Special Collections Department
The Ishmael Reed Papers
II. Interviews, 1968 - 1994
Extent: 1.3 linear ft.
Contents: Correspondence, typescript and autograph drafts, photocopies, clippings, galley proofs, magazine, audio cassettes, transcripts, and notes.
Arrangement: Series II.1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed is arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the interviewer. Series II.2. Interviews by Ishmael Reed is arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the individual interviewed by Reed.
Description:
Series II., Interviews, comprises material relating specifically to the many interviews Reed granted to others, as well as those he conducted himself. This series includes manuscripts and/or other related records, such as correspondence, notes, tear sheets, and photocopies for each interview. Reed granted interviews with representatives of diverse publications, ranging from college newspapers (Mwendo of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Ohio), to mass market publications (San Francisco Review of Books) and scholarly publications (American Poetry Review).
He also interviewed himself. Drafts of the self-interview are included in subseries II.2, which consists of interviews conducted by Reed. These include interviews with writers, including Ralph Ellison, Rudolpho Anaya, Quincy Troupe, and John Edgar Wideman; and with African-Americans in other areas of the arts, such as sculptor Doyle Forman, architects Max Bond and Carl Anthony, and mixed media artist Bettye Saar. The interview series represents a broad, but not complete, record of interviews with Reed. Indications of other interviews can be found in several series, including requests to respond to written questions in Series VIII. Correspondence, and audiocassette tapes of interviews on radio and videotape in Series XI. Media.
Contents List
22 Series II. Interviews, 1968-1994
Series II. 1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed, 1968-1994
Abbot, Ruth and Ira Simmons, 1975
F1 (I) Typescript
F2 (II) Carbon typescript and a copy of San Francisco Review of Books (1975 Nov)
in which the interview appeared.
F3a Anderson, Roger, 1986 Feb 11
Copy of The Daily Californian in which the interview was published.
F3b Beauford, Fred, [1972]
Published in Black Creation: A Quarterly Review of Black Arts and Letters.
Photocopies of galley sheets and corrected galley sheets with a letter from
Beauford and a copy of the journal.
F4 Bellamy, Joe David, 1973
Published in Fiction International and The New Fiction: Interviews with
Innovative American Writers. Correspondence and an advertising broadside
relating to Bellamy's interview.
F5 Binder, Wolfgang and Harald Zapf, 1992 Jun 20
Photocopy of interview in Nz Am Wochenende.
F6 Book World, n.d.
Reed's holograph notes and answers to interview questions.
F7 Boschè, Phoebe, n.d.
Corrected typescript, 20 pp.
F8 Braman, Sandra, 1983 Dec 14
Photocopy.
F9 Brisick, William C., 1988 Jul 1
Tear sheets and photocopy of article published in Publishers Weekly.
F10 Broughton, Irv, 1978
Corrected rough typescript and letter from Broughton dated April 2, 1978.
F11 Bunge, Nancy L., n.d.
Typescript.
F12 Carroll, Jonathan, n.d.
Letter regarding interview lost due to tape malfunction.
F13 Castro, Jan Garden, 1977 Oct 15
Photocopy.
F14 Claflin, Edward, 1972
Typescript with minor corrections (10 pp.) and letter from Clafin (1972 Nov 14)
referring to publication in Intellectual Digest.
F15 The Cream City Review, 1984
Letters from Roswitha Both of The Cream City Review.
F16 Domini, John, n.d.
Published in American Poetry Review, January 1978. Page two of a letter
requesting an interview and a copy of the magazine.
F17 Faraka, Jean, 1993 Nov 5
Audiocassette of WPR, Madison, Wisconsin interview removed to media series.
F18 Fisk University, 1973
Letter acknowledging Reed's interview for the Black Oral History Program.
F19 Gaga, 1973
Published in MWENDO. Letters, photocopy, galleys, and a copy of the magazine.
Gover, Robert
F20 Photocopy of corrected typescript.
F21 Letter from Rolling Stone rejecting the interview for their magazine.
F22 Photocopy of printed article in unidentified publication.
F23 Hambone, 1982 Fall
Typescripts with revisions and an issue contains interview: "Ishmael Reed Replies
to Amiri Baraka."
F24 Helm, Michael, [1978]
Issue of City Miner (No.11) contains Helm's interview "Ishmael Reed: An
Interview." Original artwork by Kathleen Chang removed to oversize.
22 Series II. Interviews (cont'd)
Series II.1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed (cont'd)
F25 Henry, Joseph K., 1982 Oct 24
Interview conducted at University of Iowa and published in MELUS. Two copies
of the transcript and corrected galleys. Audiocassette removed to Series XI.
Media.
F26 Howard, Aaron, 1991 Apr 24
Published in Public News: Houston's Alternative Newsweekly. Photocopy, plus an
issue of Public News, which has been removed to oversize box.
Hudson, Theodore R., 1980-1982
Interview recorded and added to Afro-American source materials in the Howard
University Library.
F27 Six letters to Reed from Hudson.
F28 Interview transcript. Two audiocassettes removed to Series XI. Media
F29 Copy of interview transcript.
F30a Kennedy, Liam, Richard King, and Peter Messent, 1989 Mar 20
Interview was conducted after a reading at Nottingham University. Photocopy of
corrected transcript and a copy of Over Here (1989 Winter).
F30b Ketcham, Diana, 1986 Mar 30
Tear sheets and photocopy of the interview.
Martin, Reginald, 1983-1988
F31 Letter concerning the interviews scheduled for July 2-6, 1983.
F32 Photocopy of article as published in The Griot (1988 Spring).
F33a Mason, Keith Antar, 1989 Fall
Copy of High Performance which contains the interview titled, "Ishmael Reed
Talks About Multiculturalism, the Media, and Fighting Back."
F33b Moore, Judith, 1983
Issue of Express: the East Bay's Free Weekly with interview "So I'm Speaking
Out: A Conversation with Ishmael Reed " (removed to oversize box) and a
photocopy of the article.
F33c Moore, Michael, 1990 Fall
Copy of Blah Blah Blah which contains the interview titled, "Talking with a
Cowboy in the Boat Ra."
22 Series II. Interviews (cont'd)
Series II.1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed (cont'd)
F33d Natambu, Kofi, 1984 Dec 5-11
Copy of The Metro Times in which the interview titled, "Ishmael Reed: The
Hoodoo Text," is published.
Nazareth, Peter, 1979-1982
Interview conducted at Mayflower Apartments, Iowa City, October 13, 1979.
F34 Letter from Nazareth and transcript with corrections.
F35 Issue of Iowa Review (1982 Spring) with published interview.
O'Brien, John, 1972
F36 Letters and written questions from O'Brien to Reed, letters from Reed to O'Brien
(1972), and photocopy of corrected interview typescript.
F37 Copy of interview transcript.
F38 Olney, James, 1984
Two letters to Reed concerning an interview for the Southern Review.
F39 Oren, Michel, n.d.
Letter from the New York Public Library (May 24, 1988) notifying Reed that a
transcript of Oren's interview had been deposited at the Library's Schomburg
Center for Research in Black Culture. The interview was part of a series of
interviews with Umbra poets.
F40 Orlo, 1993 Winter
Published in The Bear Essential. Photocopy of printed interview and a copy of the
newspaper, which was removed to oversize box.
F41 Payton, Brenda, 1993 Dec 26
Published in Oakland Tribune. Clipping and photocopy of published interview.
F42 Polak, Maralyn Lois, 1986 Jun 22
Published in Philadelphia Inquirer. Clipping, copy of the magazine (removed to
oversize), and photocopy of published interview.
Russell, Charles, 1982
Interview for Paris Review.
F43 Letters from Russell to Reed (1982 Feb 9 and May 17) and photocopy of
corrected transcript.
F44 Photocopy of transcript with corrections.
22 Series II. Interviews (cont'd)
Series II.1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed (cont'd)
F45 Saenz, Miguel, 1992 Dec 18
Published in Diario in Spanish.
F46 Savery, Pancho, 1974 Jun 28
Photocopy of edited interview transcript titled "Taking Care of Business and
Breaking Out of Psychological Slavery: An Interview with Ishmael Reed."
F47 Sharpe, Mal, 1994 Apr 16
Audiocassette of interview with Radio KQED-FM (removed to Series XI. Media).
Shepperd, Walt, 1968-1969
Published in Nickel Review in two parts, 1968 Aug 28-Sep 10 and 1969 Dec 19.
Copy of the newspaper issues removed to oversize box.
F48 Correction notes for interview publication.
F49 Photocopy of edited interview.
F50 "When state magicians fail . . . unofficial magicians rise." Copy of the magazine
(removed to oversize) and photocopy of printed interview (1968 Aug 28-Sep 10).
F51 "The New Technology is Black." Copy of magazine (removed to oversize) and
photocopy of printed interview (1969 Dec 19).
F52 Shockley, Ann Allen, 1973 Aug 17
Letter from the Fisk University Library confirming Reed's appointment with Ms.
Shockley for an oral history interview.
F53 Smith, Tracy K., 1993 Mar 4
Published in Harvard Crimson. Clipping and photocopy of the printed interview.
F54 Talking Poetry: Conversations in the Workshop with Contemporary Poets, 1987
Copy of the book.
F55 Turan, Kenneth, 1979 Apr 23
Copy of New Westin which contains the interview titled "Voodoo Man Versus The
Moochers: a conversation with Ishmael Reed."
F56a Williams, John, 1988 Jul 19
Transcript of "Ishmael Reed Fights Back: An Interview."
F56b Willis, Allen and Jane Muramoto, 1983
Script, notes, schedules for the KQED broadcast of "There With Ishmael Reed."
22 Series II. Interviews (cont'd)
Series II.1. Interviews with Ishmael Reed (cont'd)
F57 Young, Al, 1972-1973
Two issues of Changes, which contains Young's two-part interview with Reed.
F58 Zamir, Shamoon, 1988 Aug 17
Photocopy of interview transcript with corrections and an offprint of the article as
it appeared in Callaloo (1994).
F59 Unidentified and miscellaneous material relating to various interviews.
Series II. 2. Interviews by Ishmael Reed, 1972-1994
F60 Anaya, Rudolfo, 1978 Jun
Published in San Francisco Review of Books. Interview conducted in
Albuquerque with Chicano poet Anaya. Includes two draft transcripts with
corrections and an issue of the newspaper. Audiotape removed to Series XI.
Media.
F61 Bond, Max and Carl Anthony, 1975
Corrected draft pages and photocopy of printed article. Included in Shrovetide in
Old New Orleans.
Ellison, Ralph, 1977-1978
Interview conducted by Reed, Steve Cannon, and Quincy Troupe.
F62 Heavily corrected photocopy typescript of the introduction to the interview written
by Steve Cannon (1977 Jan).
F63 Photostat copy of interview draft transcript with corrections.
F64 Corrected typescript.
F65 Fabio, Sarah and Howard Moore Jr., 1977 Sep 4
Typescript.
Foreman, Doyle
F66 Corrected typescript and photocopy.
F67 Photocopy of article printed in Encore, Spring 1972.
23 Series II. Interviews (cont'd)
Series II.2. Interviews by Ishmael Reed (cont'd)
Franti, Michael, 1991-1992
Printed in Transition, Harvard University, 1992.
F68 Correspondence.
F69 Photocopy of transcript with corrections.
F70 Typescript.
F71 Miscellaneous pages.
F72 Photocopy with corrections.
Reed, Ishmael, 1974
Self interview. Heavily corrected typescript pages.
F73 (I)
F74 (II)
F75 (III)
F76 Photocopy dated March 10, 1974.
F77 Correspondence with Black World and printed issue (1974 Jun) with interview.
Saar, Betye, 1974-1989
F78 Photocopy transcript of interview conducted March 10, 1974.
F79 Photocopy of corrected transcript.
F80 Photocopy pages.
F81 Correspondence with the editor of artsmagazine, who declined to publish the
interview.
F82 Correspondence and typescript related to catalogue essay for Saar show in 1989.
F83 Corrected typescript of typescript in F82.
F84 Second corrected typescript in F82.
F85 Typescript with adhesive notes.
F86 Exhibition catalogue.
F87 Schuyler, Georges, 1973
Photocopy typescript and photocopy printed article.
F88 Simmons, Ira, n.d.
Corrected typescripts.
F89 Troupe, Quincy, n.d.
Typescript, material about Troupe, and notes.
F90 Wallace, Michele
Audiocassette interview removed to Series XI. Media.
F91 Wideman, John Edgar, 1994
Clipping and audiocassette of interview. Audiocassette removed to Series XI.
Media.
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citation and reference information
The Ishmael Reed Papers
Manuscript Collection Number: 398
Accessioned: Purchases, 1980-1995.
Extent: 65 linear ft.
Content: Correspondence, novels, plays, poems, essays, reviews, speeches, magazines, posters, clippings, brochures, flyers, broadsides, photographs, artwork, books, galley and page proofs, financial documents, catalogs, programs, photocopies, sound recordings, schedules, comic books, notes, transcripts, awards, certificates, minutes, audiovisual recordings, and miscellaneous ephemera.
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: 1998-1999 by Shiela Pardee, completed by Anita Wellner.
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Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
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