Guide to the John Ciardi letters , 1952-1969

Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
Fax: 401-863-2093
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	John Ciardi letters
Date range:	1952-1969
Creator:	Ciardi, John, 1916-1986
Extent:	13 items
Abstract:	The collection is made up of eleven typed letters signed and one autographed letter signed to Professor William J. Griffin at George Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee. Most letters are about his writing, with one form letter to Rodger P. Kingston.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Brown University Library, Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms. 88.4

Scope & content

The John Ciardi letters is made up of eleven typed letters signed and one autographed letter signed to Professor William J. Griffin at George Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee. Most letters are about his writing, with one form letter to Rodger P. Kingston.

Access Points

Subject Names

Ciardi, John, 1916-1986

Subject Names

Ciardi, John, 1916-1986

Subject Topics

American poetry

Subject Topics

Language and Literature

Document Types

Letters (correspondence)

Occupations

Arrangement

The John Ciardi letters does not have a Series structure and is arranged chronologically.

Biographical note

Ciardi, the son of Italian immigrants, was born in Boston's North End. He grew up in Medford, Massachusetts and studied at his hometown college, Tufts University, before receiving his M.A. from the University of Michigan in 1939.

After years of teaching English at Harvard (1946-1953) and Rutgers (1953-1961), Ciardi resigned his tenured faculty position to pursue an independent career. Ciardi wrote 21 books of poetry. He served as a highly popular poetry editor of the Saturday Review from 1956 to 1972. His occasional public television broadcasts were supplemented by his weekly National Public Radio series begun in 1980 entitled, "A Word in Your Ear." A National Teachers Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children was presented to Ciardi in 1982. He died of a heart attack on Easter Sunday in 1986.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	John Ciardi letters, Ms. 88.4, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	Brown University Library, Special Collections Box A, John Hay Library Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 Fax: 401-863-2093 E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The John Ciardi letters were purchased from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Books & Collections in 1988.


ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by John Hay Library staff.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Daniel Mejia 2009 September 28
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:

The poems of and works about John Ciardi can be found by an author or subject search in JOSIAH for: Ciardi, John.