Rudy Kikel papers (Ms.2008.029)

This collection thoroughly documents the life and writing career of gay poet Rudy Kikel, the bulk of which dates from 1960, when he began college, to his retirement in 2004. It is comprised of a variety of materials, including correspondence, both personal and professional, poetry and prose manuscripts and galleys, diaries, and a number of print materials from notable LGBT publications. It also consists of an assortment of ephemeral materials ranging from newspaper and magazine clippings, and assorted invitations, to address books, note books, and calendars. There are also a few pencil drawings and several photographs.

Series 1. Correspondence is both comprehensive and informative, with letters sent to Kikel from some of the most prominent gay writers to emerge in the second half of the twentieth century, such as Thom Gunn, Richard Howard, Dennis Cooper, Paul Monette, Steve Abbott, and Joe Brainard, to name just a few. The letters provide not only substantive glimpses into the social, artistic, and intellectual world of established gay writers from that era, but also highlight Kikel's significant role as mentor and friend to, and publisher of, new and emerging post-Stonewall poets. This series also documents the publishing history of Kikel's poetry and includes a comprehensive collection of acceptance and rejection letters that he received over a broad span of time. A comprehensive collection of letters to and from Kikel and his family is also included in this series, the sum total of which provides detailed information about Kikel's personal life and family dynamics, his emotional and intellectual development, and other pertinent biographical information.

Series 2. Personal Papers includes a collection of Kikel's annotated calendars, ranging from 1986 to 2006, scattered notes recorded in composition notebooks, resumes, and a small amount of financial and medical documentation. Of particular significance in this series are Kikel's voluminous type-written journals (diaries) which offer an in-depth view of Kikel's emotional and intellectual life, his personal interests and social engagements, and his artistic development as a writer.

Series 3. University documents Kikel's academic career, both as student and university professor, and provides detailed information about Kikel's literary interests and pursuits. It is comprised of class notes, class rosters, exams, research materials, and term papers. Of special note is the original manuscript of Kikel's PhD dissertation for Harvard, entitled Critical Relations: A Study of Shifts in the Intellectual and Literary Relationship of Matthew Arnold and Walter Pater.

Series 4. Poetry consists of most, if not all of, original manuscripts of Kikel's poems, ranging from his earliest works to some of his more recent works. It includes manuscripts and marked-up galleys of some of his major poetry collections, including such titles as Lasting Relations, Long Division, Period Pieces, and Gottesheers. It also contains the manuscripts of two anthologies of gay men's poetry that Kikel edited, Gents, Badboys and Barbarians and This New Breed: Gents, Bad Boys, and Barbarians 2. Of particular significance in this series is the remarkable collection of type-written manuscripts of Kikel's earliest poems, some of which were subsequently published under the pseudonym R.J. Stark in one of the earliest periodicals created by and for gay men, One: the Homosexual Viewpoint.

Series 5. Writings incorporates Kikel's numerous works in prose, including copies of published articles covering a variety of topics for such prominent gay periodicals as Bay Windows, The Advocate and Gay Philadelphia News . It consists of numerous book reviews, theatre reviews, interviews of gay writers and artists, and LGBT social commentary.

Series 6. Subject files contains a small assortment of documents divided into miscellaneous topics ranging from materials pertaining to Kikel's partners, past (Craig Rowland) and present (Giles Sterling), to an assortment of LGBT-related materials.

Series 7. Ephemera consists of invitations, magazine and newspaper clippings, and two amateur portraits done in pencil, one of which is presumably of Kikel.

Series 8. Print Materials - Periodicals is comprised of scattered issues from various LGBT periodicals, most of them including works by Kikel, and all of them collected by Kikel over a span of many years. What is most noteworthy in this series are such early historic titles as One: The Homosexual Viewpoint, RFD: a Country Journal for Gay Men Everywhere, and Mouth of the Dragon.

Series 9. Print Materials - Books is comprised of books collected by Rudy Kikel during his life. Many volumes include annotations, correspondence from the author, and notes by Rudy Kikel. The bulk of Rudy Kikel's library can be located by searching the Brown University Library catalog for the keywords "Rudy Kikel papers".