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Philip Whalen papers

 Collection
Identifier: WhalenP-RSCA-ORPR-US

Scope and Contents

The Philip Whalen Collection consists of extensive correspondence from friends and literary acquaintances. In addition, there are transcripts of interviews from newspaper stories, including a cassette tape, as well as newspaper clippings covering Philip Whalen’s career. There are also various manuscripts of poetry works, some art work, and notices of poetry readings.

Dates

  • Creation: 1923 - 2002

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Extent

4.5 Linear Feet (4 manuscript boxes and 11 three ring box albums.)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Philip Glenn Whalen (1923-2002) attended Reed on the GI Bill after serving in the Army Air Forces in World War II. Graduating in 1951, he moved to San Francisco and participated in the "Beat Poet" group, publishing many volumes of poetry and living in Japan from 1958 through 1971. Whalen returned to San Francisco to become a Zen Buddhist monk and, later, abbot. His manuscript collection contains correspondence to him up through 1965 and manuscripts of several of his books. Letters received from Gary Snyder, Lew Welch, and other poets including Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Laurence Ferlinghetti, and Allen Ginsberg, are featured in the collection.

Physical Location

Archives Main Shelving (L014), Range F Section 6.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Philip Whalen Collection was donated to Reed College Library by Philip Whalen. A few other documents and some correspondence have been added, notably by Richard Kennedy.

Processing Information

Processed by Mark Kuestner March 2003.

Author
Mark Kuestner
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Reed College Special Collections and Archives Repository

Contact:
3203 Southeast Woodstock Boulevard
Portland Oregon 97202-8199 United States