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Library of Congress Recordings

Barbara Guest in the Recording Laboratory, June 6, 1960

Complete recording (1:00:04): MP3

  1. The Location of Things (2:46): MP3
  2. April (1:27): MP3
  3. Piazzas (2:23): MP3
  4. In the Middle of the Easel (1:28): MP3
  5. Windy Afternoon (1:10): MP3
  6. All Grey-haired, My Sisters (3:33): MP3
  7. Russians at the Beach (1:14): MP3
  8. The Hero Leaves His Ship (2:18): MP3
  9. Birthday (0:49): MP3
  10. On the Way to Dumbarton Oaks (1:19): MP3
  11. Les Realites (1:29): MP3
  12. The Wandering Musicians by Manet (1:45): MP3
  13. Poème Classique (0:47): MP3
  14. Cape Canaveral (1:07): MP3
  15. Sunday Evening (1:37): MP3
  16. The Crisis (1:30): MP3
  17. Sadness (1:16): MP3
  18. Upside Down (0:41): MP3
  19. History (1:03): MP3
  20. Parachutes, My Love, Could Carry Us Higher (1:16): MP3
  21. Jaffa Juice (3:21): MP3
  22. Lights of My Eyes (0:35): MP3
  23. In Dock (1:22): MP3
  24. Santa Fe Trail (1:48): MP3
  25. West 64th Street (1:12): MP3
  26. Safe Flights (1:35): MP3
  27. The Time of Day (1:11): MP3
  28. Heroic Stages (2:10): MP3
  29. Belgravia (2:18): MP3
  30. The Crisis (2) (1:06): MP3
  31. The Past of a Poem (1:09): MP3
  32. Snow Angel (0:46): MP3
  33. Dido to Aeneas (1:32): MP3
  34. Atalanta in Arcadia (1:39): MP3
  35. Green Awnings (1:43): MP3
  36. From Eyes Blue and Cold (0:59): MP3
  37. Palm Trees (0:45): MP3

Cid Corman in the Recording Laboratory, October 14, 1960

"Mr. Corman reads thirty-five selections from his collected volume, Sun rock man, which was unpublished at the time of reading. Mr. Corman prefaces his reading with a selection from a series of 'statements' by Louis Zukofsky--from 'A-1 to 12.'" - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (53:28): MP3

  1. Introduction (8:40): MP3
  2. Essay (8:01): MP3
  3. This Other Brief Statement (2:36): MP3
  4. Sun Rock Man Preface (1:01): MP3
  5. The Incident (0:19): MP3
  6. At the End (1:56): MP3
  7. The Wedge (0:19): MP3
  8. The Sparrow (0:27): MP3
  9. The Transaction (0:21): MP3
  10. In the Garden (0:18): MP3
  11. Kite (0:43): MP3
  12. Ferragosto (0:29): MP3
  13. A Little Girl (0:27): MP3
  14. No Way (0:38): MP3
  15. The Shells (1:22): MP3
  16. The Stars at Piazza Pascoli (1:47): MP3
  17. Reading Vico (0:23): MP3
  18. Il Paradiso (0:48): MP3
  19. The Satisfactions (1:18): MP3
  20. The Labors (0:53): MP3
  21. The Geographer (0:18): MP3
  22. The Journeymen (1:00): MP3
  23. Casbah (0:50): MP3
  24. The Medicine Man (0:58): MP3
  25. The Bonfire (0:35): MP3
  26. The Spices (0:33): MP3
  27. The Dance (0:25): MP3
  28. The Business (0:34): MP3
  29. The Sidewalk (0:49): MP3
  30. The Artist's Life (0:53): MP3
  31. I Promessi Sposi (0:57): MP3
  32. The Benediction (0:22): MP3
  33. The Locusts (1:46): MP3
  34. The Small Parade (0:31): MP3
  35. La Bruna (1:20): MP3
  36. The Gifts (1:40): MP3
  37. I Contradini (2:31): MP3
  38. La Cantina (1:08): MP3

Babette Deutsch in the Coolidge Auditorium, October 9, 1961

"Ms. Deutsch reads twenty poems from her collected volume, Coming of age: new and selected poems. In addition, she reads the following individual poems: Space man, The disenchanted, Admonition, and A view of the Piazza di San Marco." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording, Part 1 (36:36): MP3
Complete recording, Part 2 (26:46): MP3

  1. Feeding the Chickens (2:16): MP3
  2. Then and Now (2:42): MP3
  3. Heard in Old Age (1:50): MP3
  4. Ape (1:29): MP3
  5. Young Gazelle (1:07): MP3
  6. Lioness Asleep (1:22): MP3
  7. Truro Hour (1:46): MP3
  8. Earliness at the Cape (2:35): MP3
  9. The Dispassionate Shepherds (2:16): MP3
  10. Natural Law (0:55): MP3
  11. Homage to Paul Klee (2:11): MP3
  12. Disasters of War: Goya at the Museum (2:31): MP3
  13. Damnation (1:04): MP3
  14. Small Colored Boy in the Subway (1:55): MP3
  15. Homage to John Skelton (7:28): MP3
  16. Moving (2:29): MP3
  17. Fountain and Unicorn (3:02): MP3
  18. Death of a Dog (2:04): MP3
  19. History (1:29): MP3
  20. Wine Party (1:41): MP3
  21. Space Man (0:46): MP3
  22. The Disenchanted (1:45): MP3
  23. Admonition (1:58): MP3
  24. A View of the Piazza di San Marco (5:29): MP3
  25. The Poem (3:40): MP3

Robert Creeley in the Recording Laboratory, June 1, 1961

"Mr. Creeley reads sixteen poems from his collection, The whip; five poems from his collection, A form of women; and nine poems from his collection, For love." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (54:32): MP3

  1. Introduction (14:33): MP3
  2. A Song (0:50): MP3
  3. The Crisis (0:33): MP3
  4. The Riddle (0:29): MP3
  5. The Rhyme (0:23): MP3
  6. The Innocence (0:34): MP3
  7. The Ball Game (0:52): MP3
  8. The Carnival (0:31): MP3
  9. The Chasm (0:39): MP3
  10. The Dishonest Mailman (0:32): MP3
  11. The Immoral Proposition (0:32): MP3
  12. The Operation (0:31): MP3
  13. Chanson (0:34): MP3
  14. The Conspiracy (0:27): MP3
  15. I Know a Man (0:27): MP3
  16. The Warning (0:23): MP3
  17. The Whip (0:42): MP3
  18. Ballad of the Despairing Husband (2:41): MP3
  19. If You (0:52): MP3
  20. The Tunnel (0:30): MP3
  21. The Door (3:38): MP3
  22. The Hill (1:06): MP3
  23. For Love (2:29): MP3
  24. Fire (0:36): MP3
  25. The Name (1:18): MP3
  26. The Sign Board (1:18): MP3
  27. The Awakening (1:34): MP3
  28. Kore (0:47): MP3
  29. The Rain (0:56): MP3
  30. The Woman (0:39): MP3
  31. The Rescue (0:48): MP3

Muriel Rukeyser in the Recording Laboratory, April 17, 1962

Complete recording (56:10): MP3

  1. Introduction (0:37): MP3
  2. Water Lily Fire (17:45): MP3
  3. Song (A Voice Flew Out) (0:36): MP3
  4. To Enter That Rhythm Where the Self Is Lost (1:29): MP3
  5. The Speaking Tree (1:32): MP3
  6. The Way Out (5:28): MP3
  7. Boy with His Hair Cut Short (3:04): MP3
  8. Are You Born (3:12): MP3
  9. Murmurs from the Earth of This Land (2:12): MP3
  10. No One Ever Walking This Our Only Earth (2:21): MP3
  11. Haying Before Storm (1:39): MP3
  12. A Birth (2:33): MP3
  13. Night Feeding (2:00): MP3
  14. Discussion (9:00): MP3

Muriel Rukeyser in the Whittall Pavillion, April 5, 1965

Complete recording (1:12:07): MP3

  1. Introduction (3:00): MP3
  2. Song (0:42): MP3
  3. Eyes of Nighttime (2:00): MP3
  4. Reading Time (1 Minute 26 Seconds) (6:34): MP3
  5. Darkness Music (0:29): MP3
  6. Haying Before Storm (1:59): MP3
  7. Easter Eve (4:27): MP3
  8. Are You Born (2:55): MP3
  9. Song (2) (0:36): MP3
  10. Ajanta (15:34): MP3
  11. The Seeming (2:46): MP3
  12. The Orgy (2:47): MP3
  13. The Poem as Mask (2:45): MP3
  14. The Power of Suicide (0:26): MP3
  15. Double Dialogue (2:11): MP3
  16. The Transgress (1:08): MP3
  17. The Outer Banks (13:32): MP3
  18. The Wreck of the Tiger (1:47): MP3

Melvin Beaunorus Tolson Reading with Commentary Part One in the Coolidge Auditorium, October 18, 1965

Complete recording (1:04:44): MP3

  1. Introduction by Quin Simone (4:53): MP3
  2. Rendezvous with America (4:13): MP3
  3. Sometimes (4:59): MP3
  4. The Gallows (3:14): MP3
  5. Ole Houses (2:13): MP3
  6. An Ex-Judge at the Bar (3:16): MP3
  7. If You Should Lie to Me (1:46): MP3
  8. The Primer for Today (2:38): MP3
  9. The Dictionary of the Wolf (2:06): MP3
  10. Ballad of the Rattlesnake (3:40): MP3
  11. Dark Symphony (Excerpts) (5:12): MP3
  12. Momento for the Republic of Liberia (2:17): MP3
  13. Bola Boa Reading and Commentary (13:04): MP3
  14. The Lackey Licks the Guinea's Boots Til Holes Wear in the Tongue Commentary (3:25): MP3
  15. The Harlem Recordings(00:49): MP3
  16. Audio Recording Conclusion (00:09): MP3

Melvin Beaunorus Tolson Reading with Commentary Part Two in the Coolidge Auditorium, October 18, 1965

Complete recording (14:04): MP3

  1. Audio Recording Introduction (00:39): MP3
  2. Harlem Gallery (2:38): MP3
  3. The Birth of John Henry (1:58): MP3
  4. Ballad on Old Satchmo (3:53): MP3
  5. The Sea Turtle and the Shark (3:16): MP3
  6. Conclusion (1:03): MP3

Babette Deutsch in the Recording Laboratory, June 9, 1969

Partial recording (27:44): MP3

  1. Untitled (I Knew) (1:10): MP3
  2. Feeding the Chickens (1:59): MP3
  3. Small Colored Boy in the Subway (1:29): MP3
  4. Scarecrow (1:10): MP3
  5. Reflections in a Little Park (0:56): MP3
  6. Damnation (1:04): MP3
  7. Lizard at Pompeii (0:56): MP3
  8. A View of the Piazza di San Marco (5:26): MP3
  9. Earliness at the Cape (2:13): MP3
  10. Wine Party (1:41): MP3
  11. July Day (1:34): MP3
  12. A Day in Late August (1:17): MP3
  13. Fountain and Unicorn (2:27): MP3

Barbara Guest in the Recording Laboratory, June 2, 1969

Complete recording (1:01:59): MP3

  1. The Blue Stairs (2:33): MP3
  2. Turkey Villas (2:41): MP3
  3. A Reason (0:48): MP3
  4. Walking Buddha (1:21): MP3
  5. Barrels (1:21): MP3
  6. East of Omsk (1:16): MP3
  7. Clouds Near the Window (1:48): MP3
  8. A Way of Being (2:06): MP3
  9. Four Moroccan Studies (2:08): MP3
  10. Parade's End (0:52): MP3
  11. Fan Poems (3:16): MP3
  12. Saving Tallow (1:59): MP3
  13. Colonial Hours (2:29): MP3
  14. 20 (1:16): MP3
  15. Direction (1:43): MP3
  16. Passage (1:18): MP3
  17. See Song (0:24): MP3
  18. Days (1:16): MP3
  19. 3 AM (1:04): MP3
  20. Eating Chocolate Ice Cream: Reading Mayakovsky (2:25): MP3
  21. Roses (1:30): MP3
  22. Carmen (1:45): MP3
  23. Olivetti Ode (0:57): MP3
  24. On a Chinese Vase (2:26): MP3
  25. The Flaking Ceiling (0:29): MP3
  26. The Watering Can (1:57): MP3
  27. A Handbook of Surfing (12:21): MP3

John Ashbery Reading and Discussion, November 24, 1975

"Mr. Ashbery reads two poems from his collection entitled Some trees; two from Rivers and mountains; two from The double dream of spring; one from Self-portrait in a convex mirror; and three of his other poems. Stanley Kunitz introduces the poet and moderates the discussion." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (1:02:21): MP3

  1. Introduction (8:44): MP3
  2. Two Scenes / Popular Songs (3:15): MP3
  3. The Recent Past (1:25): MP3
  4. A Blessing in Disguise (1:34): MP3
  5. Soonest Mended (5:01): MP3
  6. It Was Raining in the Capital (3:29): MP3
  7. Worsening Situation (2:25): MP3
  8. Street Musicians (1:27): MP3
  9. Daffy Duck in Hollywood (8:56): MP3
  10. And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name (2:22): MP3

Carl Rakosi in the Recording Laboratory, May 4, 1976

"Mr. Rakosi reads four poems from his collection entitled Amulet; seven from Ere-voice; and nine from Ex-cranium, night." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (46:23): MP3

  1. Americana 1 (0:39): MP3
  2. Americana 2 (1:01): MP3
  3. Old Hickory (0:12): MP3
  4. OK (3:45): MP3
  5. Americana 11: Strictly Iowa (0:36): MP3
  6. Americana 19: Item (0:36): MP3
  7. Americana 4 (3:10): MP3
  8. Americana 5 (1:48): MP3
  9. Americana 28 (0:42): MP3
  10. The Experiment with a Rat (0:42): MP3
  11. Americana 23 (0:29): MP3
  12. Americana 12 (2:25): MP3
  13. New Orleans Transient Bureau (4:08): MP3
  14. The Poet and The Depression (1:32): MP3
  15. The Depression Dream (5:25): MP3
  16. Fiddling Around (3:51): MP3
  17. When He Sat Down to His Desk (1:34): MP3
  18. The China Policy (1:24): MP3
  19. Associations with a View from the House (1:38): MP3
  20. (0:48): MP3

Vachel Lindsay and Wallace Stevens Centennial Observance, November 27, 1979

"A. Walton Litz delivers a lecture, Wallace Stevens, the poetry of earth, in which he discusses the real and particular aspects of Stevens's poems and the influence of place and time on the poet's work. Anthony Howard follows with readings of ten poems by Vachel Lindsay." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (1:14:30): MP3

Barbara Guest in the Mumford Room, December 5, 1996

Complete recording (1:05:51): MP3

  1. Introduction by Robert Haas (10:43): MP3
  2. Windy Afternoon (0:57): MP3
  3. Washington (1:47): MP3
  4. Green Onions (1:45): MP3
  5. Santa Fe Trail (1:37): MP3
  6. Sunday Evening (1:15): MP3
  7. Another July (0:56): MP3
  8. Living Solitarily in the Garret (1:22): MP3
  9. Roses (2:05): MP3
  10. Nebraska (2:34): MP3
  11. Heavy Violets (0:20): MP3
  12. Heavy Violets 2 (0:26): MP3
  13. Borderlands (1:34): MP3
  14. The Blue Stairs (2:32): MP3
  15. Parade's End (0:51): MP3
  16. An Emphasis Falls on Reality (2:09): MP3
  17. Wild Gardens Overlooked by Night Lights (3:06): MP3
  18. The View from Kandinsky's Window (1:35): MP3
  19. Prairie Houses (1:18): MP3
  20. The Sunroom (1:01): MP3
  21. There Was a Poem (0:26): MP3
  22. Dissonance Royal Traveller (2:53): MP3
  23. The Farewell Stairway (2:52): MP3
  24. Winter Horses (1:34): MP3
  25. The Surface as Object (1:27): MP3

Carl Rakosi in the Mumford Room, April 11, 1996

Complete recording (1:08:56): MP3

  1. Introduction by Robert Haas (11:10): MP3
  2. Lying in Bed on a Summer Morning (2:40): MP3
  3. The Glass of Madeira (3:38): MP3
  4. Evening with my Granddaughters (0:18): MP3
  5. Questions for Jennifer Ebin (1:27): MP3
  6. Young Couples Strolling By (0:35): MP3
  7. Ode to a Nightingale (1:13): MP3
  8. Get Up You Old Dog (1:10): MP3
  9. Shakespearean Street (1:14): MP3
  10. Down to Earth Suite 1 (1:00): MP3
  11. Down to Earth Suite 2 (0:46): MP3
  12. Down to Earth Suite 3 (0:41): MP3
  13. Down to Earth Suite 4 (0:08): MP3
  14. Manhattan 1975 (6:50): MP3
  15. American Nymphs (3:20): MP3
  16. Country Epitaphs (2:00): MP3
  17. The Old Poet's Tale (17:45): MP3
  18. Meditation / Theologian (1:39): MP3
  19. Ballad of the Diminished I (3:21): MP3

© 2015 respective authors and estates. All recordings courtesy of the staff of the Library of Congress. These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. Distributed with permission of the respective authors by PennSound.