A major part of my donations to Haiku Canada will be correspondence. While searching through ancient boxes I found several folders full of old haiku letters, mags, flyers, posters, reviews, and even a few old haiku newsletters and assorted memorabilia. I think it's key to get this material into the archives asap, as these papers would likely be among the first to be recycled or even burned when I leave this sphere - sad, but true. My good friend and executor is a self-proclaimed redneck, without any interest or knowledge of their value in literary and haiku communities.
To start the process I've been sorting the letters by the names of my correspondents, including both letters to and from me. As it's interesting to give a quick glance through my back pages while sorting, I hope to include occasional brief notes as I prepare items for mailing. As I begin this process, I hope to refine and simplify it as much as possible. This basic cataloguing should help professional library archivists if they chose to refine the cataloguing, and also to give some guidance to anyone interested in researching or just browsing. Pages paper clipped by correspondents.
Marco Fraticelli: early/founding member of Haiku Canada; editor/publisher haiku friendly mag The Alchemist
2 letters from Marco to me and a card
2 letter from me to Marco
copy special haiku limited edition the Alchemist #47 of 100
Dorothy Howard: early/founding member HC, co-edited and published early bilingual anthology with Andre Duhaime, edited/published mag raw nervz, HC archivist, etc. etc.!
approx. 10++ letters from both of us, including some still in envelopes
Hans Jongman: longtime membership secretary for HC
envelope with 2 cards
Michael Dudley: early/founding member HC
1 letter from me and card ad for his collection Man in a Motel Room
Leroy Gorman: early/founding member HC; coordinator HC member broadsheets
1 letter from each of us
George Swede: founding member HC; too many roles and projects to list
2 letters from me; also includes 2 drafts of my review of Eric Amann's Cicada Voices: Selected Haiku of Eric Amann 1966 - 1979, edited by George Swede; for High/Coo Press
~ ~ ~
Chris, it's fantastic that you have these early correspondences to donate!
Best wishes for 2023 to all!
Vicki
(Head archivist Haiku Canada)
No comments:
Post a Comment