Thursday, July 31, 2008




I just found out that my letters to Cid Corman are now archived at Indiana University , which reminds me of my usual rant about the advent of e-mail and how it has contributed to what probably amounts to the loss of a large portion of the recent historical record of poets in correspondence. Cid’s responses were brief of course but filled with such incredible insight; I can’t imagine that we would’ve labored over e-mail the way we obviously gave thought to writing letters. I’m glad the letters exist now somewhere for safe keeping. In an extreme example, I used to get letters from Charles Henri Ford painted on rice paper. Painting letters on paper made of rice made opening them an occasion that can’t be compared to receiving e-mail. Convenience has cost us something and this is another instance when it seems that technology has trumped posterity. It's interesting to see who else Cid was in correspondence with and when.

2 comments:

Ed Baker said...

Hey Lasrry I went out to The Lilly Library last August and had them copy my "stash" of letters to Cid 1998-2004 that are there in Box 96 some 300 = pieces from me to him... of course I have all of his replies to me..

and on my site
http://edbaker.maikosoft.com
you can see Restoration Letters Cid's and my correspondence 1972-1978 published tel-let 2001

and there where via Wm Morris in 2004 10 of my original letters to him for sale that I bought..

that Cid had his brother sell..

anyway things of the 1970's re Cid of mine also archived at Kent State and two other places..

did I link you to the Lilly Library (CC) archive?

meanwhile Restoration Poems (see those letters) at publisher now

don't you publish MILK?

Ed Baker said...

http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/literature/poetry/corman.html#alpha

here is another "stash" of Cid's correspondents..

you might recognize a few folks...

also an huge collection at U of Del