Special Collections Department
En Passant Archive
1970 - 1983
Manuscript Collection Number: 414
Accessioned: Gift of James Costello,
2000
Extent: 1.3 linear ft.
Content: Letters, postcards, greeting
cards, publications, tear- sheets, poetry manuscripts, photographs, flyers,
advertisements, and news clippings
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: May 2001 by Gerald
Cloud
Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
Table of Contents
Biographical Note
American attorney, poet, and editor James A. Costello was born in Utica, New York, on August 10, 1937. He attended Le Moyne College in Syracuse and Albany Law School. Costello moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1970 when he began working as a patent attorney for E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company. In 1975 he founded En Passant Poetry (1975 – 1982), a literary magazine devoted to poetry, poetry in translation, book reviews, and graphics. Costello is also a published poet and the author of The Underbelly Poems (1981).Sources:
Costello, James. The Under Belly Poems. Wilmington, DE: En Passant Poetry, 1981.
Mullinax, Gary. “Patently, he’s poet.” Wilmington Morning News, Oct 5, 1981.
— — “Former Utican’s Book of Poetry Published.” Utica Observer-Dispatch, Jul 12, 1981.
Scope and Content Note
The En Passant Archive, spanning the dates 1970 – 1983, is the archive of the little poetry magazine En Passant, edited by James Costello in Wilmington, Delaware. The 1.3 linear feet of material in the collection consists of letters from contributors, administrative correspondence, little magazines, including twelve issues of En Passant, and the manuscripts of most of the thirteen issues of the magazine published between 1975 and 1983.
The archive is divided into three series: the first is primarily correspondence from contributors, editors of other little magazines, and subscribers. The correspondence series is arranged chronologically by year, and divided into two smaller groups: correspondence from contributors and administrative matters. There is also one folder containing the personal papers and correspondence of James Costello, and a folder of miscellaneous newsletters and flyers related to poetry. The second series in the archive includes the manuscripts of nine of the thirteen published issues of En Passant. The third series contains publications related to En Passant and James Costello’s own poetry.
The En Passant Archive contains a comprehensive selection of items typically associated with administration of a little magazine. The majority of the items in the archive are letters from the contributors whose works were published in En Passant. Although examples of Costello’s written comments are rare, the correspondence does reflect the editorial exchange that passed between Costello and the poets who sought publication in his magazine. Many of the letters are replies to the detailed feedback Costello appears to have provided his contributors — some thanked him, while others voiced disagreement. After Costello accepted a poem for publication he often received letters of appreciation from the contributor. These letters typically include the biographical data that eventually appeared on En Passant’s contributor’s notes page. There is also a significant percentage of on-going correspondence between Costello and several En Passant contributors. One of the most frequent correspondents, Nathan Cervo, a poet and professor of English at Franklin Pierce College, discussed poetry, little magazines, and the difficulties of publishing poetry.
The administrative correspondence, which forms a much smaller group of items, deals mostly with business matters such as subscriptions, grants, and advertising.
The manuscripts in the second series are nearly all original typescripts as submitted by the contributors, most of which have autograph changes and corrections made in Costello’s hand. All of the nine issues represented are collated in their published page order and contain various typesetting instructions for the printer. The editorial process of the magazine is further revealed when examining the manuscripts alongside the contributor’s correspondence. Many of the contributors’ letters address the changes Costello has suggested and it is possible to trace the progression of several poems.
The personal papers of James Costello include letters from editors and associates, photos, reviews, and other items related to Costello’s published poetry.
The publications series includes twelve of the thirteen published issues of En Passant (a complete set of the little magazine is available in Special Collections), several little magazines that published Costello’s poetry, and two small books of Nathan Cervo’s poetry.
Contents List
Box -- Folder -- Contents
Series I. Correspondence
1 1970 – 1975
F1 Contributors
F2 Administrative
1976
F3 Contributors
F4 Administrative
1977
F5 Contributors
F6 Administrative
1978
F7 Contributors
F8 Administrative
1979
F9 Contributors
F10 Administrative
1980
F11 Contributors
F12 Administrative
1981
F13 Contributors
F14 Administrative
1982
F15 Contributors
F16 Administrative
1983
F17 Contributors
F18 Administrative
F19 Costello Personal papers
F20 Newsletters, Flyers, etc.
Series II. Manuscripts
1 F21 1976, Issue 4 Contributors:
Betsy Adams
Miguel Arteche
Guy R. Beining
Nathan Cervo
James A. Costello
Robert Dante
Franz Douskey
Stuart Downs
Michael Evans
Carol S. Hamilton
Robert Hillebrand
Allen Hoey
Gary Hotham
Karen Kervorkian
Adele Mays
Errol Miller
Naul Ojeda
Lynne Carol Rose
George H. Rothacker
Susan F. Schaeffer
Craig Weeden
Carl Woods
Carolyne Wright
Christine Zawadiwsky
F22 1977, Issue 5 Contributors:
Doug Abrams
Nathan Cervo
Joan Colby
James A. Costello
Christopher Hewitt
Terry Kennedy
Karen Kervorkian
Charles K. Lassiter
Amy Matthews
Russ McKinney
Michael McMahon
Jim Parlett
Alfonsina Storni
Kathryn Van Spanckeren
Carl Woods
Carolyne Wright
F23 1977, Issue 6 Contributors:
Nathan Cervo
Susan Deal
Barry Dempster
Robert Gibb
Rachel Hadas
Dorothy Lee
Robert Meszaros
Naul Ojeda
Stephanos Xenos
F24 1979, Issue 8 Contributors:
Richard Behm
Joseph Bruchac
Nathan Cervo
James Costello
Rabert Dante
Tommie Davidson
Susan Deal
Barry Dempster
Laurence Donavon
Thomas Dyer
Patricia Ellis
Gayle Harvey
Jay Jacoby
Michael McMahon
Robert Meszaros
Ricardo Pau-Liosa
John Repp
Hilary Russell
Luise Van Keuren
F25 1979, Issue 9
Contributors: Gary Metras
Betsy Adams Eric Nelson
Nathan Cervo Perry Oldham
Barry Dempster Molly Peacock
Robert Desnos Martin Robbins
Gary Fincke George Rothacker
Michal Fineman Paul Smyth
Pat Therese Francis Wayne Westlake
Thomas House Norma Westwood
David James Vincent Zigas
Frederico Garcia Lorca
Marianne Loyd
F26 1980, Issue 10 Contributors:
Emily Borenstein
Nathan Cervo
Kevin Clark
Ron De Maris
Laurence Donavon
Sonya Dorman
Devon Duggan
William Elliott
George Green
Anne Hohenstein
Vincente Huidobro
Hakusha Kitahara
Steven Nimtz
Naomi Nye
Peggy Parris
Jay Paul
Molly Peacock
Carmine Sarracino
Reviews:
Barbara Lefcowitz
Elizabeth McKim
Richard Michelson
Nona Nimnicht
Mary Oliver
F27 1980, Issue 11
Contributors: Mary Porter
William Aberg Tom Smith
Eros Alesi Paul Smyth
Stephen Burke Vaughn Stadtmiller
Nathan Cervo Arlene Stone
David Citino
Joan Colby
Donald Cook
James Costello
Susan Deal
Christina Dodwell
Marisa Gatti-Taylor
Robert Gibb
Nixeon Handy
Christopher Hewitt
Erik Muller
Jan Pallister
F28 1981, Issue 12 Contributors:
Guy Beining
Linda Bierds
Nathan Cervo
James Costello
Robert Dante
Susan Deal
Lamine Diakhaté
Gary Fincke
Gale Flynn
Eleni Fourtouni
Robert Gibb
Thomas Lavazzi
Wihelm Lehmann
Betty Lowry
Robert Meszaros
Gary Metras
Rodney Nelson
Mark Nepo
Naul Ojeda
Jan Pallister
Ricardo Pau-Llosa
Roger Pfingston
Tom Smith
Paul Smyth
F29 1982, Issue 13 Contributors:
Nathan Cervo
Joan Colby
Ron De Maris
Léon-Paul Fargue
Diane Glancy
Francis Golffing
Judith Goodenough
Narman Hane
Robert King
Marie Klenk
Mark Nepo
Peggy Parris
Simon Perchik
Celia Strome
Mary Tisera
Don Welch
James Zola
Series III. Publications
2 F30 En Passant
Issues 1-2
F31 En Passant
Issues 3-4
F32 En Passant
Issues 5-6
F33 En Passant
Issues 7, 9
F34 En Passant
Issues 10-11
F35 En Passant
Issues 12-13
F36 Little Magazines (containing work by Costello)
The Free Lance, 18.1-2 (1977)
Icarus, 4.3 (1976)
The Stone, 4.1 (1971)
The Small Pond, 19.2 (1982), contains review of
Costello’s The Under Belly Poems.
F37 The Under Belly Poems, (1981)
Book of poems by James Costello, inscribed by the
author.
F38 One Finger Exercises, (1978)
Breath, (1984)
Books of poems by Nathan Cervo.
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Last modified: 01/19/11
