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{{short description|American poet}}
{{Short description|American poet (1929–2022)}}


{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Kenward Elmslie
| name = Kenward Elmslie
| image = File:Kenward Elmslie (Harvard 1950).jpg
| image = Kenward 2005 KGE 2.jpg
| caption = Elmslie as a senior at Harvard University, 1950
| caption = Elmslie in 2005
| image_size =
| image_size =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|4|27|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|4|27|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|6|29|1929|4|27}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|6|29|1929|4|27}}
| death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| genre =
| genre =
| notableworks =
| notableworks =
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}}
}}


'''Kenward Gray Elmslie''' (April 27, 1929 - June 29, 2022) was an American writer, performer, editor and publisher associated with the [[New York School (art)|New York School]] of poetry.
'''Kenward Gray Elmslie''' (April 27, 1929 – June 29, 2022) was an American author, performer, editor and publisher associated with the [[New York School (art)|New York School]] of poetry.


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Born in [[New York City]], Elmslie, a grandson of publisher [[Joseph Pulitzer]], spent his childhood in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], prepped at the [[St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)|St. Mark's School]] in Southborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from [[Harvard University|Harvard]] in 1950 with a B.A. in literature. He moved to Cleveland to work as an intern at Karamu House, where there was an interracial theatre group. There he met lyricist [[John La Touche (lyricist)|John Latouche]]. At Latouche's invitation, Elmslie moved back to New York in 1952 to live with him. In 1953 the couple bought a farmhouse in Calais, Vermont.<ref>Pollack, Howard. ''The Ballad of John Latouche'', Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2017, pp. 350-351.</ref> Elmslie collaborated with Latouche on some of his lyrics, including (uncredited) the lyric of "On the Waterfront," with music by [[Leonard Bernstein]], and "Backer's Audition," for ''"The Littlest Revue"''.<ref>Pollack, 421.</ref>
Kenward Gray Elmslie was born to William Gray Elmslie and Constance Pulitzer in [[Manhattan]] on April 27, 1929.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=2022-07-08 |title=Kenward Elmslie, Poet and Librettist, Dies at 93 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/08/arts/music/kenward-elmslie-dead.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> His father was a tutor who met his mother, the youngest child of [[Joseph Pulitzer]], while working as a tutor for her siblings.<ref name=":0" /> He spent his childhood in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=":0" /> He attended [[St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)|St. Mark's School]] in Southborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from [[Harvard University|Harvard]] in 1950 with a B.A. in literature. He relocated to Cleveland to work as an intern at Karamu House, where there was an interracial theatre group. There he met lyricist [[John La Touche (lyricist)|John Latouche]] (1914-1956). At Latouche's invitation, Elmslie relocated back to New York in 1952 to live with him. In 1953 the couple bought a farmhouse in Calais, Vermont.<ref>Pollack, Howard. ''The Ballad of John Latouche'', Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2017, pp. 350-351.</ref> Elmslie collaborated with Latouche on some of his lyrics, including (uncredited) the lyric of "On the Waterfront," with music by [[Leonard Bernstein]], and "Backer's Audition," for ''"The Littlest Revue"''.<ref>Pollack, 421.</ref>
Latouche died of a heart attack in the house in Calais in August, 1956.<ref>Pollack, 463.</ref> Elmslie kept the property, which served as his summer home for the rest of his life and, beginning in the 1970s, as headquarters for Elmslie's Z Press.
Latouche died of heart failure in the house in Calais in August, 1956.<ref>Pollack, 463.</ref> Elmslie kept the property, which served as his summer home for the rest of his life and, beginning during the 1970s, as the office for Elmslie's Z Press.


Elmslie's first performed work was the lyrics of the spring varsity show in his senior year at his prep school. <ref>Elmslie, Kenward: "Libretto Land," ''Parnassus'' (v10, No.2, Fall Winter 1982), pp. 199-209.</ref> He began his career collaborating with composers on operas and musicals in an attempt to bring a contemporary style to classical theater. Among his theatrical works are ''[[The Grass Harp]]'' and ''Lola'', both projects in collaboration with [[Claibe Richardson]]. [[Truman Capote]] first granted Elmslie and Richardson the rights to make a musical of his novella in 1963, but it was not produced until 1971, and lasted only seven performances.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kritzerland.com/grassharp.htm | title=The Grass Harp Original Cast Recording
Elmslie's first work performed was the lyrics of the spring varsity show during his senior year at St. Mark's, his preparatory school.<ref>Elmslie, Kenward: "Libretto Land," ''Parnassus'' (v10, No.2, Fall Winter 1982), pp. 199-209.</ref> He began his career collaborating with composers for operas and musicals in an attempt to bring a contemporary style to classical theater. Among his theatrical works are adaptations of Truman Capote's novel ''[[The Grass Harp]]'' and ''Lola'', both projects in collaboration with [[Claibe Richardson]]. [[Truman Capote]] first granted Elmslie and Richardson the rights to make a musical of his novella in 1963, but it was not produced until 1971, and lasted only seven performances.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kritzerland.com/grassharp.htm | title=The Grass Harp Original Cast Recording
| website=Kritzerland | access-date= 2 July 2022}}</ref> A cast album was issued in 1972.
| website=Kritzerland | access-date= 2 July 2022}}</ref> A cast album was issued in 1972.


Elmslie's first published poem, "Letter from Eldorado," appeared in ''Folder'' in 1956. In 1960 he published poems in four issues of the prestigious magazine ''Poetry''. Elmslie went on to publish more than thirty books of poetry and prose, and hundreds of poems in journals and anthologies. A collection of his writing, ''Motor Disturbance'' (1971), won the [[Frank O'Hara]] Award for Poetry in 1971. He was awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Award for ''Power Plant Sestina'' (1967) and the [[Ford Foundation]] Grant, as well as the Project for Innovative Poetry's Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry, and an award from the National Council of the Arts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kenward-elmslie | title= Kenward Elmslie | website= Poetry Foundation | access-date= 1 July 2022}}</ref> His poetry and prose is often combined with the the work of painters and other visual artists, most notably black and white comics drawn by Joe Brainard, 26 imaginary bars depicted by Donna Dennis, and full color collaborations with Trevor Winkfield.
Elmslie's first published poem, "Letter from Eldorado," appeared in the magazine ''Folder'' in 1956. In 1960 he published poems in four issues of the prestigious magazine ''Poetry''. Elmslie later published more than thirty books of poetry and prose, and hundreds of poems in journals and anthologies. A collection of his writing, ''Motor Disturbance'' (1971), was awarded the [[Frank O'Hara]] Award for Poetry in 1971. He was awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Award for ''The Power Plant Sestina'' (1967) and the [[Ford Foundation]] Grant, as well as the Project for Innovative Poetry's Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry, and an award from the National Council of the Arts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kenward-elmslie | title= Kenward Elmslie | website= Poetry Foundation | access-date= 1 July 2022}}</ref> His poetry and prose is often combined with the work of painters and other visual artists, most notably black and white comics drawn by Joe Brainard, his "26 Bars" depicted by Donna Dennis, and full color collaborations with Trevor Winkfield.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Brainard feature: Kenward Elmslie in conversation with Kristin Prevallet|url=http://jacketmagazine.com/16/br-prev-iv-elms.html|website=Jacket Magazine 16|date=March 22, 2002|accessdate=July 13, 2022}}</ref>


Reviews of Elmslie's poetry by other writers were most often enthusiastic ones. When ''Tropicalism'' was published in 1976, John Ashbery described Elmslie's poetry as being like the notes of "a mad scientist who has swallowed the wrong potion in his lab and is desperately trying to get his calculations on paper before everything closes in."<ref>Ashbery, John. "The Figure in the Carport, ''Parnassus'' (v5 No.1, Fall/Winter 1976), pp. 326-330.</ref> When ''Routine Disruptions'', a volume of selected poems and lyrics chosen from thirty-eight years of work, was published in 1998, poet [[Alice Notley]] wrote, “this is an icon, for me, of Elmslie's work, its wild funniness, theatricality, brazenness, its love of art and objects”.<ref>Notley, Alice. “Elmslie's Routine Disruptions,” ''St. Mark's Poetry Project Newsletter'', 1999.</ref> In a 2001 Interview, poet Mary Kite told Elmslie that, for her, his poems "resemble tiny theatres. They are observational and exciting."<ref>Elmslie, Kenward and Mary Kite. ''Spilled Beans: A Conversation.'' Skanky Possum, (Austin, TX), 2001, p.21.</ref>
Reviews of Elmslie's poetry by other writers were often enthusiastic. When ''Tropicalism'' was published in 1976, John Ashbery described Elmslie's poetry as being like the notes of "a mad scientist who has swallowed the wrong potion in his lab and is desperately trying to get his calculations on paper before everything closes in".<ref>Ashbery, John. "The Figure in the Carport, ''Parnassus'' (v5 No.1, Fall/Winter 1976), pp. 326-330.</ref> When ''Routine Disruptions'', a volume of selected poems and lyrics chosen from thirty-eight years of work, was published in 1998, poet [[Alice Notley]] wrote, “this is an icon, for me, of Elmslie's work, its wild funniness, theatricality, brazenness, its love of art and objects”.<ref>Notley, Alice. “Elmslie's Routine Disruptions,” ''St. Mark's Poetry Project Newsletter'', 1999.</ref> In an interview during 2001, poet Mary Kite told Elmslie that, for her, his poems "resemble tiny theatres. They are observational and exciting."<ref>Elmslie, Kenward and Mary Kite. ''Spilled Beans: A Conversation.'' Skanky Possum, (Austin, TX), 2001, p.21.</ref>
.


Elmslie's prose also received praise from critics. In a 1973 review of ''The Orchid Stories'' in ''[[The Atlanta Constitution]]'', Edith Blicksilver wrote that Elmslie "has created a potpourri of unusual impressions and experiences. . . this latest work reveals Mr. Elmslie as a valid twentieth century version of the Renaissance man of letters."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105517130/edith-blicksilver-exotic-tales-are/|title=Exotic Tales Are Flower-Like|date=April 15, 1973|first=Edith|last=Blicksilver|work=The Atlanta Constitution|access-date=July 13, 2022|page=|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Michael Silverblatt, writing in ''[[The Paris Review]]'', said the book "bubbles with head-spinning mixtures. Its combination of energy and boredom astounds. . . You can read this book repeatedly, as I have, and it’ll be fresh each time, an eternal palate cleanser. Very few books in literature are as singular as ''The Orchid Stories''."<ref>{{cite web|title=Kenward Elmslie and ''The Orchid Stories''|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/10/25/kenward-elmslie-orchid-stories/|website=The Paris Review|date=October 25, 2016|accessdate=July 13, 2022}}</ref>
⚫
In 1973, Elmslie was asked to edit an issue of ''The World,'' the literary journal of the Poetry Project at St. Marks in NYC. He decided he wanted to edit something more permanent, and instead founded ''Z Magazine'' and ''Z Press,'' acting as the press' editor and publisher.<ref>Bamberger, William C. ''Kenward Elmslie: A Bibliographical Profile,'' Bamberger Books, 1993, p.''xiii''.</ref> Z Press was first based in NYC, but then moved to Elmslie's summer home in Calais, Vt. The journal, which appeared annually and was titled in successive repetitions of the letter "Z" (i.e. "Z," "ZZ," etc.), continued for six issues, the last being published in 1978. Z Press continued publishing books, broadsides, postcards and the occasional LP record until 1987. The press was briefly revived in the late 1990s to issue several single-poem chapbooks, including, in 2000, ''Sun on Six'' by Jeff Clark, with a linocut by [[Jasper Johns]]. The Z magazine issues printed a wide range of authors, from poets associated with "the New York School" to personal essayist Phillip Lopate, and art features by [[Ian Hamilton Finlay]] and [[Donna Dennis]], among others. Apart from the magazine, Z Press primarily published works by other New York School writers and artists (many of them Elmslie's friends) including [[John Ashbery]], [[Ron Padgett]], [[James Schuyler]], and perhaps most extensively, long time partner [[Joe Brainard]]. Elmslie's work with graphic artists such as Brainard combined poetry with art to emphasize their interconnectedness; his work in theatre demonstrates his commitment to art as a whole, not only to one medium.

⚫
In 1973, Elmslie was asked to edit an issue of ''The World,'' the literary journal of the Poetry Project at St. Marks in New York. He decided he wanted to edit something more permanent, and instead initiated ''Z Magazine'' and ''Z Press,'' acting as the press' editor and publisher. The press was based originally in New York City, but then relocated to Elmslie's summer home in Calais. The journal, which was published annually and was titled in successive repetitions of the letter "Z" (i.e. "Z," "ZZ," etc.), continued for six issues, the last being published in 1978. Z Press continued publishing books, broadsides, postcards and the occasional LP record until 1987. The press was revived briefly during the late 1990s to issue several single-poem chapbooks, including, in 2000, ''Sun on Six'' by Jeff Clark, with a linocut by [[Jasper Johns]]. The Z magazine issues printed works by a wide range of authors, from poets associated with "the New York School" to personal essayist Phillip Lopate, and art features by [[Ian Hamilton Finlay]] and [[Donna Dennis]], among others. Apart from the magazine, Z Press primarily published works by other New York School writers and artists (many of them Elmslie's friends) including [[John Ashbery]], [[Ron Padgett]], [[James Schuyler]], and perhaps most extensively, long time partner [[Joe Brainard]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=R.D.|last=Eno|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105415332/rd-eno-composer-poet-perform-at/|title=Composer, Poet Perform at Museum|date=August 31, 1976|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=July 11, 2022|pages=4A,5A|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Elmslie's work with graphic artists such as Brainard combined poetry with art to emphasize their interconnectedness; his work in theatre demonstrates his commitment to art as a whole, not only to one medium.

==Death==
Elmslie died at his home in [[West Village]] neighborhood of New York City on June 29, 2022, at the age of 93. He suffered from dementia for several years prior.<ref name=":0" />

In an appreciation and memoir published in ''[[Rain Taxi]]'', his sometime publisher W.C. Bamberger concluded: "Kenward Elmslie has now gone off into the far air, but he has left riches behind, and more so than any other writer I've read, the wider your experience of his arts, the richer each work becomes."<ref>{{cite web|first=W.C.|last=Bamberger|title=Kenward Elmslie (April 27, 1929-June 29, 2022|url=https://www.raintaxi.com/kenward-elmslie-april-27-1929-june-29-2022%ef%bf%bc/|work=Rain Taxi|date=July 15, 2022|accessdate=July 18, 2022}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==


===For Theater===
===Theater===
*''Miss Julie'' (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1965.
*''Miss Julie'' (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1965.
*''[[Lizzie Borden (opera)|Lizzie Borden]]'' (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1966.
*''[[Lizzie Borden (opera)|Lizzie Borden]]'' (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1966.
Line 57: Line 63:
*''Communications Equipment'', Burning Deck (Providence, RI), 1979.
*''Communications Equipment'', Burning Deck (Providence, RI), 1979.
*''Moving Right Along'', Z Press (Calais, VT), 1980.
*''Moving Right Along'', Z Press (Calais, VT), 1980.
*''Champ Dust'', New Censorship: The Monthly Journal of the Next Savage State (v4 No.12, March 1994). [The entire issue is given over to this one work by Elmslie.]
*''Champ Dust'', New Censorship: The Monthly Journal of the Next Savage State (v4 No.12, March 1994). [The entire issue is given to this one work by Elmslie.]
*''Bare Bones'', Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1995.
*''Bare Bones'', Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1995.
*''Routine Disruptions: Selected Poems and Lyrics 1960 - 1998'', Coffee House Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.
*''Routine Disruptions: Selected Poems and Lyrics 1960 - 1998'', Coffee House Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.
Line 81: Line 87:
*''Bang Bang Tango'', composer: Kenneth Deifik. Recorded by Estelle Parsons.
*''Bang Bang Tango'', composer: Kenneth Deifik. Recorded by Estelle Parsons.


==Selected Albums, CDs and Cassette Recordings==
==Selected recordings==
*Ben Bagley's ''The Littlest Revue'' (incl. "Backer's Audition," with John Latouche, music by John Strauss), Epic Records LP (LN3275), 1956.
*Ben Bagley's ''The Littlest Revue'' (incl. "Backer's Audition," with John Latouche, music by John Strauss), Epic Records LP (LN3275), 1956.
*''Lizzie Borden'' (opera, music by Jack Beeson), Desto Records (DST 6455/6/7 - three record set), 1966; Composer's Recordings, Inc. Compact Disc (CD 694), 1995.
*''Lizzie Borden'' (opera, music by Jack Beeson), Desto Records (DST 6455/6/7 - three record set), 1966; Composer's Recordings, Inc. Compact Disc (CD 694), 1995.
Line 88: Line 94:
*''Highlights from Miss Julie'' (opera, music by Ned Rorem), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1338), 1979; complete recording: Albany Records CDs (TROY761-62), 2005.
*''Highlights from Miss Julie'' (opera, music by Ned Rorem), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1338), 1979; complete recording: Albany Records CDs (TROY761-62), 2005.
*''Kenward Elmslie Visited'' (songs and opera arias), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1339), 1982.
*''Kenward Elmslie Visited'' (songs and opera arias), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1339), 1982.
*''Lola'' (musical play, music by Claibe Richardson), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1335), 1985; Harbinger Records Ltd.CD 1704, 1999.
*''Lola'' (musical play, music by Claibe Richardson), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1335), 1985; Harbinger Records Ltd. CD 1704, 1999.
*''Kenward Elmslie in Palais Bimbo Lounge Show'', Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1336), 1985.
*''Kenward Elmslie in Palais Bimbo Lounge Show'', Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1336), 1985.
*''Three Sisters'' (opera, music by Thomas Pasatieri), Z Press/Painted Smiles (PS 1333 - two record set), 1986.
*''Three Sisters'' (opera, music by Thomas Pasatieri), Z Press/Painted Smiles (PS 1333 - two record set), 1986.
*''26 Bars'' (Elmslie reading, with incidental music), Z Press (cassette tape), 1987.
*''26 Bars'' (Elmslie reading, with incidental music), Z Press (cassette tape), 1987.
*''Palais Bimbo'' (readings and songs), Naropa Institute (cassette tape), 1991.
*''Palais Bimbo'' (readings and songs), Naropa Institute (cassette tape), 1991.
*''Postcards on Parade'' (musical play, with Steven Taylor), Harbinger Records CD HCD 1604, 1998.
*''Postcards on Parade'' (musical play, with Steven Taylor), Harbinger Records CD HCD 1604, 1998.



==References==
==References==
Line 100: Line 105:
*Bamberger, W. C. "Interview with Kenward Elmslie," ''New American Writing'' #8/9 (Fall 1991), pp. 176-212.
*Bamberger, W. C. "Interview with Kenward Elmslie," ''New American Writing'' #8/9 (Fall 1991), pp. 176-212.
*Ford, Mark. ''New York Poets II: An Anthology''. Carcanet Press, 2006
*Ford, Mark. ''New York Poets II: An Anthology''. Carcanet Press, 2006



==Videos==
⚫
*https://vimeo.com/channels/kenwardelmslie


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0521.html Kenward Elmslie Papers] MSS 0521. [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/ Special Collections & Archives], UC San Diego Library.
*[http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0521.html Kenward Elmslie Papers] MSS 0521. [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/ Special Collections & Archives], UC San Diego Library.
* [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_4079596 Corrected manuscript of Elmslie's YELLOW DRUM at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.]
* [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/ead/nnc-rb/ldpd_4079596 Corrected manuscript of Elmslie's YELLOW DRUM at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.]
⚫
*https://vimeo.com/channels/kenwardelmslie


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmslie, Kenward}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmslie, Kenward}}
⚫
[[Category:1929 births]]
⚫
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:American male poets]]
[[Category:American male poets]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]
[[Category:Poets from New York City]]
[[Category:Writers from Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
[[Category:Writers from Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni]]
[[Category:St. Mark's School (Massachusetts) alumni]]
⚫
[[Category:1929 births]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New York School poets]]
[[Category:New York School poets]]
[[Category:American opera librettists]]
[[Category:American opera librettists]]
[[Category:Poets from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Poets from Colorado]]
[[Category:Poets from Colorado]]
[[Category:20th-century American poets]]
[[Category:20th-century American poets]]

Latest revision as of 22:07, 25 February 2024

Kenward Elmslie
Elmslie in 2005
Elmslie in 2005
Born(1929-04-27)April 27, 1929
New York City, U.S.
DiedJune 29, 2022(2022-06-29) (aged 93)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University (B.A. English, 1950)
Literary movementThe New York School

Kenward Gray Elmslie (April 27, 1929 – June 29, 2022) was an American author, performer, editor and publisher associated with the New York School of poetry.

Life and career

[edit]

Kenward Gray Elmslie was born to William Gray Elmslie and Constance Pulitzer in Manhattan on April 27, 1929.[1] His father was a tutor who met his mother, the youngest child of Joseph Pulitzer, while working as a tutor for her siblings.[1] He spent his childhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.[1] He attended St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard in 1950 with a B.A. in literature. He relocated to Cleveland to work as an intern at Karamu House, where there was an interracial theatre group. There he met lyricist John Latouche (1914-1956). At Latouche's invitation, Elmslie relocated back to New York in 1952 to live with him. In 1953 the couple bought a farmhouse in Calais, Vermont.[2] Elmslie collaborated with Latouche on some of his lyrics, including (uncredited) the lyric of "On the Waterfront," with music by Leonard Bernstein, and "Backer's Audition," for "The Littlest Revue".[3] Latouche died of heart failure in the house in Calais in August, 1956.[4] Elmslie kept the property, which served as his summer home for the rest of his life and, beginning during the 1970s, as the office for Elmslie's Z Press.

Elmslie's first work performed was the lyrics of the spring varsity show during his senior year at St. Mark's, his preparatory school.[5] He began his career collaborating with composers for operas and musicals in an attempt to bring a contemporary style to classical theater. Among his theatrical works are adaptations of Truman Capote's novel The Grass Harp and Lola, both projects in collaboration with Claibe Richardson. Truman Capote first granted Elmslie and Richardson the rights to make a musical of his novella in 1963, but it was not produced until 1971, and lasted only seven performances.[6] A cast album was issued in 1972.

Elmslie's first published poem, "Letter from Eldorado," appeared in the magazine Folder in 1956. In 1960 he published poems in four issues of the prestigious magazine Poetry. Elmslie later published more than thirty books of poetry and prose, and hundreds of poems in journals and anthologies. A collection of his writing, Motor Disturbance (1971), was awarded the Frank O'Hara Award for Poetry in 1971. He was awarded the National Endowment of the Arts Award for The Power Plant Sestina (1967) and the Ford Foundation Grant, as well as the Project for Innovative Poetry's Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry, and an award from the National Council of the Arts.[7] His poetry and prose is often combined with the work of painters and other visual artists, most notably black and white comics drawn by Joe Brainard, his "26 Bars" depicted by Donna Dennis, and full color collaborations with Trevor Winkfield.[8]

Reviews of Elmslie's poetry by other writers were often enthusiastic. When Tropicalism was published in 1976, John Ashbery described Elmslie's poetry as being like the notes of "a mad scientist who has swallowed the wrong potion in his lab and is desperately trying to get his calculations on paper before everything closes in".[9] When Routine Disruptions, a volume of selected poems and lyrics chosen from thirty-eight years of work, was published in 1998, poet Alice Notley wrote, “this is an icon, for me, of Elmslie's work, its wild funniness, theatricality, brazenness, its love of art and objects”.[10] In an interview during 2001, poet Mary Kite told Elmslie that, for her, his poems "resemble tiny theatres. They are observational and exciting."[11]

Elmslie's prose also received praise from critics. In a 1973 review of The Orchid Stories in The Atlanta Constitution, Edith Blicksilver wrote that Elmslie "has created a potpourri of unusual impressions and experiences. . . this latest work reveals Mr. Elmslie as a valid twentieth century version of the Renaissance man of letters."[12] Michael Silverblatt, writing in The Paris Review, said the book "bubbles with head-spinning mixtures. Its combination of energy and boredom astounds. . . You can read this book repeatedly, as I have, and it’ll be fresh each time, an eternal palate cleanser. Very few books in literature are as singular as The Orchid Stories."[13]

In 1973, Elmslie was asked to edit an issue of The World, the literary journal of the Poetry Project at St. Marks in New York. He decided he wanted to edit something more permanent, and instead initiated Z Magazine and Z Press, acting as the press' editor and publisher. The press was based originally in New York City, but then relocated to Elmslie's summer home in Calais. The journal, which was published annually and was titled in successive repetitions of the letter "Z" (i.e. "Z," "ZZ," etc.), continued for six issues, the last being published in 1978. Z Press continued publishing books, broadsides, postcards and the occasional LP record until 1987. The press was revived briefly during the late 1990s to issue several single-poem chapbooks, including, in 2000, Sun on Six by Jeff Clark, with a linocut by Jasper Johns. The Z magazine issues printed works by a wide range of authors, from poets associated with "the New York School" to personal essayist Phillip Lopate, and art features by Ian Hamilton Finlay and Donna Dennis, among others. Apart from the magazine, Z Press primarily published works by other New York School writers and artists (many of them Elmslie's friends) including John Ashbery, Ron Padgett, James Schuyler, and perhaps most extensively, long time partner Joe Brainard.[14] Elmslie's work with graphic artists such as Brainard combined poetry with art to emphasize their interconnectedness; his work in theatre demonstrates his commitment to art as a whole, not only to one medium.

Death

[edit]

Elmslie died at his home in West Village neighborhood of New York City on June 29, 2022, at the age of 93. He suffered from dementia for several years prior.[1]

In an appreciation and memoir published in Rain Taxi, his sometime publisher W.C. Bamberger concluded: "Kenward Elmslie has now gone off into the far air, but he has left riches behind, and more so than any other writer I've read, the wider your experience of his arts, the richer each work becomes."[15]

Works

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Theater

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  • Miss Julie (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1965.
  • Lizzie Borden (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1966.
  • The Sweet Bye and Bye (opera libretto), Boosey & Hawkes (New York, NY), 1966.
  • The Grass Harp (musical), Samuel French (New York, NY), 1972.
  • City Junket (play), Adventures in Poetry (New York, NY), 1972; revised version: Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1987.
  • The Seagull (opera libretto), Belwin-Mills (Melville, NY), 1974.
  • Washington Square (opera libretto), Belwin-Mills (Melville, NY), 1976.
  • Three Sisters (opera libretto), Z Press (Calais, VT), 1986. [This libretto was also included inside copies of the album, issued simultaneously.]
  • Postcards on Parade, Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1993.

Poetry and prose

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  • Pavilions, Tibor de Nagy Editions (New York, NY), 1961.
  • Power Plant Poems, C Press (New York, NY), 1967.
  • Album, Kulchur (New York, NY), 1969.
  • Girl Machine [single poem], Angel Hair (Bolinas, CA and New York, NY), 1971.
  • Circus Nerves, Black Sparrow (Los Angeles, CA), 1971.
  • Motor Disturbance, Columbia University Press (New York, NY and London, England), 1971.
  • The Orchid Stories [a novel], Doubleday/Paris Review Editions (Garden City, NY), 1973.
  • Tropicalism, Z Press/Unmuzzled Ox (Calais, VT and New York, NY), 1975.
  • The Alphabet Work, Titanic Books (Washington, D.C.), 1977.
  • Communications Equipment, Burning Deck (Providence, RI), 1979.
  • Moving Right Along, Z Press (Calais, VT), 1980.
  • Champ Dust, New Censorship: The Monthly Journal of the Next Savage State (v4 No.12, March 1994). [The entire issue is given to this one work by Elmslie.]
  • Bare Bones, Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1995.
  • Routine Disruptions: Selected Poems and Lyrics 1960 - 1998, Coffee House Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

Collaborations with visual artists

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  • The Baby Book (with Joe Brainard), Boke Press (New York, NY), 1965.
  • The 1967 Game Calendar (with Joe Brainard), Boke Press (New York, NY), 1967.
  • The Champ (with Joe Brainard), Black Sparrow (Los Angeles, CA), 1968.
  • Shiny Ride (with Joe Brainard), Boke Press (New York, NY), 1972.
  • Topiary Trek (with Karl Torok), Topia Press (Bradford, England and New York, NY), 1977.
  • Bimbo Dirt (with Ken Tisa), Z Press (Calais, VT), 1982.
  • Palais Bimbo Snapshots (with Ken Tisa), Alternative Press (Grindstone City, MI), 1982.
  • 26 Bars (with Donna Dennis), Z Press (Calais, VT), 1987.
  • Sung Sex (with Joe Brainard), Kulchur (New York, NY), 1992.
  • Pay Dirt (with Joe Brainard), Bamberger Books (Flint, MI), 1992.
  • Nite Soil (postcard collages by Elmslie), Granary Books (New York, NY), 2000.
  • Cyberspace (with Trevor Winkfield), Granary Books (New York, NY), 2000.
  • Snippets (with Trevor Winkfield), Tibor de Nagy Editions (New York, NY), 2002.
  • Agenda Melt (with Trevor Winkfield), Adventures in Poetry (New York, NY and Boston, MA), 2004.

Songs

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  • Love-Wise composer: Marvin Fisher. Recorded by Nat King Cole
  • Bang Bang Tango, composer: Kenneth Deifik. Recorded by Estelle Parsons.

Selected recordings

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  • Ben Bagley's The Littlest Revue (incl. "Backer's Audition," with John Latouche, music by John Strauss), Epic Records LP (LN3275), 1956.
  • Lizzie Borden (opera, music by Jack Beeson), Desto Records (DST 6455/6/7 - three record set), 1966; Composer's Recordings, Inc. Compact Disc (CD 694), 1995.
  • The Grass Harp (music by Claibe Richardson), Painted Smiles Records LP (PS 1354), 1972; Painted Smiles Compact Disc (SCD 102), 1972.
  • The Sweet Bye & Bye (opera, music by Jack Beeson), Desto Records (DC 7179/180 - two record set), 1974.
  • Highlights from Miss Julie (opera, music by Ned Rorem), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1338), 1979; complete recording: Albany Records CDs (TROY761-62), 2005.
  • Kenward Elmslie Visited (songs and opera arias), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1339), 1982.
  • Lola (musical play, music by Claibe Richardson), Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1335), 1985; Harbinger Records Ltd. CD 1704, 1999.
  • Kenward Elmslie in Palais Bimbo Lounge Show, Painted Smiles/Z Press LP (PS 1336), 1985.
  • Three Sisters (opera, music by Thomas Pasatieri), Z Press/Painted Smiles (PS 1333 - two record set), 1986.
  • 26 Bars (Elmslie reading, with incidental music), Z Press (cassette tape), 1987.
  • Palais Bimbo (readings and songs), Naropa Institute (cassette tape), 1991.
  • Postcards on Parade (musical play, with Steven Taylor), Harbinger Records CD HCD 1604, 1998.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Genzlinger, Neil (2022-07-08). "Kenward Elmslie, Poet and Librettist, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  2. ^ Pollack, Howard. The Ballad of John Latouche, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2017, pp. 350-351.
  3. ^ Pollack, 421.
  4. ^ Pollack, 463.
  5. ^ Elmslie, Kenward: "Libretto Land," Parnassus (v10, No.2, Fall Winter 1982), pp. 199-209.
  6. ^ "The Grass Harp Original Cast Recording". Kritzerland. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Kenward Elmslie". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Joe Brainard feature: Kenward Elmslie in conversation with Kristin Prevallet". Jacket Magazine 16. March 22, 2002. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Ashbery, John. "The Figure in the Carport, Parnassus (v5 No.1, Fall/Winter 1976), pp. 326-330.
  10. ^ Notley, Alice. “Elmslie's Routine Disruptions,” St. Mark's Poetry Project Newsletter, 1999.
  11. ^ Elmslie, Kenward and Mary Kite. Spilled Beans: A Conversation. Skanky Possum, (Austin, TX), 2001, p.21.
  12. ^ Blicksilver, Edith (April 15, 1973). "Exotic Tales Are Flower-Like". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved July 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Kenward Elmslie and The Orchid Stories". The Paris Review. October 25, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Eno, R.D. (August 31, 1976). "Composer, Poet Perform at Museum". Burlington Free Press. pp. 4A, 5A. Retrieved July 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Bamberger, W.C. (July 15, 2022). "Kenward Elmslie (April 27, 1929-June 29, 2022". Rain Taxi. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  • Bamberger, W. C. "Interview with Kenward Elmslie," New American Writing #8/9 (Fall 1991), pp. 176-212.
  • Ford, Mark. New York Poets II: An Anthology. Carcanet Press, 2006
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