James Sherry Papers, circa 1962-2016
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1806
- Bib ID:
- 12444545 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Sherry, James; Segue Foundation
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 24.5 linear feet (18 record cartons, 2 manuscript boxes, and 1 card file box)
- Language(s):
- English .
- Access:
- You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
-
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Description
Summary
The James Sherry Papers document Sherry's prose and poetry writing, publishing career, and his work with the Segue Foundation and in the private sector. The papers include address books, appointment books, catalogs, correspondence, editorial files, event fliers, manuscripts, notebooks, professional files, and publications.
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Series I: Correspondence, circa 1962-2014
This series includes letters to and from James Sherry and Roof and Segue Books. Files are arranged roughly by year or date range in folders; some folders contain related drafts and partial manuscripts; some letters are undated. Other correspondence is found throughout the collection with related material. Correspondents of note include Michael Anderson, Bruce Andrews, Rae Armantrout, Charles Bernstein, David Bromige, Nicole Brossard, Lee Ann Brown, Abigail Child, Clark Coolidge, Alan Davies, Dubravka Djuric, Ken Edwards, Larry Eigner, Benjamin Friedlander, Norman Fischer, Peter Ganick, Bob Grenier, Barbara Guest, Carla Harryman, Lyn Hejinian, Erica Hunt, Susan Howe, Peter Inman, Joel Kuszai, Michael Lally, Hank Lazer, Jackson Mac Low, Tom Mandel, Bernadette Mayer, Steve McCaffery, Douglas Messerli, Eileen Myles, Gil Ott, Bob Perelman, Nick Piombino, Joan Retallack, Kit Robinson, Tom Savage, Leslie Scalapino, Lee Sherry, Leslie Marmon Silko, Ron Silliman, Fiona Templeton, Diane Ward, Anne Waldman, Rosmarie Waldrop, Barrett Watten, Hannah Weiner, and Zhang Ziqing.
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Series II: James Sherry Personal Papers, circa 1968-2014
This series includes James Sherry's personal and creative notebooks and notebook transcriptions, some of which contain loose papers and correspondence, address and appointment books, and miscellaneous personal documents. This series also contains material pertaining to his consulting work and his long career with IBM, as well as his involvement with the Occupy Alternative Bank subgroup.
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Series III: Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1962-circa 2014
This series includes James Sherry's creative prose and poetry files, including published and unpublished creative manuscripts (among them Our Nuclear Heritage, In Case, Lazy Sonnets); collaborations with other poets and artists such as Bruce Andrews, Charles Bernstein, Hank Lazer, and Nina Wiener; drafts and manuscript submissions to Roof and Segue Books, editorial files, and other creative materials including proofs, artwork, and transcripts of readings or talks by Sherry and others; and personal and collaborative grant applications. Writers and artists of note include Michael Anderson, Bruce Andrews, Brandon Brown, Charles Bernstein, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Abigail Child, Alan Davies, Ray DiPalma, Craig Dworkin, Ken Edwards, Larry Eigner, Rob Fitterman, Serge Gavronsky, Michael Gottlieb, Barbara Guest, Lyn Hejinian, Henry Hills, Hank Lazer, Andrew Levy, Jackson Mac Low, Tom Mandel, Steve McCaffery, Laura Moriarty, Jena Osman, Gil Ott, Bob Perelman, Nick Piombino, John Reed, Leslie Scalapino, Ron Silliman, Fiona Templeton, Anne Waldman, and Diane Ward. Many submissions are accompanied by correspondence. Of particular note are manuscripts pertaining to Roof magazine (1976-1979).
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Series IV: Segue Foundation, 1976-2016
This series includes distribution catalogues, reading series flyers, promotion lists, donation lists, financial records, permissions documents, miscellaneous reviews, and related correspondence pertaining to Roof and Segue Books. This series also includes materials from related foundations including Poets House, St. Mark's Church, and the PEN American Center.
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Series V: Publications, 1976-2016
This series includes final publication materials such as monographs and anthologies published by Roof Books, Segue Books, and other presses; special issue journals, chapbooks, and fine paper printings; and a complete run of Roof magazine, no. 1-10.
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Series VI: Archived Web Site, 2018
Archived web site captures of the official web site of Segue Foundation, at http://www.seguefoundation.com/. Captured semi-annually, 2018-present.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in six series and several subseries.
Series I: Correspondence, circa 1962-2014 Series II: James Sherry Personal Papers, circa 1968-2014 Subseries II.1: Personal Notebooks, circa 1968-1978 Subseries II.2: Address and Appointment Books, 1981-2001 Subseries II.3: Technology and Consulting Files, 1993-2013 Subseries II.4: Miscellaneous Personal Documents, 1977-2014 Series III: Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1962-circa 2014 Subseries III.1: James Sherry Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1962-2013 Subseries III.2: Other Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1969-circa 2014 Subseries III.3: Grant Applications, 1976-circa 1997 Series IV: Segue Foundation, 1976-2016 Subseries IV.1: Administrative and Financial Records, 1976-2016 Subseries IV.2: Related Foundation Records, 1979-1989 Series V: Publications, 1976-2016 Series VI: Archived Web Site, 2018-
- Series I: Correspondence, circa 1962-2014
- Series II: James Sherry Personal Papers, circa 1968-2014
- Subseries II.1: Personal Notebooks, circa 1968-1978
- Subseries II.2: Address and Appointment Books, 1981-2001
- Subseries II.3: Technology and Consulting Files, 1993-2013
- Subseries II.4: Miscellaneous Personal Documents, 1977-2014
- Series III: Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1962-circa 2014
- Subseries III.1: James Sherry Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1962-2013
- Subseries III.2: Other Manuscripts and Editorial Files, 1969-circa 2014
- Subseries III.3: Grant Applications, 1976-circa 1997
- Series IV: Segue Foundation, 1976-2016
- Subseries IV.1: Administrative and Financial Records, 1976-2016
- Subseries IV.2: Related Foundation Records, 1979-1989
- Series V: Publications, 1976-2016
- Series VI: Archived Web Site, 2018
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
This collection has no restrictions.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); James Sherry Papers ; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Accruals
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
2015.2016.M147: Source of acquisition--James Sherry. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--5/19/2016.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Collection-level record describing unprocessed material made public in summer 2018 as part of the Hidden Collections initiative.
This collection was processed by Veronica Belafi (GSAS) in 2018-2019.
Finding aid written by Veronica Belafi (GSAS) and Catherine C. Ricciardi in September 2019.
Revision Description
2019-09-20 Catherine C. Ricciardi updated collection record.
Biographical / Historical
James Sherry was born on December 30, 1946, in Philadelphia. He graduated from Reed College in 1968 with a Woodrow Wilson fellowship to Brandeis University in History of Ideas.
Sherry is the author of 13 books of poetry and theory and a leading proponent of both Language Writing and Environmental Poetics. His books include The Oligarch: Rewriting Machiavelli's The Prince for Our Time (Palgrave MacMillan, 2018), Entangled Bank (Chax, 2016), Oops! Environmental Poetics (BlazeVox, 2013), Four For (Meow, 1995), Our Nuclear Heritage (Sun and Moon Press, 1991), Lazy Sonnets (Potes and Poets Press, 1986), In Case (Sun and Moon Press, 1980), and Part Songs (Awede Press, 1978). His work has been translated into nine languages including the Chinese edition of Selected Language Poems (Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House: Chengdu, 1993), translated by Ziqing Zhang and Huang Yunte.
Sherry founded Roof Magazine, a magazine of innovative writing, in 1976. The magazine is known for documenting the New York School, Beat poetry and as a seminal publication of Language Writing. The magazine was published quarterly for ten issues. Sherry started the Segue Foundation, a multi-service arts organization based in lower Manhattan, in 1977. To date, Segue Foundation has produced over 10,000 events in New York City. In 1979, Sherry started Roof Books, which has published more than 150 titles of poetry and criticism.
Sherry began working for IBM and other Wall Street firms in the early 1980s. Sherry worked as a technologist and consultant in publishing and banking from 1981-1999, and did work for Hearst Corporation, Von Holtzbrinck, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley and other firms. In addition, he worked as a systems analyst and business development manager for IBM until 2012. At IBM, Sherry participated in patents in computer to computer communications, secure broker technology and inefficient computing using multicasting. Sherry also became involved with the Occupy Alternative Bank subgroup in 2011.
Sherry is currently editor and publisher of Roof Books and President of The Segue Foundation, Inc. He resides in New York City with his wife, Deborah Thomas, publisher of Extra!, the newsletter of Fairness And Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).
Subject Headings
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