journal contains a letter to the editor by Humphrey and an advertisement forThe Re-Learning. Only the journal is dated.

Subseries O. Siz was published in 1997 by Poets Alive! Press in Yonkers, New York. It is the third book in Humphrey's series about his childhood in Iowa and the changing seasons. "Siz" refers to the sizzling summer sun. This subseries includes various versions of the poems with the author's revisions, correspondence with family members and friends regarding the book, and correspondence with various bookstores requesting permission to give a poetry reading. In addition, there are letters from Humphrey to Kurt Vonnegut and to film directors Sidney Lumet and Woody Allen, inviting them to Humphrey's poetry readings. The material in this subseries is dated from 1992 to 1997.

Series 4. Poetry - published in journals, newspapers or anthologies is arranged by the title of the publication. It includes copies of the journals or newspapers where his poems were published as well as a copy of an article about him in the anthology Poets in the Schools: Connecticut Commission on the Arts Poetry Programs (1973) regarding the poetry workshops Humphrey taught at Eastern Connecticut State College in Willimantic, Connecticut, and at Grafton Elementary School in Grafton, Massachusetts. This book has been transferred to the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays at Brown University. Another article about Humphrey appears in the anthology The Face of Poetry (1976), edited by Laverne Harrell Clark and Mary Macarthur. The poem "The Athlete" was included in the anthology Hummers, Knucklers and Slow Curves: Contemporary Baseball Poems (1991), edited by Don Johnson. This series contains copies of that anthology's title page and the poem. In addition to poetry, this series includes two articles written by Humphrey in Visual Showcase #1 and #2. Issue three of Visual Showcase, a high school publication edited by Saroyan Humphrey, is inscribed to James Humphrey from his son "as my graduation present to you." It does not contain any writings by Humphrey. This series also contains drafts of some of Humphrey's poems and correspondence regarding their publication. The material in this series is dated from 1971 to 1991.

Series 5. Poetry - unpublished contains poems that did not appear in any of the publications in these papers and, as far as can be determined, were never published. There is one exception. The folder titled "Near Death: Why Does It Have to Happen?" contains three poems that were published. "A Private Conversation" and "For Charles Bukowski and Kenneth Patchen" were published in The Five Cent Poem (1981). "Poem for Myself" was published in Argument for Love (1970). As with the other series containing poetry, these folders include several versions of the poems, both handwritten and typed, and some correspondence. The folder titled "Bayern Kurve (Performance Poems)" includes Humphrey's "Playwriting Resume," dated 1985. No scripts for plays were included in these papers. The material in this series is arranged by the title of the poem and is dated from 1957 to 2007. Most of the folders are dated during the 1980s.

Series 6. Prose - novels includes typed and handwritten manuscripts for five novels as well as correspondence. None of the novels was published. Humphrey's autobiographical novel Abuse is mentioned many times in these papers, but the only material regarding it in this series is a folder containing several handwritten pages labeled "Abuse revision 1." The material in this series is arranged by the title of the novel and is dated from 1979 to 2005.

The novel From Orphanage to Destiny is about an abused child who grows up to play professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. This series includes the typed manuscript for the novel as well as correspondence with literary agents regarding its publication.

The material regarding the novel Hate is Simple, Love Complex consists of one folder of handwritten notes labeled "New Novel?"

The novel Hearts Call, Hearts Fail, Then Love Begins is about a man who played baseball for the Oakland A's. This series contains both a typed and a handwritten manuscript of the novel.

The novel Hookworm and Jellybean is a mystery about two undercover government agents code-named Hookworm (Paul Schulmann) and Jellybean (Paul's wife Joanna). Both characters are trying to overcome the trauma of child abuse. This novel was written under the pseudonym Joe Pallisades. The material regarding this novel includes the manuscript and correspondence with family members, friends, and literary agents. One folder labeled Hookworm and Jellybean contains the Certificate of Donation that the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum sent to Humphrey acknowledging his gift of In Pursuit of Honour and Paying the Price to their library.

Series 7. Prose - screenplays includes correspondence and scripts related to seven screenplays written by Humphrey. This series is arranged by the title of the screenplay with the exception of one folder of correspondence from Humphrey to actors, producers and literary agents regarding Bye, Bye Blackbird, A Fine Romance, and Trying. That folder is found at the end of this series. Most of the screenplays are autobiographical; they concern the issue of overcoming child abuse as an adult as well as Humphrey's love of baseball. The material in this series is dated from 1989 to 1994. A brief description of each screenplay is below:

Bye, Bye Blackbird is about the romance between a high school coach and a woman who helps him overcome his early childhood abuse. One folder includes copies of letters regarding the screenplay that Humphrey sent to various producers, literary agents and actors such as Al Pacino and Richard Dreyfus.

A Fine Romance is about a woman who learns to assert herself in the process of overcoming her anger at her mother. The correspondence regarding the screenplay includes a handwritten letter to Humphrey from the actress Blythe Danner.

Five Winter Commercials were written to advertise Maxwell House coffee, made by General Foods Corporation; Folgers coffee, made by the Proctor & Gamble Company; and Nestlé's hot cocoa mix, made by Nestlé Foods Corporation. The commercials are all set in rural Iowa and are linked to poems in Ice. The correspondence regarding the screenplays includes letters between Humphrey and each of the above corporations regarding their required non-confidential release forms as well as letters between Humphrey and his lawyer regarding copyright.

Isn't Life Like a Nice Spring Day? is a fantasy story about high school students living in rural Iowa in 1956. This series includes both a handwritten and typed version of the screenplay as well as copies of sheet music for roughly thirty popular songs. While most of the songs were written during the 1950s and 1960s, their dates range from 1929 ("Stardust", by Mitchell Parish and Hoagy Carmichael) to 1971 ("I Feel the Earth Move", by Carole King).

The Long Way Home is about a minor league baseball announcer in Albany, New York, who befriends a street-wise fifteen year old boy. The only material regarding this screenplay is a typed manuscript dated 1991.

Trying is the story of a man and woman who, in Humphrey's words, are "trying to break the cycle of adult victimization of severe child abuse." This series includes both handwritten and typed versions of the screenplay as well as correspondence. Most of the correspondence consists of copies of letters between Humphrey and various directors and theatrical agents. It also includes letters to and from the University of Iowa Library regarding Humphrey's donation of several of his books of poetry to them as well as a handwritten note to Humphrey from the writer Horton Foote regarding Foote's letter to the Sundance Institute on Humphrey's behalf.

Without the Consolation of Tears is a story about a bail bondsman from the Bronx who believes that his father had murdered his mother. This series includes the typed screenplay as well as correspondence with various literary agents.

Series 8. Prose - essays, letters to the editor and short stories contains seventeen typewritten essays, one letter to the editor of The Sun Chronicle, a newspaper serving the Attleboro, Massachusetts, area; and a short story by Humphrey titled "The Trouble Causer." The essays are largely autobiographical and concern Humphrey's search for healing and happiness in life. One poem titled "The Old Violin" was included with the essays. The letter to the editor, dated January 28, 1981, is titled "Poets can't survive on free lunch." The short story was published in the journal Writers Forum, v.8, 1982; a copy of the journal is included. Two short stories are included in the folder labeled "Early writing 1957-1965" in Series 5. Poetry - unpublished. One story is untitled; the other is titled "A Young Man and a Poet". The material in this series is dated from 1974 to 1995.

Series 9. Artwork consists of two folders of abstract artwork by Humphrey. Most of the artwork have titles and are dated. The dated material is from 1994 to 2006.

Other artwork, primarily abstract drawings, may be found throughout these papers. Most are on the covers of Humphrey's original folders. Series 3. Poetry - published, Subseries H. In Pursuit of Honour contains images of Humphrey's paintings that were posted on his website.

Series 10. Audio contains two copies of the compact disc James Humphrey: The Poetry Readings, Argument for Love, 1969 to 1974, one audiocassette, six five inch reel-to-reel tapes and two seven inch reel-to-reel tapes. The compact disc was created by Poets Alive Productions in 2009 as a tribute to Humphrey. Money raised from its sales is being donated to Prevent Child Abuse/America. The audiocassette is a recording of Humphrey's tribute to the poet Ted Berrigan, which was broadcast on National Public Radio on November 15, 1983. Many of the reel-to-reel tapes are described by Humphrey as "collages" which he made for use in his poetry workshops. Several tapes are recordings of Humphrey's poetry readings. One tape is titled "Commercials for TV," and one is a collage made by Saroyan. The material in this series is dated from 1969 to 2009 and is arranged by date.

Series 11. Artifacts, photographs, and scrapbooks consists of one box of thick pencils, one Montblanc fountain pen, two folders of photographs, and material from two scrapbooks. Another pen and similar pencils may be found in Series 3. Poetry - published Subseries K. Mize & Kathy. The photographs in this series, dated from 1974 to 2008, are primarily of Humphrey. One folder includes material related to Humphrey's poetry reading on April 7, 2006 at the Riverfront Public Library in Yonkers, New York. The other folder contains photographs taken of Humphrey by Saroyan and by photographer Louise Schlesinger in 1979.

Photographs may also be found in the scrapbooks and in some folders in other series in these papers. A note has been made in the scope and contents note of any folder that contains a photograph.

The scrapbooks have been labeled "Scrapbook One" and "Scrapbook Two" based on the dates of the material found inside. Each scrapbook was made of black construction paper with newspaper clippings glued to the pages and loose items interfiled between the pages. The combination of the highly acidic black paper, acidic newspaper clippings, and glue put the information inside the scrapbooks at risk for rapid deterioration and eventual loss. To preserve the valuable information inside, each scrapbook page was copied and loose materials were removed and placed in acid-free archival folders. The material found in "Scrapbook One" is dated from 1968 to 1998. Much of it consists of newspaper clippings regarding Humphrey's poetry readings and workshops, although some correspondence is included. The material in "Scrapbook Two" is dated from 1972 to 2008. It consists mostly of newspaper clippings about Humphrey's poetry readings and workshops in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The loose material in "Scrapbook Two" includes correspondence, fliers, newspapers and newspaper clippings, photographs, notes to Humphrey from his son Saroyan, and material regarding Humphrey's poetry workshops. The correspondence includes a copy of a letter from Robert Creeley, dated March 1975, recommending that Humphrey be admitted to Brown University, and a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to Humphrey, dated December 18, 1996, regarding the large volume of unsolicited manuscripts Vonnegut received.

The material in this series is dated from 1968 to 2008 and is arranged by the type of material.