American Poets' Corner Archive, 1984-1996
Summary Information
Abstract
At a Glance
- Call No.:
- MS#1991
- Bib ID:
- 14336459 View CLIO record
- Creator(s):
- Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York, N.Y.)
- Repository:
- Rare Book and Manuscript Library
- Physical Description:
- 1.68 Linear Feet (4 document boxes)
- 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.
Description
Scope and Contents
Ballots for the election of poets, correspondence by the poets in residence, DVDs and photos of dedication services, and materials relating to the induction and selection of poets.
Arrangement
Arranged in seven series:
- Series I: Correspondence
- Series II: Electors and Induction
- Series III: Endorsements and Proclamations
- Series IV: Dedication
- Series V: History
- Series VI: Programs and Publicity
- Series VII: Daniel Haberman
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing 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.
Conditions Governing Use
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Curator of Manuscripts/University Archivist, Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML approves permission to publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
The RBML cannot provide access to original time-based media material which has not been first been reformatted for preservation. Researchers are welcome to examine archival time-based media items and decide whether they wish to place an order for Audio/Video reformatting. If copyright and/or condition restrictions apply, it may not be possible to digitize a requested item. Please note that A/V reformatting is handled by an outside vendor and typically takes 6-8 weeks.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); American Poets' Corner Archive; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Related Materials
Daniel Haberman Papers. Columbia University Libraries.
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
Gift of Barbara Nissman, 2019.
About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Processing Information
Processed by Patrick Lawlor and Barbara Nissman, 2019.
Content Description
The American Poets' Corner was created in 1984 in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City and modeled after a similar alcove for writers at Westminster Abbey in London. Located in the cathedral's Arts Bay, the Poets' Corner is made up of stone slabs, both on the wall and on the floor, commemorating (as of 2019) thirty American writers with inscriptions of the writer's name, dates of birth and death, and a memorable quotation from the writer's work. For Hart Crane, his words "Permit me voyage, love, into your hands" were chosen, and Edna St. Vincent Millay is remembered with "Take up the song; forget the epitaph." The Cathedral Poet-in-Residence program has been ongoing since 1983. Poets serve for a term of five years. The poet in turn appoints the Electors, for staggered terms, keeping in mind the original guidelines calling for geographical and genre diversity. Every spring, the Poet-in-Residence invites each Elector to nominate a writer deceased for at least 25 years. The Electors and Poet-in-Residence discuss candidates and engage in balloting until consensus is reached. A line of poetry is chosen to be engraved in the cathedral.
Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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