Collection number: MC 71
Size: 11 boxes
(8.30 cu.ft.)
About William Heyen
William Helmuth Heyen was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940 and was educated at SUNY Brockport and Ohio University. He taught American literature and creative writing at SUNY Brockport for over thirty years before his retirement in 2000. He also briefly served as Director of the Brockport Writers Forum, a series of readings by and video interviews with numerous American and international authors.
His books of poetry include: Depth of Field (1970); Noise in the Trees (1974); The Swastika Poems (1977); Long Island Light (1979); Erika: Poems of the Holocaust (1984); Pterodactyl Rose (1991); The Host: Selected Poems 1965-1990 (1994); Crazy Horse In Stillness (1995), winner of the 1997 Small Press Book Award for Poetry; Pig Notes and Dumb Music: Prose on Poetry (1998); Diana, Charles, and the Queen (1998); Shoah Train (2004), a finalist for the National Book Award for poetry; and Confessions of Doc Williams and Other Poems (2006).
He has edited three major collections of poetry: The Generation of 2000: Contemporary American Poets; American Poets in 1976; and September 11, 2001: American Poets Respond (2002).
He also authored: a novel, Vic Holyfield and the Class of ’57 (1986); a collection of short stories, The Hummingbird Corporation (2003); and a collection of 30 years of essays called Home: Autobiographies, etc (2004).
About the William Heyen Papers
William Heyen and William B. Ewert, a publisher of fine limited edition poetry books, broadsides, and cards in Concord, NH, were close friends for many years. Heyen would often send Ewert drafts of his poems, some of them typed, but many written out in hand. Over the years, Ewert published many of them and these published versions can be found in the William B. Ewert Papers. The manuscript versions of the poems can be found here in the William Heyen Papers, along with correspondence from Heyen to Ewert and material about Heyen’s career.
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], [Folder], [Box], William Heyen Papers, 1979-2000, MC 71, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
- Gift, multiple acquisitions from William B. Ewert, 1980-1982 (Accession numbers: 806, 8033, 8197)
- Purchase, Bert Babcock Fine Books, June 27, 1980 (Accession number: 7973)
Related Material
Published versions of some of Heyen's poems can be found in the William B. Ewert Papers.
Collection Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into three series (correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera and collections), with a fourth, separate series for oversized materials. Except for the oversized materials, all series have been further divided into subseries for clarity and convenience.
Collection Contents
Series 1: Correspondance
(2 boxes)Subseries A: Bill Heyen to William Ewert
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | 1979
| |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | 1983
| |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | 1984: January – May
| |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | 1984: June- December
| |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | 1985
| |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | 1986
| |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | 1987
| |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | 1988
| |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | 1989
| |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | 1990
| |
| Box 1, Folder 11 | 1991
| |
| Box 1, Folder 12 | 1992
| |
| Box 1, Folder 13 | 1993
| |
| Box 1, Folder 14 | 1994
| |
| Box 1, Folder 15 | 1995
| |
| Box 1, Folder 16 | 1996
| |
| Box 1, Folder 17 | 1997
| |
| Box 1, Folder 18 | 1998
| |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | 1999
| |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | 2000
| |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Undated
| |
Subseries B: Third party correspondence
| Box 2, Folder 4 | 1976-1985
| |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | 1986
| |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | 1987-1989
| |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | 1991
| |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | 1992
| |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | Copy of letter from Michael Tarachow to Bill Heyen, July 11, 1996 with handwritten note from William Heyen to Bill Ewert, July 28, 1996 | |
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Letter from Don Lee [editor, Ploughshares] to Bill Heyen, September 13, 1999 with galley proofs of Heyen’s poem “Respects” and a copy of an e-mail from William Heyen to Don Lee, September 17, 1999, with a note from Heyen to Bill Ewert, September 17, 1999 |
Subseries C: Between Heyen and Ewert families
| Box 2, Folder 11 | 1983-2000
|
Series 2: Manuscripts
(6 Boxes)Subseries A: Poetry
| Box 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 3, Folder 1-2 | List of poem titles and formats | |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | “Again”: copy of typescript draft with handwritten notes, dated February 12, 1984; typescript | |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | “Americans” typescript of collection with hand written note to W.B.E. dated July 17, 1988 | |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | “Angel Voices, The” typescript with letter to W.B.E. undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | “Annuli” four typescripts, each with notes to W.B.E. dated June 7, 1995; June 19, 1995; February 21, 1996; and June 26, 1996 | |
| Box 3, Folder 7 | “Census, The” hand written drafts and typescripts with a letter to W.B.E. dated August 8, 1983 | |
| Box 3, Folder 8 | “Chestnut Rain, The”: cover from Available Press edition; photocopy of corrected proofs | |
| Box 3, Folder 9 | “Chestnut Rain, The”: photocopy of typescript, numbered 11 of 12, inscribed to W.B.E. dated May 26, 1985 | |
| Box 3, Folder 10 | “The Common Thing” two mock-ups of tri-fold Christmas card for 1997 with three poems: “Snow,” “Time,” and “The Question” | |
| Box 3, Folder 11 | “Crazy Horse” notebook | |
| Box 3, Folder 12 | “Crazy Horse and Custer: The River of Electricity” typescript inscribed to W.B.E. dated July 4, 1997 | |
| Box 3, Folder 13 | “Crazy Horse in Stillness”: typescript with note to W.B.E. written on title page, dated February 12, 1995 | |
| Box 3, Folder 14 | “Crazy Horse in Stillness”: partial typescript | |
| Box 4 | ||
| Box 4, Folder 1 | “Crazy Horse in Stillness”: typescript of Table of Contents with handwritten note to W.B.E., dated August 12, 1995 | |
| Box 4, Folder 2 | “Crazy Horse Mountain”: handwritten on decorated card stock, inscribed to the Ewerts, dated June, 1996; typescripts of poems, with note to W.B.E., dated February 20, 1996 | |
| Box 4, Folder 3 | Photocopies of typescripts
“As Best He Could”: handwritten on scrap card stock, inscribed to W.B.E. dated February 4, 1994 “Objet D’Art”: handwritten on scrap card stock, inscribed to W.B.E., dated February 4, 1994 | |
| Box 4, Folder 4 | Custer and/or Crazy Horse poems: typescripts and photocopies of typescripts | |
| Box 4, Folder 5 | “Custer Minus Custer”: typescript with letter to W.B.E. dated
February 6 - 7,
1995
Holograph of “Dakota A.D.” on decorated card stock inscribed to W.B.E. dated March 17, 1995 | |
| Box 4, Folder 6 | “Di in Love”: typescript with hand written note to W.B.E. dated February 15, 1997 | |
| Box 4, Folder 7 | “Eight Poems for Saint Walt,” photocopy of a dummy copy by Stone House Press, with a hand written note to W.B.E. dated October 10, 1985 | |
| Box 4, Folder 8 | “Erika”: blueprints of the Vanguard Press edition | |
| Box 4, Folder 9 | “Ewe, The”: handwritten drafts | |
| Box 4, Folder 10 | “Exact Location of the Soul, The”: Typescript with letter
from Robert Wyatt [Ballantine] to Heyen dated October 5, 1987
Handwritten note on scrap to W.B.E. dated September 29, 1993 | |
| Box 4, Folder 11 | “Exact Location of the Soul, The”: Photocopy of type script with a hand written note to W.B.E. dated February 1988 on the title page | |
| Box 4, Folder 12 | “Fires”: handwritten and typescript drafts | |
| Box 4, Folder 13 | “Fountain Pen”: handwritten drafts, final copy hand written on card stock and inscribed to W.B.E. dated August 1987 | |
| Box 4, Folder 14 | “German Poems”: small notebook with a selection of poems hand written by Heyen for W.B.E. dated August 26, 1982 | |
| Box 5 | ||
| Box 5, Folder 1 | “Handbook of Heartbreak, The”: notebook | |
| Box 5, Folder 2 | “Handbook of Heartbreak, The”: notebook | |
| Box 5, Folder 3 | “Handbook of Heartbreak, The”: drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 4 | “Handbook of Heartbreak, The”: drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 5 | “Harpoon” drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 6 | “Holocaust Songs”: handwritten drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 7 | “The Leaves”: handwritten and typescript drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 8 | “Lord Dragonfly”: typescript with printer’s notations | |
| Box 5, Folder 9 | “Mantle” drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 10 | “This Night” drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 11 | “Noise in the Trees”: bound photocopy of original typescript, inscribed by Heyen to W.B.E. dated July 3, 1976 | |
| Box 5, Folder 12 | “Off the Expressway” drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 13 | “Pickerel” drafts | |
| Box 5, Folder 14 | “Pigeons, The”: drafts; typescript; correspondence re. printing with The Perishable Press, including a proof | |
| Box 5, Folder 15 | “Pterodactyl Rose”: plastic spiral-bound typescript | |
Subseries B: Prose
| Box 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 6, Folder 1 | “Ribbons: The Gulf War” (anthology): photocopy of typescript with a handwritten letter to W. B. E. dated March 10, 1992 | |
| Box 6, Folder 2 | “The Rope” (anthology): typescript draft with handwritten note to W. B. E. dated February 2, 1997 | |
| Box 6, Folder 3 | “The Swastika Poems” (collection): handwritten and typescript draft; handwritten letter to W. B. E. dated December 13, 1977 | |
| Box 6, Folder 4 | “The Tower,” sample of broadside by Magpie Press, numbered letter A, with handwritten note to W.B.E. on the back, dated February 5, 1994 | |
| Box 6, Folder 5 | “This Year,” typescript and handwritten drafts | |
| Box 6, Folder 6 | "Witness” handwritten draft; typescript with hand written notations dated June 15, 1976 | |
| Box 6, Folder 7 | “XX Poems” (anthology): blank book bound by W. B. E. containing twenty poems, handwritten by Heyen on February 3, 1984, title page includes a watercolor by Heyen dated 1983 | |
| Box 6, Folder 8 | Index of titles compiled and printed by Heyen; includes a handwritten note to W. B. E. dated July 4, 1994 | |
| Box 6, Folder 9 | “The Babies”: typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated October 7, 1996 | |
| Box 6, Folder 10 | “The Boulder: A Journal”: two typescripts, one dated
April 6, 1981, the
other with a handwritten note to W.B.E. dated August 1997
Handwritten journal, entitled “The Boulder” – draft notes | |
| Box 6, Folder 11 | “Corky” typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 12 | “Distance” typescript with a handwritten note to W.B.E. undated includes a typescript draft of the poem “Cherry,” with a handwritten note to W.B.E. dated August 29, 1998 | |
| Box 6, Folder 13 | “The Elvis Presley Room”: first half of photocopy of typescript with a handwritten note to W.B.E. dated May 1991 [this was the working title of Vic Holyfield and the Class of 1957 - see BOX 7 f.13 below] | |
| Box 6, Folder 14 | “The Elvis Presley Room” second half of photocopy of typescript | |
| Box 7 | ||
| Box 7, Folder 1 | “Home” photocopy of Heyen section in Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series, volume 9, with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated June 10, 1993 | |
| Box 7, Folder 2 | “Long Island Light” blueprint proof sets from Vanguard Press; letter from Vanguard Press to Heyen dated February 23, 1979 | |
| Box 7, Folder 3 | “Memorial Day: The Voices” photocopy | |
| Box 7, Folder 4 | “Old Flame” typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated October 7, 1996 | |
| Box 7, Folder 5 | “Old Topaz” typescript | |
| Box 7, Folder 6 | “Open Letter to Oates” typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated February 14, 1988 | |
| Box 7, Folder 7 | “Our Song” typescript | |
| Box 7, Folder 8 | “Pig Notes and Dumb Music” typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. on title page, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 9 | “Roseville” two typescript drafts, one with a handwritten letter to W.B.E. dated March 13, 1987, also includes a typescript of “The Car Behind You” | |
| Box 7, Folder 10 | “Sarge” typescript | |
| Box 7, Folder 11 | “Son” typescript | |
| Box 7, Folder 12 | “Tongues” photocopy of typescript with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated June 10, 1993 | |
| Box 7, Folder 13 | Vic Holyfield and the Class of 1957: photocopy of proofs with handwritten note to W.B.E. dated February 7, 1986 (sample of dust jacket – see BOX 6 f.12 above) | |
| Box 7, Folder 14 | “The Village” mimeograph copy | |
| Box 7, Folder 15 | Regarding Walt Whitman: typescripts and manuscripts of poetry and prose | |
| Box 7, Folder 16 | “With Me Far Away” photocopy of proof set from Stone House Press with photocopy of letter to Morris [?] dated October 26, 1993 | |
| Box 7, Folder 17 | “The Wolf: A Story” photocopy from unidentified book or journal | |
Subseries C: Teaching material
| Box 7, Folder 18 | Printed “Guide for Pterodactyl Rose”:
Material prepared for a visit to Pearl London’s class, including a copy of the essay “Milkweed,” a typescript of the poem “In the Subway,” a letter from Pearl London to Heyen dated April 1, 1983, with poetry drafts and lecture notes handwritten by Heyen on the backs; original manuscript of section 44 of a book-length poem (unidentified). |
Subseries D: Published books used as "working copies" by Heyen
| Box 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 8, Folder 1 | Heyen, William. Noise in the Trees:
Poems and a Memoir. New York: Vanguard Press, 1974.
Note: Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 2 | Heyen, William. Lord
Dragonfly. Ruffsdale, Pennsylvania: Scrimshaw Editions,
1978. Numbered copy 25 of
450.
Contains a handwritten note from Heyen to W.B.E. on the title page, dated May 26, 1992. Title page, Half Title page and Afterword all contain handwritten notes or corrections by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 3 | Heyen, William. Lord Dragonfly: Five
Sequences. New York: Vanguard Press, 1981
Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 4 | Heyen, William. “The Snow Hen” Sections 1-7 of The Chestnut Rain. Concord, New
Hampshire: William B. Ewert, Publisher, 1979.
Numbered hors commerce, signed by author, printers, binder and publisher. Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 5 | Heyen, William. “The Ewe’s Song” Sections 8-18 of The Chestnut Rain. Concord, New
Hampshire: William B. Ewert, Publisher, 1980.
Numbered hors commerce, signed by author, printers, binder and publisher. Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 6 | Heyen, William. “Blackberry Light” Sections 19-32 of The Chestnut Rain. Concord, New
Hampshire: William B. Ewert, Publisher, 1981.
Numbered hors commerce, signed by author, printers, binder and publisher. Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 7 | Heyen, William. Depth of Field. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State
University Press, 1970.
Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 8 | Heyen, William. The City
Parables. Athens, Ohio: Croissant and Company, 1980.
Most pages contain handwritten changes or revisions made by the author. | |
| Box 8, Folder 9 | Ammons, A. R. Diversifications:
Poems. New York: W. W. Norton, 1975.
Contains a handwritten note from Heyen to W.B.E. on dedication page dated August 7, 1997. Most pages contain handwritten poems, revisions of poems, or notes for poems by Heyen. | |
| Box 8, Folder 10 | Green, Gerald. The Artists of
Terezin. New York: Schocken Books, 1978.
Most pages contain margin notes or poetry handwritten by Heyen. | |
Series 3: Ephemera and collections
(2 Boxes)Subseries A: Material related to Heyen's caerer
| Box 9 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 9, Folder 1 | Miscellaneous material relating to Heyen’s career; includes items such as newspaper interviews, flyers from readings, etc. | |
| Box 9, Folder 2 | Miscellaneous material relating to Heyen’s career; includes items such as newspaper interviews, flyers from readings, etc. | |
Subseries B: Heyen bibliography material
| Box 9, Folder 3 | Includes bibliographical lists of Heyen’s titles in various forms and stages, compiled throughout his career |
| Box 9, Folder 4 | Includes bibliographical lists of Heyen’s titles in various forms and stages, compiled throughout his career |
| Box 9, Folder 5 | Includes bibliographical lists of Heyen’s titles in various forms and stages, compiled throughout his career |
| Box 9, Folder 6 | Includes bibliographical lists of Heyen’s titles in various forms and stages, compiled throughout his career |
| Box 9, Folder 7 | Includes bibliographical lists of Heyen’s titles in various forms and stages, compiled throughout his career |
Subseries C: Material written by Heten, published by other than Ewert
| Box 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 10, Folder 1 | Miscellaneous material relating to Heyen’s publications; includes newspaper reviews, publishers press releases, etc | |
| Box 10, Folder 2 | Miscellaneous material relating to Heyen’s publications; includes newspaper reviews, publishers press releases, etc | |
| Box 10, Folder 3 | Miscellaneous material relating to Heyen’s publications; includes newspaper reviews, publishers press releases, etc | |
Series 4: Oversized Material
(1 Box)| Oversize Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oversize Box 1, Folder 1 | Broadsides:
| |
| Oversize Box 1, Folder 2 | Material related to his career written by Heyen | |
| Oversize Box 1, Folder 3 | Material written about Heyen’s career | |
Finding Aid Image TEMP
Collection
William Heyen (Photo credit: West Side News)
Subjects
Formats
Letters & Postcards
Manuscripts & Typescripts
