John Wieners

Begun on March 8, 1958, this never-before published document takes the reader through one of the richest literary periods of the great American poet's life, from the time of his first publication, The Hotel Wentley Poems, until 1960, the period he lived in San Francisco and participated in what now is described as the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance. Uncovered in his personal papers, 707 Scott Street represents the poet at the height of his powers, and in this important work he alternates between the personal and the general, between prose observations and diaristic entries ("Sur-real is the only way to endure the real we find heaped up in our cities.") and some of the very best of his poetic lyrics. In fact, 707 Scott Street might be best described as a series of poems in the form of a journal, which, given Wieners' belief in living as a form of poetry itself, should come as no surprise to his readers.

"But Wieners' letters to Olson from that time that gave rise to his early love poems and vatic apostrophes also show him continuing the study he began at Black Mountain. In one letter, he describes spending the day in the New York Public Library, an experience which unfolds into an intricate web of connections with Sumerian history..., Egyptian and Tinguian mythology, and the patterns of jewels in the windows at Tiffany's."--Introduction.

The letters collected in this volume are greatly enhanced by Eileen Myles's preface and Stewart's thorough introduction, notes, and brief bios of the poets, writers, artists, and editors with whom Wieners corresponded.

An edited version of Wieners journal from July, 1969 to Jan. 1970. Cf. Prelim.