William Bronk Papers, 1918-1999

Collection number: MC 54
Size: 6 boxes (2 cu.ft.)

About William Bronk

William Bronk was born on February 17, 1918 in Fort Edward, New York, and was descended from Jonas Bronck, for whom the Bronx is named. He entered Dartmouth College in 1934, where he studied under the critic and poet Sidney Cox and met Robert Frost. After graduation he studied at Harvard briefly and then left to write a study of Thoreau, Melville, and Whitman that was published 30 years later as “The Brother in Elysium: Ideas of Friendship and Society in the United States.”

After Army service in World War II, Bronk taught at Union College, then took charge of the family business, the William M. Bronk Coal and Lumber Company, in Hudson Falls, New York until his retirement in 1978. He lived most of his life in the spacious Victorian house where he had grown up. He did not drive and rarely traveled or gave readings. Instead, his house became a mecca for poets and artists. He suffered from emphysema and died of respiratory failure on February 22, 1999 at the age of 81.

The New York Times obituary (Feb 25, 1999) calls Bronk “a poet of depth and haunting vision” and “one of the most prominent poets of his generation” known for “the philosophical depth of his work.” The Nation once referred to him as “our most significant poets,” and critics hailed his intellect, precise use of language, and intimate, haunting and unfrivolous vision.

In 1981, when the University of New Hampshire began collecting Bronk, he had had ten books of poetry and three books of essays published by small presses, but was still relatively unknown. Hugh Miller, a book seller in New Haven, Connecticut made the following statement about Bronk’s literary reputation:

"Bronk’s first two books, Light and Dark (1956), published by Corman’s Origin Press and The World, The Worldless (1964), published by New Directions, did not bring him a wide reputation. He mentions in one letter that he received only one warm response to Light and Dark, though that was from Charles Olson. Otherwise, the response was a disappointment to him. This and his own inclination toward solitariness have hampered the development of his reputation as a poet of national stature. He recounts at times in the letters a number of his dealings with publishers who proposed and then abandoned projects for bringing out books of Bronk’s work. It is only in the last ten years or so as Jim Weil’s Elizabeth Press has continuously published Bronk’s books that the nature and importance of his work has begun to be recognized. With the publication of his Collected Poems, the recognition of Bronk’s work will continue to grow."

Miller’s prediction was fulfilled in 1982 when Bronk won the American Book Award for Life Supports.

About the William Bronk Papers

The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, Bronk publications, photographs, and recordings.

Most of the letters are in Bronk’s hand; occasionally, he has typed a poem or portion of a letter, invariably completing it with a handwritten comment or short note. On a few of the letters Cid Corman has noted mistakes in dating of the letters, the date received, etc. The letters are arranged in chronological order. One is from 1951, but the others cover the period 1961-1986.

Bronk enclosed in letters to Corman twenty-three photographs of himself, his mother, or scenes of importance to the poems. On several of these photographs notes have been made by Cid Corman, his brother Leonard, or James Weil, Bronk’s publisher.

The correspondence also includes about 175 poems handwritten by the author. A title index to these poems appears in Appendix A of the finding-aid.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

This collection is open.

Copyright Notice

Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William Bronk Papers, 1918-1999, MC 54, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.

Acquisitions Information

  • * Folders containing material bequeathed in 1996 by Laura B. Greenlaw of Fort Edward are indicated in the finding aid by an asterisk.
  • Gifts: multiple acquisitions, 1978-1999 (Accession numbers: 7849, 8082, 812, 8222, 8255, 8256, 8257, 8263, 8319, 8456, 96.021, 99.026)
  • Purchases: multiple acquisitions, 1980-1996 (Accession numbers: 8010, 8045, 8054, 8077, 8086, 8138, 826, 8261, 837, 8422, 8469, 8575, 8842, 96.027)
  • Other: Friends of the Library Publication, Jan 15, 1982 (Accession number: 8156)

Collection Contents

Series 1: Correspondence

Box 1
Box 1, Folder 1Baker, Peter, 1972
Box 1, Folder 2Chrisafides, Peter, 1973-1974 (9 letters (14 pages))
Box 1, Folder 3Chrisafides, Peter, Jan 1975
Box 1, Folder 4Chrisafides, Peter, Nov 1975 - 1976 (13 letters (22 pages))
Box 1, Folder 5Corman, Cid, 1951-1967
Box 1, Folder 6Corman, Cid, 1968
Box 1, Folder 7Corman, Cid, 1969
Box 1, Folder 8Corman, Cid, 1970
Box 1, Folder 9Corman, Cid, 1971
Box 1, Folder 10Corman, Cid, 1972
Box 1, Folder 11Corman, Cid, 1973
Box 1, Folder 12Corman, Cid, 1974-1976
Box 1, Folder 13Corman, Cid, 1977 and undated
Box 1, Folder 14Eckman, Barbara (A.L.S. Bronk to Barbara Eckman), 1983
Box 1, Folder 15Elman, Richard, 1967-1986
Box 1, Folder 16Elman, Richard(A.C.S. Bronk to Richard Elman), 1971
Box 1, Folder 17Ernest, John, 1982-1997
Box 1, Folder 18Greenlaw, Laura B.(includes postcard found at p. 208/209 of LBG’s copy of The Brother in Elysium), 1956-1986and undated
Box 1, Folder 19Simic, Charles (Letters to Simic from Bronk), 1980-1982
Box 1, Folder 20Simic, Charles (Letters to Simic from Bronk), 1980-1981
Box 1, Folder 21White, Barbara A. (A.L.S. Bronk, Hudson to Barbara White), 1981-1984

Series 2: Manuscripts

Box 1, Folder 2214 Poems in holograph (script for poetry reading), inscribed to UNH; program for William Bronk and William Heyen poetry reading, April 27, 1981, New York Shakespeare Festival Public TheaterApr 27, 1981
Box 1, Folder 23 *Two poems in holograph, “It Comes to This” (Christmas 1980) and “The Rumination of Rivers,” each addressed to Laura B. Greenlaw and formerly in picture frames
Box 1, Folder 24 *Holograph, “Pride Which Goes Not Only Before But Behind and Probably Sideways Too,” found between pages 4 and 5 of Laura B. Greenlaw’s copy of The World, the Worldless
Box 1, Folder 25 *Typescript of essay “Costume as Metaphor” (published in A Partial Glossary, Elizabeth Press, 1974, and reprinted in Vectors and Smoothable Curves, North Point Press, 1983) found inside front cover of Laura B. Greenlaw’s copy of The Empty Hands
Box 1, Folder 26 *Typescript of 20 poems, including those comprising Lite (James L. Weil, 1995)
Box 1, Folder 27Life Supports: contents, title page, colophon, and title index
Box 1, Folder 28Life Supports: unmarked corrected proofs intended for the Elizabeth Press archives and used to keep track of the proofing process
Box 1, Folder 29Life Supports: unmarked corrected proofs
Box 1, Folder 30Life Supports: proofs marked "WB," corrected by Bronk in black ballpoint ink
Box 2
Box 2, Folder 1Life Supports: two sets of proofs

corrected by James L. Weil, publisher of the Elizabeth Press, in red ballpoint ink, and Carroll Arnett, in black ballpoint ink; the two sets were later mixed together in the process of keeping a record of which errors had been corrected; included with the sheets marked “OK Sheets” are the sheets corrected by Martino Mardersteig, the designer of the book

Box 2, Folder 2Life Supports: two sets of proofs

corrected by James L. Weil, publisher of the Elizabeth Press, in red ballpoint ink, and Carroll Arnett, in black ballpoint ink; the two sets were later mixed together in the process of keeping a record of which errors had been corrected; included with the sheets marked “OK Sheets” are the sheets corrected by Martino Mardersteig, the designer of the book

Box 2, Folder 3Life Supports: two sets of proofs

corrected by James L. Weil, publisher of the Elizabeth Press, in red ballpoint ink, and Carroll Arnett, in black ballpoint ink; the two sets were later mixed together in the process of keeping a record of which errors had been corrected; included with the sheets marked “OK Sheets” are the sheets corrected by Martino Mardersteig, the designer of the book

Box 2, Folder 4Life Supports: two sets of proofs

corrected by James L. Weil, publisher of the Elizabeth Press, in red ballpoint ink, and Carroll Arnett, in black ballpoint ink; the two sets were later mixed together in the process of keeping a record of which errors had been corrected; included with the sheets marked “OK Sheets” are the sheets corrected by Martino Mardersteig, the designer of the book

Box 2, Folder 5 *Our Selves, typescript, spiral bound; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Series 3: Publications

Subseries A: Chapbooks and Journals

Box 2, Folder 6 *Address I:2 (July - Aug 1987), Alan Jones, editor

Contains four poems by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 7 *And Magazine 3:1 & 2 (Spring/Summer 1989), Joseph Flaherty, editor

Contains “Post Mortem” by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 8 *Audit II:5 (University of Buffalo), Ralph Maud, editor, Summer poetry issue, c. 1961

Contains four poems by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 9 *Bare Bones, n.p.: James L. Weil, 1994

One of fifty copies; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 10 *Beethoven: The Late Sonatas [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1990

One of sixty keepsake copies; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 11 *The Choice of Words, New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1995

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 12 *Credences I:3 (May 1976), Robert Bertholf, editor,

Contains twelve poems by William Bronk, plus an interview conducted by Donald Byrd and an essay by the editor; Markers placed by Laura B. Greenlaw between pages 4 - 5 and 24 - 25

Box 2, Folder 13 *Dawnings, [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 14 *Diana’s BiMonthly, Tom Ahearn, editor, 1974

Contains “What Way the Weather Goes,” “Wanting to Come Back,” and “The Full Strength of Nothing” by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 15 *Exemplaries, New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1994

One of fifty copies; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 16Five Cummington Poems, Cummington, MA: The Playhouse-in-the-Hills, Inc.1939

One of 300 copies; Contains “Pause Before Spring” and “Concert of the Ancient Instruments” by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 17Four Dartmouth Poems, Hanover, NH: Baker Library Press, 1940

Copy number 20 of 125 copies; preface by Sidney Cox; contains “On a Course Known Backwards” by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 18 *Four Sonnets by Four Friends [William Bronk, Spencer Brown, Samuel French Morse, Felix Stefanile], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1986

One of fifty keepsake copies designed by Martino Mardersteig; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 19 *The Glens Falls Review 1, 1983

Contains “Waterland,” written by William Bronk for the January 1983 inauguration of Mario Cuomo, governor of New York; two copies

Box 2, Folder 20 *Grosseteste Review 5:1 (Spring 1972), William Bronk special issue; Tim Longville, editor
Box 2, Folder 21 *Holy Orders, [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 2, Folder 22 *Ironwood 9 (Spring 1977), Michael Cuddihy, editor

Contains two poems by William Bronk

Box 2, Folder 23 *Ironwood 11 (Spring 1978), Michael Cuddihy, editor

Contains “The morning door is open,” “Unsatisfied Desire” and “The Destroyer Life” by William Bronk, plus an essay about William Bronk by John Taggart (marked in pencil); markers between numerous pages, as noted in folder

Box 3
Box 3, Folder 1 *Ironwood, 23 (Spring 1984) Michael Cuddihy, editor

Contains “Winter Sacrament,” “Simeon’s Now” and “Worlds and Changes” by William Bronk

Box 3, Folder 2 *The Life [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1986

One of fifty keepsake copies designed by Martino Mardersteig. Inscribed by WB to LBG.

Box 3, Folder 3Light and Dark, Ashland, Mass.: Origin Press, First edition, printed by G. Liantonio, Matera, Italy, cover design by Eugene G. Canade, 1956

The author’s scarce first book; published by Cid Corman at Origin Press; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 4 *Light in a Dark Sky, Concord, N.H.: William B. Ewert, designed by C. Freeman Keith and printed at The Stinehour Press, Lunenberg, Vermont, 1982

Number 15 of 100 copies, of a total run of 136 signed by the author; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 5 *Lite, New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, 1995

One of fifty copies; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 6Looking At It, Rushden, Northamptonshire, England: Sceptre Press, First edition, 1973

Copy number 27 of 50 copies signed by the author; copy 58 of 150, inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 7Maps 2: Homage to David Smith, NY: Galin Press, May 1967

Contains “Displacement: the Locks on the Feeder Called the Five Combines” by William Bronk

Box 3, Folder 8 *Missing Persons, n.p.: James L. Weil, 1996

One of fifty copies; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 9 *The New Alfred Review, Issue One (Fall 1976), George Jevremovic, editor

Contains four poems by William Bronk, marked at p. 16-17 by review of three books by William Bronk (now located in Box 5, clippings folder)

Box 3, Folder 10 *New Directions , 21, J. Laughlin, editor, 1969

Contains six poems by WB

Box 3, Folder 11Of Poetry, New Rochelle, NY: James L. Weil, 1988; printed at Kelly/Winterton Press, N.Y., designed by Hermann Zapf

Copy number 1 of 100; signed by the author

Box 3, Folder 12 *Omega 1:1 (Autumn 1975), J. Geoffrey Jones, editor

Contains “The Conclusion” and “The Non-Lying of Figures” by William Bronk

Box 3, Folder 13 *Origin III, first series, Fall 1951, Dorchester, MA: Origin Press

Features William Bronk and Samuel French Morse, who were Dartmouth classmates

Box 3, Folder 14Origin XIX, first series, Ashland, MA: Origin Press, Summer 1956

Includes five poems by William Bronk

Box 3, Folder 15 *Origin 5, third series (Kyoto, Japan), Cid Corman, editor, Apr 1967; features 28 poems from The Empty Hands by William Bronk

Origin 10, third series (Kyoto, Japan), Cid Corman, editor, July 1968; contains three essays by William Bronk: “Copan,” “For Shirley Clarke,” and “Unwillingness,” plus a poem, "Graffiti”

Box 3, Folder 16 *A Partial Glossary: Two Essays, New Rochelle, NY: Elizabeth Press, 1974, First Edition; designed by Cid Corman, printed by Shavado Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan

One of 300 copies; another copy, inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 3, Folder 17 *Sagetrieb 7:3, William Bronk Special Issue, Winter 1988

Inscribed by William Bronk on front cover to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4
Box 4, Folder 1 **The Shaker Chair. n.p.: James L. Weil, 1993

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 2 *Six Duplicities, Brooklyn, NY: Jordan Davies, est. 1980

Copy 8 of 174 numbered copies signed by the author; includes a second copy inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 3The Stance, Port Townsend, Wash.: Graywolf Press, 1975; Graywolf Pamphlet Series I, first separate edition

Copy 13 of 60 copies signed by the author

Box 4, Folder 4 *Talisman 2, William Bronk: poems – conversations – bibliography, Edward Foster, editor, Spring 1989

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw on front cover

Box 4, Folder 5 *That Beauty Still, Providence, RI: Burning Deck, First edition, designed and printed by Rosmarie Waldrop, 1978

Copy letter 5 of 26 copies signed by the author and printed on Barcham Green Charter Oak paper hand-sewn into wrappers; Printed silk screen by Linda Lutes

Copy letter A of same, inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw; Copy number 352 of 500 numbered copies printed on Strathmore Pastell paper and stapled into wrappers printed silk screen by Linda Lutes

Box 4, Folder 6That Beauty Still

Advance issue; marked by the publisher on the colophon page: “A proof copy without the silkscreen cover,” bound in grey paper wrappers with cover set in the same type as the title page

Box 4, Folder 7 *The Thoreau Quarterly 14:1, X, Winter 1982

Contains “The Actual and the Real in Thoreau,” an essay by William Bronk

Box 4, Folder 8 *Through the Woods [poem], Concord, N.H.: William B. Ewert, 1983

One of 36 copies (of a total run of 136) numbered and signed by the author and hand-sewn in paper wrappers by Carolyn Coman of Newburyport, Massachusetts; marked “author’s copy” in place of the number and inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 9Twelve Losses Found, Pensnett, England: Grosseteste, First edition, Printed at the Arvon Foundation, Lamb Bank, Yorkshire, 1976

Copy number 16 of first 30 copies, signed by Bronk; copy number 150 of 300 numbered copies; copy number 31 of same, inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 10 *The Untold [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 11Utterances/The Loss of Grass, Trees, Water/The Unbecoming of Wanted and Wanter, Providence, RI: Burning Deck, First edition, 1972, Printed by Keith Waldrop

Copy number 114 of 250 numbered copies; copy number 40 of same, inscribed by William Bronk to Joe Greenlaw with a note by Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 12 *What Art Is [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.

Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Box 4, Folder 13 *Winter Evening [poem], New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.

One of fifty keepsake copies designed by Martino Mardersteig; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw

Subseries B: Broadsides and Cards

Box 4, Folder 14 *Broadsides
  • The Bach Trombones at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania [poem], Christmas card, n.d.; decorated in red ink by WB
  • A Bright day in December [broadside], Concord, N.H.: William B. Ewert, 1985; One of 136 copies, signed by the author, inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • The Changes, [Majorca, Divers Press, 1954], Broadside; Author’s first separate publication, with copy of letter to Bronk from Robert Creeley regarding publication
  • The Changes, [Majorca, Divers Press, 1954], Broadside; Inscribed as Christmas card by William Bronk to Joe and Laura Greenlaw
Box 4, Folder 15 *Broadsides, Cards
  • Dawnings [poem], Concord, N.H.: William B. Ewert, designed by John Kristensen and printed at the Firefly Press, 1987; one of 35 copies; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • The Fragile Endurance of the World, Providence, R.I.: Burning Deck, 1974, Postcard; One of 150 copies
  • Having Come a Long Way, The Wise Men Wait a Minute, Christmas, 1951, Christmas card, one copy signed by Bronk, second copy inscribed in red paint by William Bronk
  • Having Come a Long Way, Durham, N.H.: Friends of the University of New Hampshire Library, 1981, Broadside; Copy number 275 of 300 copies printed to accompany the Winter 1981 Friends of the Library Notes, With copy of Notes
  • Having Come a Long Way, Proof, Copy number 1 of 50 numbered copies on special paper and signed by Bronk; Inscribed “for the University of New Hampshire Library”; second copy included
  • In the Beauty of the World…, Providence, R.I.: Burning Deck, 1978, First edition, Postcard, One of about 150 copies
  • It Comes to This, Gnomon Press, 1981, Broadside; Copy number 31 of 50 copies signed by the author; second copy labeled "Number one of ten copies reserved for the poet" and inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw included
Box 4, Folder 16 *Music That Sees Beyond the World [poem], Christmas card; Inscribed by William Bronk
  • Real Estate [poem], Broadside; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • Sizes, Kent, Ohio: Costmary Press, 1980, Poem card; Copy number 12 of 25 copies signed by the author
  • Sizes [poem], “This poem first and last appeared as a broadside published in 25 copies by The Costmary Press, Kent, Ohio, 1980,” New Rochelle, N.Y.: James L. Weil, n.d.; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • Some Musicians Play Chamber Music For Us [poem], Christmas card, 1950; Inscribed by illiam Bronk
  • Through the Woods [poem], Concord, N.H.: William B. Ewert, 1983, Greeting card, Calligraphy and illustration by Douglas Strickler; One of 136 copies for private distribution, Signed and inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • Unnamed/Epiphany [two poems], Card; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • Westchester Walls [poem], Broadside, Mark of James L. Weil, publisher, One of 76 keepsake copies “to celebrate the seventy-sixth birthday of William Bronk, 17 February 1994”; Inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
  • Winter Vocative [poem], Christmas broadside, With a woodcut by Eugene Canade, second series, number six, Dec 1984; Signed by the author; Published “under the auspices of the Friends of the University Libraries [at SUNY Buffalo] in an edition of 2000, of which the first 50 have been numbered and signed by the poet”

Subseries C: Oversize Broadsides

(Located in wooden map case)

Item 1 *“The Transuniversal Look,” New Haven: Vandercook Press. A Bibliographical Press Poetry Broadside; Printed on the occasion of a reading by the poet on Apr 6, 1978 (2 copies)
Item 2 *“The Cipher,” San Francisco: Andrew Hoyem, 1965; second copy inscribed to Joe and Laura Greenlaw, 1965 (2 copies)
Item 3 *“The Lover As Not the Loved”; second copy is proof signed by [L. Luter], inscribed by William Bronk for Laura B. Greenlaw (2 copies)
Item 4“The Fragile Endurance of the World,” Providence: Burning Deck, 1974
Item 5“Rule Book,” Buffalo: Friends of the University Libraries; Published on the occasion of a reading by the poet, Apr 10, 1980
Item 6 *"Two Apostrophes," inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
Item 7 *"Spring Storm," Streetfare Journal 7:2, Spring 1991; inscribed by William Bronk to Laura B. Greenlaw
Item 8 *”Ultimate reality has its own,” Published by Poetry in Public Places, 1977

Series 4: Supplementary Printed Material

Box 4
Box 4, Folder 17 *Clippings, 1976-1983
Box 4, Folder 18 *Program, American Book Awards, 1982
Box 4, Folder 19 *Press kit, Inauguration of Governor Mario M. Cuomo, Jan 1, 1983, Albany, New York
Box 4, Folder 20 *Programs of readings and performances, 1983-1991 (see also Videocassettes)
Box 4, Folder 21Accompanying material for Audiocassette 1
Box 4, Folder 22 *North Point Press catalogue, Spring 1991
Box 4, Folder 23 *The Glens Falls Review 5, 1987-1988 [William Bronk, charter member]
Box 4, Folder 24Program: “A Symposium on the Work of William Bronk” held at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken NJ, Nov 13 - 14, 1999; memorial booklet, “Now and Then,” May 22, 1999; memorial booklet, “The Lens of Poetry,” 2010

Series 5: Photographs

Box 4, Folder 25Photos, Folder 25
  • e.1: “William Bronk in his kitchen, November ’73” [View image]
  • e.2: “Five Combines / 1974 / photo by J[ames]L W[eil]”
  • e.3: “Bill – at the bridge in Hudson Falls / 1974 (Summer)” [View image]
  • e.4: August 1974: WB’s house at 57 Pearl Street, side view [View image]
  • e.5: August 1974 – Photograph of front of William Bronk’s house, with jade plant [View image]
  • e.6: Photograph of side of William Bronk’s house: “Note Bill’s 35 yr. old jade plant” [View image]
  • e.7: Another view of Bronk’s house [View image]
  • e.8: “Mrs. Bronk and neighbor gossip/Note gingko sweeping the lawn”
  • e.9: “Sherman’s Farm / 1974
  • e.10: “Bill’s mother / August '74 / former Republican committeewoman”
  • e.11: “The Bronk ‘town mansion’ (Victorian, yet) a la [Richard] Elman–from Pearl Street” [View image]
  • e.12: William Bronk at home in the conservatory, “Spring 1975 / J[ames] L W[eil] / (May/June)” [View image]
  • e.13: As above, different view [View image]
  • e.14: Bronk standing in front of his house, “Spring 1975 / J[ames] L W[eil] / (May/June)” [View image]
  • e.15: “View from the NE–fall ’75″: Bronk and another walking across the street from the Bronk Coal and Lumber Company [View image]
  • e.16: “View from the NW – Fall ’75″ of the Bronk Coal and Lumber Company
  • e.17: “The Proprietor / Is business that bad? / Fall ’75” [View image]
  • e.18: “The Native, gives directions on the right-of-way, Montreal to N, ‘background’ / Fall ’75”
  • e.19: “Hudson Falls / the track to Montreal / and right-of-way where / we walk”
  • e.20: “Hudson Falls: site of / ’The Lover As Not The Loved’ / (Silence And Metaphor)”
  • e.21: “Hudson Falls: feeder canal”
  • e.22: “Flooded corn fields from the / right of way: Hudson Falls.”
  • e.23: “Site of Bill’s flop–note bridge / (belatedly) demolished: Hudson Falls”
  • e.24 *: Polaroid portrait, n.d.
Box 4, Folder 26
  • e. 1: Full face of WB taken by Kelly Wise
  • e. 2 *: Profile of WB taken by Kelly Wise
  • e. 3 *: Four poses [? unpublished, from photo shoot by Joyce Block and James L. Weil for Sagetrieb 7:3
  • e. 4 *: Four poses [? unpublished, from photo shoot by Joyce Block and James L. Weil for Sagetrieb 7:3
  • e. 5 *: Four poses [? unpublished, from photo shoot by Joyce Block and James L. Weil for Sagetrieb 7:3
  • e. 6 *: Four poses [? unpublished, from photo shoot by Joyce Block and James L. Weil for Sagetrieb 7:3
  • e. 7 *: Portrait of William Bronk (photographer unknown)
  • e. 8 *: By Layle Silbert: William Bronk at the lectern, dated Nov 10, 1973

Series 6: Recordings

Subseries A: Videocassettes/DVDs

Box 5
Item 1 *Videocassette 1

“The International Poetry Forum presents William Bronk,” a reading held March 9, 1988 at the Carnegie Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Oakland, PA. Return address Network Video, 321 Unity Center Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15239; postmarked July 7, 1988. See Supplementary Materials, Box 4, Folder 20 for program. (Also in DVD format)

Item 2 *Videocassette 2

Poetry Center Reading Series, “Poetry at the Gallery,” February 14, 1991 solo reading held in the SF Arts Commission Gallery at San Francisco State University. Recording made by The American Poetry Archive, The Poetry Center, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132. See Supplementary Materials, Box 4 for program. (Also in DVD format)

Item 3 Compact Disc

William Bronk: A Selection, 1978

Item 4 Compact Disc

William Bronk and Spencer Brown: A Reading, 1979

Item 5 Compact Disc

William Bronk: Poems About Light, 1988

Item 6 Compact Disc

William Bronk: Poems To A Listener, 1984, 1989

Item 7 Compact Disc

William Bronk: Poems To A Listener, 1980

Item 8 DVD

William Bronk: Carnegie Lecture Hall,in Oakland,PA, 1988

Item 9 DVD

William Bronk: San Francisco, undated

Subseries B: Audiocassettes

Box 6
Item 1Cassette 1

Bronk reading at Friends of the Library annual meeting, University of New Hampshire, Feb 28, 1983; 45 minutes: short introduction by William B. Ewert, followed by readings from Life Supports by William Bronk; See Box 4 for accompanying material

Item 2 *Cassette 2

Henry Lyman “Poems to a Listener” interview radio series, including readings of “The Outcry,”"The Duplicities of Sense,” “The Emptiness of Human Being,” “The Wall,” “Of the Natural World,” “The Final Despair,” “The Inability,” and more

Item 3 *Cassette 3

“Freedom” chapter of “Silence and Henry Thoreau” essay from The Brother in Elysium, read by the author in 1981, at 51 (sic) Pearl Street

Item 4 *Cassette 4

Sept 14, 1981 informal reading at 57 Pearl Street for some Oneonta students, with discussion

Item 5 *Cassette 5

Mar 19, 1980 “Poems to a Listener,” with host Henry Lyman (WFCR-FM, Amherst, MA). Bronk reads “mostly new, uncollected poems”

Mar 19, 1980 reading in Glens Falls, NY

Item 6 *Cassette 6

Nov 7, 1979 poetry reading at Cooper Union forum with Spencer Brown; Introduced by James Weil

Item 7 *Cassette 7

Side A: “Public Theatre – No title #1” / Side B: “Providence”

Item 8 *Cassette 8

Side A: “No title #2” / Side B: ”Cooper Union ’79′ with Brown pt. 1.” Side B is the same material as the beginning of Cassette 6 [note: occasional feedback and squeaks]

Item 9Cassette 9

“Poems to a Listener: readings and conversation with William Bronk.” Recorded in Hudson Falls, New York, 1984, 1989; Produced by Henry Lyman, WFCR-FM, Amherst, Massachusetts; Copyright 1994

Item 10Cassette 10

William Bronk, Bronk. A Selection. Watershed Signature Series, 1979 [Living Poetry, C-1128], 56 minutes

Series 7: Index of poems included in letters

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William Bronk
(Photo by Kelly Wise. Used by permission)

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