Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Related Material
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Series List
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Spires, Elizabeth |
| Title: | Elizabeth Spires Papers |
| Dates: | 1971-2013 |
| Quantity: | 4.2 cubic feet (11 boxes) |
| Abstract: | This collection consists of correspondence, audiovisual materials, manuscripts, and printed materials documenting the career of poet Elizabeth Spires. |
Biographical Note
Elizabeth Spires graduated from Vassar College in 1974. A noted poet, Spires has published eight collections of poems, including Globe (1981), Swan's Island (1997), and A Memory of the Future (2018). In addition, she has written two children's books, The Mouse of Amherst (2001) and I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmonton and His Stone Carvings (2009), and edited The Instant of Knowing: Lectures, Criticism and Occasional Prose, by Josephine Jacobson (1997). As of 2025, Spires is professor of English and co-director of Kratz Center for Creative Writing at Goucher College, where she holds a Chair for Distinguished Achievement.
TopScope and Content Note
This collection consists of correspondence, audiovisual materials, manuscripts, and printed materials documenting the career of poet Elizabeth Spires. Of particular note are the audio cassettes on which are recorded Spires's 1978 interview with poet Elizabeth Bishop (Vassar Class of 1934), a transcription of which later appeared in The Paris Review (no. 80 [1981]).
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Related Material
TopSubject Headings
Names:
- Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979
Organizations:
- Vassar College--Alumni and alumnae
Subjects:
- American poetry--20th century
- American poetry--21st century.
- Poets, American--20th century
- Poets, American--21st century
- Women poets--United States--20th century
- Women poets--United States--21st century
VCL Categories:
- Literature and Writing
- Vassar College
Encoding Information
Encoded by Mark Seidl, May 2020. Updated, March 2022. Last updated, June 2025.
TopAdministrative Information
Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Spires Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Elizabeth Spires (VC 1974), 2012-2021. (M2012-008, M2013-008, M2021-008, M2021-009).
Series List
Series I. Writings (Box 1-4) | |
|---|---|
| This series includes undergraduate papers, published and unpublished poems, drafts of poems, lectures, informal talks, and introductions. Also included is Spires's M.A. thesis, "Globe," submitted to Johns Hopkins University in 1979. Drafts include multiple iterations of poems, many with handwritten annotations, arranged by title by Spires. |
Series II. Correspondence (Box 5-8, 10) | |
|---|---|
| This series contains letters to and from Spires, the bulk of which encompasses her long correspondence with Vassar College English professor William Gifford. Other correspondents include David Barber, Jill Bialosky, Elizabeth Bishop, Anthony Hecht, Josephine Jacobsen, Judith Kroll, Philip Levine, Howard Moss, John Frederick Nims, Ann Patchett, Melissa Range, Ken Rosen, Megan Sexton, and Richard Wilbur. |
Series III. Clippings (Box 9-10) | |
|---|---|
| This series includes clippings of reviews of Spires's publications, as well as book reviews written by Spires. |
Series IV. Photographic Prints (Box 9) | |
|---|---|
| The folder in this series contains professional and personal photographs of Spires. |
Series V. Printed Material (Box 9-10) | |
|---|---|
| This series contains promotional materials from symposia, readings, and other events in which Spires participated. Also included are uncorrected galleys and offprints of Spires's publications. |
Series VI. Audiovisual Material (Box 11) | |
|---|---|
| This series includes VHS, DVD, and audio cassette recordings of conferences, readings, and interviews. |
Container List
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
This collection consists of correspondence, audiovisual materials, manuscripts, and
printed materials documenting the career of poet Elizabeth Spires.
