Correspondence

The Correspondence series consists of nine linear feet of material, divided into several subseries, largely mirroring the original system of arrangement. The series as a whole provides insight primarily into Piercy's professional activities, but it also reveals her views on writing, publishing, important social and political issues, and her growth as a writer (this last notably through correspondence with early mentors, such as George Garrett), as well advice Piercy herself gives to aspiring writers. Correspondence with other writers mainly regards publishing in literary magazines that they edited.

In some pieces of early correspondence, Marge Piercy is addressed as "Marjorie Schiff." This usage is a combination of an incorrect formalization of her first name and the use of her first married name (which she did not use, at least not professionally).

The three subseries comprising the Correspondence series are the Topical File, the Name File, and General Correspondence. The Topical File is further divided into a number of subheadings, explained below. For all material in the series, incoming and outgoing correspondence is combined. Within different subseries, correspondence is arranged either alphabetically or chronologically. When arranged chronologically, letters are usually ordered by the date of Piercy's latest reply (much of her correspondence having been 'batched' by Piercy or her assistant according to correspondent, within the larger chronological framework). Major exceptions to these generalities and further details follow in the subseries descriptions. Due to the complex arrangement of the Correspondence series, the researcher is advised to search throughout the entire series when looking for specific names of persons or organizations. It should also be noted that small amounts of correspondence can be found within other series, mainly the Writings series.

The largest of the subseries, the Topical File, is broken down into the following sections: About Poems, Academic Queries, Anthologies, Blurbs, Fan Mail, Interviews, Literary Magazines, Permissions, Photographers, Readings, Publishers and Editors, and Other Topics. Most of these headings come directly from Piercy's filing system; "Publishers and Editors" and "Other Topics" were created by the processor. "Publishers and Editors" gathers together letters of literary agents, editors, and publishers who do not have their own files elsewhere. (Researchers should also consult the titles within the Writings series, which often contains publishers' correspondence regarding that particular work.) "Other Topics" features topical correspondence of a more isolated or unusual nature. (Senator John Kerry is among the correspondents in the "Tax Bill" file.)

About Poems is a mixture of business correspondence, correspondence with other poets, and fan mail. All of theses types of correspondence, however, do seem to contain inquiries or comments about Piercy's poems. Perhaps because of its vague nature and overlap with other files, About Poems was only maintained through 1986. About Poems is divided into correspondence relating specifically to the book To Be of Use (which includes materials on Laying Down the Tower) and "General." The General file is arranged alphabetically by personal name, with corporate names in parentheses. One highlight of About Poems is a handwritten note and poem by Gary Snyder. Another is a set of woodcut prints made by artist Lucia Vernarelli as sample illustrations for the poem cycle Laying Down the Tower. Recording sessions for Laying Down the Tower are also discussed. Early in her career, Piercy had considerable correspondence with George Garrett, who gave her a great deal of advice, some of it in About Poems.

The Academic Queries section consists mainly of correspondence from researchers seeking information on Marge Piercy and her works, or requesting her insights into feminism, activism, writing, and other topics. Also included are requests for appearances at events. Correspondents range from high school students through college professors, professional writers, and others from outside academia. As with the About Poems file, some of the correspondence has the appearance of quasi-fan mail, and the researcher will find considerable overlap with other portions of the Topical File. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically.

The Anthologies file contains negotiations for Piercy's work to be published in these anthologies. (Piercy's work has appeared in a diverse range of collections, with themes ranging from feminist poetry to science fiction.) Blurbs consists of correspondence regarding requests from others for blurbs by Piercy. Both Anthologies and Blurbs are arranged chronologically.

Over one linear feet of Fan Mail shows not only Piercy's wide popularity but her spirit of generosity toward her readers. Piercy often writes detailed and informative responses to admirers of her work and to fledgling writers seeking advice on how to get published. This is particularly so in earlier responses to fan letters. Some highlights in this file are long letters from a pre-fame Allison Anders (director of Gas Food Lodging, Grace of My Heart, and other films) and from young environmental activist Vernell "Spring" Lundberg.

Interviews contains correspondence requesting and arranging in-person interviews with Marge Piercy as well as questionnaires and written interviews. This file is arranged chronologically.

The Literary Magazines file is the richest source in the collection for Piercy's correspondence with fellow poets and writers--Marilyn Hacker, Denise Levertov, Robin Morgan, Robert Bly, Donald Hall, Robert Hershon, and Roland Pease, to name just a few. These letters will be primarily useful to the researcher in tracing Piercy's publishing history. (Feminist presses and publications are especially well-represented, and so are Jewish-themed publications, somewhat later on.) However, some insight can also be gained into the correspondents' thoughts on writing and major events and issues of the times. The Literary Magazines files are arranged alphabetically by magazine title or press name (or sometimes personal name). Titles or presses are cross-listed by personal names of correspondents, when known, in parentheses. Some files may consist of only incoming, or only outgoing, correspondence. Figures who were associated with several different journals will appear multiple times (James Mechem, for example, editor of Caprice, Out of Sight, and Squeezebox). Occasionally, some magazines appear to have been proposed but never actually published; these are still listed by title.

Permissions is a fairly straightforward file from those seeking permission to use Piercy's works in their publications or other endeavors (conferences, women's groups, etc.). One unusual item is a letter from a fan describing a quilt she made incorporating one of Piercy's poems (along with a photograph of the quilt, now in the Photographs and Negatives series). Photographers consists of fairly routine scheduling and payment negotiations between Piercy and professional photographers.

The Readings files include initial contacts, negotiations, event descriptions, logistical arrangements, and follow-up materials for readings, workshops, conferences, and other public engagements. These files are divided into Readings Done, Possible Readings, and Readings Refused. (Prior to 1988, files were not divided in this manner, but rather grouped under a general "Readings" heading. These files have been put into Readings Done.) Reflecting the original order of the materials, correspondence is mostly arranged in 'clusters' based on the event under discussion. Making plans for the event often covered the time span of a year or more, so chronology is not exact. Correspondence for a particular event filed in "June 1989," for example, may begin significantly before this date. Items within each 'cluster' are arranged in reverse chronological order.

The Name File, arranged alphabetically, is made up of files kept by Piercy on individual and corporate correspondents. As with other portions of the Correspondence series, it depicts a cross-section of Piercy's interests: literature and publishing, women's rights, Judaism, and more. There is a significant amount of correspondence concerning Tikkun magazine, for which Piercy has served as both board member and poetry editor. Letters within each correspondent's file are arranged by Piercy's latest date of reply (that is, reverse chronological order). Correspondent is listed first by personal name, if given, and then by corporate name. There is some overlap of names between this file and other sections of the Correspondence series.

The General Correspondence subseries consists of two subdivisions, Alphabetical and Chronological. None of the General Correspondence material was given separate files within Piercy's original arrangement. The Alphabetical division was created during processing to highlight correspondence that while not significant in volume, might be of interest to the researcher because of its creator. Among the correspondents are poet Annie Dillard, feminist author and theorist Dale Spender, and musician Jeriann Hilderley. The Chronological subdivision holds correspondence of a more routine nature, or where the full name of the correspondent is not available.