Register of the Martha Ronk Papers
MSS.697
Finding aid prepared by Mandeville Special Collections Library
Mandeville Special Collections Library
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
858-534-2533
spcoll@ucsd.edu
2009-04-27
Title: Martha Ronk Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.697
Contributing Institution:
Mandeville Special Collections Library
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
4.6 lin. ft.
(9 archives boxes and 11 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1983-2008
Abstract: Papers of Martha Ronk, fiction writer, editor, and American poet. The papers primarily document Ronk's literary correspondence,
poetry manuscripts, and editorial projects from the mid-1980s to 2008. The bulk of the collection is made up of Ronk's poetry
manuscripts and typescript drafts from her published poetry collections, including
State of Mind (1995),
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001), and
Why/Why Not (2003). Also included are numerous typescript drafts of individual poems by Ronk, correspondence with other writers and poets,
and editorial work for Littoral Books and
The New Review of Literature.
creator:
Ronk, Martha Clare
Scope and Contents note
The Martha Ronk Papers contain materials documenting her activities as a poet, publisher, editor, and fiction writer, and
features manuscripts of poetry and prose which date from 1983 through 2008. The papers also include editorial materials related
to both Littoral Books and the journal
The New Review of Literature, poetry workshops, poetry reading materials, articles, and art reviews. The majority of the collection is made up of typescript
drafts from Ronk's collected poetry, which contain handwritten notes and revisions from Ronk and her publishers. The collection
also contains general correspondence between Ronk and other poets, book publishers, and literary editors. The collection is
arranged into six series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) WRITINGS BY RONK, 3) EDITORIAL PROJECTS, 4) CRITICISMS AND REVIEWS, 5) READINGS
AND WORKSHOPS, and 6) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS.
SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE
The CORRESPONDENCE series contains letters from Paul Vangelisti, George Albon, Lee Hickman, Dave Smith, Bin Ramke, and other
writers and poetry editors. The majority of the correspondence deals with Ronk's writing, including acceptance and rejection
letters from publishers regarding collected and uncollected poetry and prose. This series also contains a small amount of
personal correspondence between Ronk and other writers whom she befriended as an editor of Littoral Book and
The New Review of Literature. This series is arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent.
SERIES 2: WRITINGS BY RONK
The WRITINGS BY RONK series is the largest series in the collection and is arranged in four subseries: A) Articles and Reviews,
B) Unpublished Work, C) Uncollected Published Poetry, and D) Collected Published Poetry.
A) The Articles and Reviews subseries contains articles and drafts, both published and unpublished, written by Ronk. This
subseries also contains art reviews written by Ronk for the journal
Artweek in 1989 and 1990. Materials in this subseries are arranged in alphabetical order.
B) The Unpublished Work subseries includes typescript drafts of collected and uncollected poems written by Ronk. These unpublished
manuscripts include work entitled: "Lost", "Letters from Hong Kong", and "Elegies, Alibis, and Spring".
C) The Uncollected Published Poetry subseries contains individual poems written by Ronk that were published in various poetry
and literary magazines, including
Hambone,
The American Poetry Review,
HOW(ever), and
Talisman. Materials in this subseries are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the journal or publication.
D) The fourth subseries, Collected Published Poetry, contains correspondence, typescript drafts, galley proofs and final drafts
of fourteen of Ronk's published poetry books. These books include typescripts by Ronk, as well as collaborative projects Ronk
worked on with other authors or artists. One of these collaborations is the book
Life in L.A., written by Ronk and other poets in 1983. This publication was printed on oversize paper and published by Paradise Press.
The typescript drafts in this series contain handwritten notes by Ronk that show the evolution of the poems and document the
publication process of each poetry manuscript. This subseries also contains criticism and reviews of some of Ronk's published
poetry that appeared in literary magazines and other publications, such as the
LA Times Book Review. Items in this final subseries are arranged in chronological order.
SERIES 3: EDITORIAL PROJECTS
The third series in this collection, EDITORIAL PROJECTS, contains material from both Littoral Books and
The New Review of Literature journal. Both editorial projects contain correspondence, manuscript submissions, and contact information for contributors
from both publications. The papers pertaining to Littoral Books also contain a galley proof for the cover of
Empire Life by George Albon.
These materials also include reading announcements and flyers from local poets that were sponsored by Littoral Books; these
flyers include an announcement for "A Futurist Dinner," which was the first fundraiser dinner put together for Littoral Books
by Ronk, Phillips, and Vangelisti.
SERIES 4: CRITICISMS AND REVIEWS
The CRITICISMS AND REVIEWS series contains published and unpublished reviews of Ronk's work on collaborative projects, as
well as her work as a whole. This series also contains commentary regarding Ronk's influence on the Southern California poetry
scene over the past twenty years.
SERIES 5: READINGS AND WORKSHOPS
The READINGS AND WORKSHOPS series contains materials from various poetry workshops and conferences in which Ronk participated,
including the Page Mother's Conference at UCSD, the Place as Purpose Conference, and the Poetics of Memory Conference. The
materials from these conferences include correspondence, conference notes and outlines, and panelist writings and submissions.
This series also contains flyers and pamphlets for various poetry readings in which Ronk performed. These readings sometimes
included other poets from the Los Angeles area. Materials in this series are arranged in alphabetical order.
SERIES 6: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS
The final series in the collection, MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS, includes a small amount of teaching material from Occidental
College and two articles about Ronk; one mentioning her involvement at a poetry conference, and a second highlighting her
achievement in being awarded the Graham L. Sterling Award for Excellence at Occidental College.
Biographical/Historical note
Martha Clare Ronk was born on February 19, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio. She received her B.A. in English from Wellesley College
in 1962, and her PhD from Yale University in 1968. Her dissertation was entitled "The Theme of Creation in "Paradise Lost,"
under the direction of Louis L. Martz. From 1967 through 1971 Ronk taught at Tufts University as an assistant professor. In
1971 she moved to Los Angeles, where she did her post-doctoral studies at the School of Criticism and Theory at the University
of California, Irvine, in the summer of 1976. In 1980 Ronk took a position at Occidental College as a professor of English
and Comparative Studies; she received the Graham L. Sterling Faculty Award for Excellence from Occidental College in 1990.
In 1990 Ronk, along with Los Angeles writers Paul Vangelisti and Dennis Phillips, created Littoral Books, a co-operative publishing
venture in Los Angeles. Littoral Books published both poetry and prose mainly for authors in Southern California, including
numerous well-known poets such as George Albon, Norma Cole, and Stephen Ratcliffe. Early publications from Littoral Books
were printed with help from Sun & Moon Press. Ronk became co-editor of the journal
The New Review of Literature with Paul Vangelisti and Dennis Phillips in 2002. This journal was a product of the Graduate Writing Program of Otis College
of Art and Design. Each issue included poetry, essays, reviews and criticism of modern literature.
The New Review of Literature ceased publication in 2008 after its tenth issue, and was replaced in February 2009 by
OR: A Literary Tabloid.
Ronk has published over ten books of poetry. Her first book,
Desire in LA, was published in 1990 by the University of Georgia Press. Since then, Ronk has written numerous other books of collected
poems, including
Desert Geometries: Poems (1992),
State of Mind (1995), and
Eyetrouble (1998). Her most current publication,
Glass Grapes: Stories, is a series of short stories published by BOA Editions Ltd. in 2008.
In 2005 Ronk was awarded the PEN USA award for poetry for her book
In a Landscape of Having to Repeat. In 2006 her book
Vertigo: Poems won the National Poetry Series award and a 2007 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship. Ronk is currently the Irma and
Jay Price Professor of English and Comparative Studies at Occidental College. Her instruction focuses on Renaissance studies,
as well as poetry and fiction writing.
Preferred Citation note
Martha Ronk Papers. MSS 697. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.
Access
Collection is available for research.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Albon, George
Corbett, William, 1942-
DiPalma, Ray
Eshleman, Clayton
Guest, Barbara
Vangelisti, Paul
American poetry--20th century
Publishers and publishing--United States--Archives
Women poets--United States
Box 1, Folder 4
L'Art Pour L'Art
1989-1997
Box 1, Folder 7
Bennington Writing Workshops
1990
Box 1, Folder 11
Colorado Review
1995-1998
Box 1, Folder 16
Dorland Mountain Arts Colony
1995
Box 1, Folder 17
Ela, Patrick and Shelley Whitaker
1999
Box 1, Folder 18
Eshleman, Clayton
1989-1992
Box 1, Folder 33
McCollough, Aaron
2002-2004
Box 1, Folder 35
National Poetry Series
1992-1998
Box 1, Folder 36
Novak, Estelle Gershgoren
1998
Box 1, Folder 42
Princeton University Press
Box 1, Folder 53
Southern Review
1990-1999
Box 1, Folder 56
University of Georgia Press
1988-1997
Box 1, Folder 57
University of Iowa Press
1992-2000
Box 1, Folder 58
University of Pittsburgh Press
1990
Box 1, Folder 60
Vogelsang, Arthur
1986-1987
Box 1, Folder 62
Wesleyan University Press
1985-1997
Box 2, Folder 1
"Coping with change: Sign language at the Southwest Museum,"
Artweek- Typescript draft and copy of published review
Box 2, Folder 2, Oversize FB-482-01
"Fooling with mother nature: John Divola at Jan Kesner Gallery,"
Artweek - Typescript, notes and final draft
February 1, 1990
Box 2, Folder 3, Oversize FB-482-02
"Images etched in stone,"
Artweek - Typescript draft and notes
November 4, 1989
Box 2, Folder 4
"More than urban" - Photocopy of article written for Occidental College by Martha Ronk, Mark McCloskey and David James
Box 2, Folder 5
"Review of
On a Stair by Ann Lauterbach" - Typescript draft of poetry review
Box 2, Folder 6, Oversize FB-482-03
"The sky as landscape,"
Artweek - Typescript drafts, notes, and final draft
July 15, 1989
Box 2, Folder 7
"Susan Rankkaitis: Meyers/Bloom Gallery,"
Artweek - Typescript drafts and notes
November 1990
Box 2, Folder 8, Oversize FB-482-04
"Top dog: William Wegman photographs of Fay Ray at Linda Cathcart Gallery,"
Artweek - Typescript drafts and notes
May 3, 1990
Box 2, Folder 9
"Elegies, Alibis, and Spring" typescript drafts
Box 2, Folder 10
"Letters from Hong Kong" typescript draft with notes and revisions
1993-1994
Box 2, Folder 11
"Lost" typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 2, Folder 12
"Lost" typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 2, Folder 13
"Not just a pronoun" typescript draft with notes and revisions
1994
Box 2, Folder 14
Typescript draft of early poems
Box 2, Folder 15
Typescript draft of miscellaneous poems and prose
Uncollected Published Poetry
Box 3, Folder 1
Publications List - Twenty-one poems published by journals and newspapers
Box 3, Folder 2, Oversize FB-482-05
American Poetry Review - "From Vertigo," published poems
November - December 2004
Box 3, Folder 3, Oversize FB-482-06
American Poetry Review - "Martha Ronk Lifson: Three poems" newsclipping
March - April 1988
Box 3, Folder 4
Antioch Review - "It's a desert still" photocopy of published poem
1987
Box 3, Folder 5
Arshile Magazine - Photocopy of published poems
1997
Box 3, Folder 6
Counter Clockwise - Final published poem
1996
Box 3, Folder 7
Denver Quarterly - "Hunger, a cookbook," photocopy of published poem
1993
Box 3, Folder 8
Hambone - Photocopies of published poems
1988-1998
Box 3, Folder 9
HOW(ever) - "From the sofa series," published poems
1990
Box 3, Folder 10
LA Weekly - "Memory: A Santa Fe moon," photocopy of published poem
Box 3, Folder 11
Magazine - Published poems
1984
Box 3, Folder 12, Oversize FB-482-07
Milkweed Chronicle - "Still life," photocopy of published poem
1984
Box 3, Folder 13
Quotidian - Typescript drafts of poems
July - August 1999
Box 3, Folder 14
Talisman - Photocopy of published poems
1993
Collected Published Poetry
Box 3, Folder 15, Oversize FB-482-08
Life in L.A. (1983) - Published book
Box 3, Folder 16
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Poem drafts written before 1980, with notes
Box 3, Folder 17
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Poem drafts and notes
Box 3, Folder 18
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Poem drafts and notes
Box 3, Folder 19
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Poem drafts and notes
Box 3, Folder 20
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Published and unpublished reviews
1990-1991
Box 3, Folder 21
Desire in L.A. (1990) - Typescript drafts of early poems, includes unpublished poem drafts
Box 3, Folder 22
Desert Geometries (1992) - Old version of typescript drafts
Box 4, Folder 1
Desert Geometries (1992) - Typescript drafts, with notes and revisions
Box 4, Folder 2
State of Mind (1995) - "Mind of another", typescript draft
Box 4, Folder 3
State of Mind (1995) - Published and unpublished reviews
1995-2002
Box 4, Folder 4
State of Mind (1995) - Typescript drafts with revisions
1993-1994
Box 4, Folder 5
State of Mind (1995) - Book cover and final typescript draft
Box 4, Folder 6
Allegories (1998) - Typescript drafts
Box 4, Folder 7
Emblems ( 1998) - Contact lists for publishers and book subscribers
1998
Box 4, Folder 8
Emblems (1998) - Typescript drafts, with notes and revisions
Box 4, Folder 9
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 4, Folder 10
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Typescript drafts of poems
Box 4, Folder 11
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Typescript draft with page numbers
Box 4, Folder 12
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Final typescript draft
Box 4, Folder 13
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Published book with handwritten notes from author
Box 4, Folder 14
Eyetrouble: Poems (1998) - Published reviews and press release
Box 4, Folder 15
Snapshots of the San Fernando Valley (2000) - Correspondence with Frank Romero, typescripts and final drafts
1999-2000
Box 4, Folder 16
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
August 1993
Box 5, Folder 1
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Typescript drafts with notes and revisions
Box 5, Folder 2
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 5, Folder 3
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Updated typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 5, Folder 4
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Final typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 5, Folder 5
Displeasures of the Table: Memoir as Caricature (2001) - Published reviews
2001-2006
Box 5, Folder 6
Why/Why Not (2003) - Correspondence
2001-2002
Box 5, Folder 7
Why/Why Not (2003) - Poem drafts
Box 5, Folder 8
Why/Why Not (2003) - Published and unpublished reviews
2003
Box 5, Folder 9
Why/Why Not (2003) - Typescript draft, with notes and revisions
August 1996
Box 5, Folder 10
Why/Why Not (2003) - Typescript draft with revisions
December 1996
Box 5, Folder 11
Why/Why Not (2003) - Typescript draft, with notes and revisions
2002
Box 6, Folder 1
Why/Why Not (2003) - Part of typescript draft, with notes and revisions
February 18, 2002
Box 6, Folder 2, Oversize FB-482-09
Why/Why Not (2003) - Galley proofs and book cover sample
2002
Box 6, Folder 3
In a Landscape of Having to Repeat (2004) - Correspondence
2003-2004
Box 6, Folder 4
In a Landscape of Having to Repeat (2004) - Typescripts and published reviews
2005-2007
Box 6, Folder 5
In a Landscape of Having to Repeat (2004) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 6, Folder 6
In a Landscape of Having to Repeat (2004) - Final typescript draft, with notes and revisions
2004
Box 6, Folder 7
Rotbahn (2005) - Typescript of translations by Ronk
Box 6, Folder 8
Vertigo (2007) - Correspondence with Coffeehouse Press regarding manuscript
2006-2007
Box 6, Folder 9
Vertigo (2007) - Miscellaneous poem drafts
2002
Box 6, Folder 10
Vertigo (2007) - Published review from
Publisher's Weekly
September 2007
Box 6, Folder 11
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft
January 28, 2005
Box 6, Folder 12
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft, with notes and revisions
May 3 - May 22, 2005
Box 6, Folder 13
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft, with notes and revisions
May 3 - June 11, 2005
Box 6, Folder 14
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft, with notes and revisions
May 3 - June 18, 2005
Box 6, Folder 15
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
May 3 - July 15, 2005
Box 6, Folder 16
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
August 12, 2005
Box 6, Folder 17
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
September 16, 2005
Box 7, Folder 1
Veritgo (2007) - Typescript draft with notes and revisions
September 17, 2005
Box 7, Folder 2
Vertigo (2007) - Typescript draft
January 24, 2006
Box 7, Folder 3
Vertigo (2007) - Galley proof with corrections
April 11, 2007
Box 7, Folder 4
Vertigo (2007) - Galley proofs with corrections
May 16, 2007
Box 7, Folder 5
Glass Grapes: Stories (2008) - Typescript drafts with notes and revisions
Box 7, Folder 6
Glass Grapes: Stories (2008) - Typescript drafts with notes and revisions
Box 7, Folder 7
Glass Grapes: Stories (2008) - Typescript drafts with notes and revisions
Box 7, Folder 8
Glass Grapes: Stories (2008) - Final typescript draft with notes and revisions
Box 8, Folder 1
Littoral Books - Correspondence
February 1990 - May 2000
Box 8, Folder 2, Oversize FB-482-10
Littoral Books -
Empire Life by George Albon, galley proof of book cover
1998
Box 8, Folder 3
Littoral Books - Manuscript list and payment sales
1991-1998
Box 8, Folder 4
Littoral Books - Manuscript submissions
Box 8, Folder 5
Littoral Books - Notes, agendas and meeting minutes
1996-2000
Box 8, Folder 6
Littoral Books - Press releases and reviews
1991-2000
Box 8, Folder 7
Littoral Books - Reading announcement sponsored by Littoral Books
Box 8, Folder 8
Littoral Books - Subscriber contact information
Box 8, Folder 9
New Review of Literature - Correspondence
March 2002 - October 2004
Box 8, Folder 10
New Review of Literature - Correspondence
February 2005 - March 2006
Box 8, Folder 11
New Review of Literature - Correspondence
July 2006 - April 2007
Box 8, Folder 12
New Review of Literature - List of contributors for various issues
2006-2007
Box 8, Folder 13
New Review of Literature - Miscellaneous manuscript submissions
Box 9, Folder 1
New Review of Literature - Submission guidelines and production schedule
2005 - 2007
Box 9, Folder 2
Frank, Peter - "Muses, self-help graphics, master drawings from Stanford University," photocopy of published review
December 28, 1995
Box 9, Folder 3
Schaeffer, Standard -
Impossible city: The poetic avante-garde in L.A., copy of publication
1998
Box 9, Folder 4, Oversize FB-482-11
Waldre, D.J. - "Our new Jerusalems," copy of article from the
Los Angeles Times Book Review
December 24, 2000
Box 9, Folder 5
Zachary, R.Y. - "Signs of new poetry in California," typescript draft
Box 9, Folder 6
Associated Writing Programs Conference - Correspondence and proposal
1997
Box 9, Folder 7
First Annual Conference of the College of Neglected Science - Outline, notes and correspondence
1992-1997
Box 9, Folder 8
LA Poetry Festival - Essay and draft written by Ronk
1992
Box 9, Folder 9
La Terra Nova Festival - Correspondence, press releases and notes
1990
Box 9, Folder 10
Los Angeles Writers on Site Program - Application and CV
1998
Box 9, Folder 11
Page Mother's Conference - Correspondence
1999
Box 9, Folder 12
Page Mother's Conference - Schedule and notes
1999
Box 9, Folder 13
Place as Purpose Conference - Correspondence
2001-2002
Box 9, Folder 14
Place as Purpose Conference - Conference schedule and participant information
2002
Box 9, Folder 15
Place as Purpose Conference - Press releases and flyers
2002
Box 9, Folder 16
Poetics of Memory Conference - Correspondence
2005-2006
Box 9, Folder 17
Poetics of Memory Conference - Notes and conference outline
2006
Box 9, Folder 18
Poetics of Memory Conference - Panelist essays and criticism
1990-2006
Box 9, Folder 19
Reading Announcements - Flyers
1991 - 2007
Box 9, Folder 20
Words About the River Conference - Correspondence and typescript drafts
November 1999
Box 9, Folder 21
LA Times - "Meeting of minds for local poets," photocopy of newsclipping regarding workshop sponsored by UCLA Extension
Box 9, Folder 22
QuadAngle: The newsletter for employees of Occidental College - "Thorne packed for opening convocation"
September 26, 1990
Box 9, Folder 23
Teaching materials - Occidental College core and faculty programs
1993 - 2000
