Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Gwendolyn Brooks and Arthur Waldhorn Correspondence, June 10, 1985, SC 0306, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Purchased from The Second Shelf's (London) September 2020 catalog "Gwendolyn Brooks & Her Circle." Acquired through the Frances Jobson Francis Special Collections fund.

Bio/Historical Note

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was a noted Black poet, writer, and teacher. Her writings often dealt with the struggles and accomplishments of the Black community. In 1950, she became the first Black writer to receive the Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poetry Annie Allen . A life-long resident of Chicago, Brooks was named the Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968. Brooks's poem "Second Sermon on the Warpland" inspired the name of James Madison University's Furious Flower Poetry Conference. The inaugural conference was also dedicated to Brooks.

Arthur Waldhorn (b. 1918) was a professor of English at multiple New York City area colleges and universities.

Scope and Content

The Gwendolyn Brooks and Arthur Waldhorn Correspondence, June 10, 1985, comprises a single sheet with correspondence between Gwendolyn Brooks and Arthur Waldhorn. Includes Waldhorn's typed request to Brooks to write a piece of poetry for Forbes Magazine concerning "wealth or money" and Brooks's handwritten response on the same sheet that she never received the request. Brooks goes on to say that the summer of 1985 will be busy as she attempts to complete two books ("Can't write another thing!") and must decline Waldhorn's request.

Arrangement

The correspondence comprises a single leaf and is housed in one archival folder.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• African American poets
• Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1917-2000
• Letters (correspondence)
• Poets, American -- 20th century
• Waldhorn, Arthur, 1918-