Purchase, September 2008.
The collection is open for research.
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use
and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to
publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special
Collections Department, University of Delaware Library,
MSS 617, Summer Brenner papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Processed and encoded by Christopher La Casse, November 2009-February 2010.
Summer (Rebecca Susan) Brenner, born March 17, 1945, was raised by her parents Edward
and Rita Brenner, first generation Ashkenazic Jews, who settled in Atlanta, Georgia.
Brenner became a novelist, poet, and activist; a mother of two children, Felix and
Joanna; and now resides in Berkeley and the Bay Area of California.
Raised by a creative mother who was an artist and a father who was politically liberal in the segregated South, Summer Brenner moved north to Simmons College in Boston, and then studied abroad at the University of Florence (1965-1966) and the University of Paris (1966-1967). She completed requirements for a bachelor of arts at Georgia State University in 1968. After relocating to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brenner moved again in the 1970s to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has thrived creatively in diverse artistic and writing communities.
Brenner was a prolific correspondent, who exchanged personal news, drafts of works in progress, and literary advice with members from an intimate circle of writers and artists that included Laura Chester, Gloria Frym, Margaret Edwards, Barry Gifford, Stephen Rodefer, Geoff Young, Aline and Robert Crumb, and Andrei Codrescu. In collaboration with many of these, Brenner contributed her own writing and helped edit independent little magazines or small press projects. The many notable periodicals in which her own work has appeared include
Brenner is the author of ten books of poetry and fiction, including two influential books for young people. Her books include
Brenner's literary writings and activities are diverse and often community based. In her early years in the Bay Area, she participated in many poetry readings and spoken word performances. "The Flood," her poem in four voices, was performed at Links Hall in Chicago, and her one-act play, "The Missing Lover," was directed by Peter Glazer.
Beyond her writing career, Brenner worked as an activist through the human rights organization Amnesty International. As a member of this organization, Brenner wrote articles and organized poetry readings to raise awareness, publicly demonstrated against the death penalty, protested the execution of reformed Crips founder, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and, on behalf of various "prisoners of conscience," appealed to numerous dignitaries of foreign countries to respect basic human rights.
The Summer Brenner papers offers a comprehensive view of an American poet and
novelist's life across four decades beginning in the 1960s. The collection includes
extensive personal correspondence and journals, literary manuscripts and drafts
documenting all stages of the writing and publishing process, and Brenner's work from
magazine contributions, book publications, and community projects, including her
contributions to the literary small press, The Figures. Notable corespondents include:
Laura Chester, Gloria Frym, Barry Gifford, Stephen Rodefer, Geoff Young, Aline and
Robert Crumb, and Andrei Codrescu.
The collection is organized in seven series: I. Personal correspondence, II. Personal records and photographs, III. Diaries and journals, IV. Writing projects, V. Promotional materials, VI. Printed materials, and VII. Activism and social causes.
Summer Brenner was a lifelong keeper of personal correspondence, which is found in the first series. The organization of the incoming correspondence in Series I.A. reflects Summer Brenner's original physical housing, which included letterboxes filled annually. Though most of her letterboxes were commercial stationer's products, several of Brenner's letterboxes are covered in collages. Individual correspondents, whom Brenner grouped by name within each annual letterbox with rubber bands and ties, are maintained in folders within the respective years. In addition to documenting Brenner's youthful travels, her rich personal network of friends, and creative projects, this series captures the material history of written communication in the later half of the 20th century and early 21st century. Formal letters to agents, magazines, and publishing house editors are intermingled with artistically decorated and hand-crafted letters, post cards, holiday and greeting cards, and e-mails . Over hundreds of letters, Brenner exchanged personal matters, drafts, and literary advice with members from a small circle of writers and artists who included Laura Chester, Gloria Frym, Margaret Edwards, Helène Aylon, Barry Gifford, Stephen Rodefer, Robert Fichter, Bill Pearlman, Moe Slotin, Geoff Young, Aline and Robert Crumb, and Andrei Codrescu. The collection includes over 400 letters and postcards from the poet Laura Chester to Brenner, as well as drafts and clippings from Chester, Gifford, Frym, and Edwards.
Series two of the collection includes personal records, such as desk and wall calendars that help reconstruct Brenner's activities, and several photographs of Brenner. The calendars are heavily annotated, which offers an overview of Brenner's daily activities, social events, and writing-related occasions. Wall calendars include the years 1975-1979, 1981-1985, 1987, 1993, 1996-1998, and desk calendars include the years 1997-2005.
Series three of the collection includes twenty-eight creative journals and personal diaries that spanned the years 1966 to 1992 with dates bulking between 1970 and 1979. The journal contents range from personal reflections, annotated dreams, and travel sketches to outlines and foul papers of writing projects, poems, clippings, and letters. The wide geographical range of Brenner's life and travel is reflected in the journals to include locations such as Paris, California, and Japan.
Series four contains manuscripts and typescripts of both published and unpublished materials. Brenner frequently labeled her drafts, which allows for a distinct view of her process from first draft to corrected and uncorrected galley proofs, which are also found in this series. Draft titles or working titles of Brenner's novels are
In series four, other subseries include Brenner's drafts of children's books and children's poetry; student responses to her book
Series five includes publication correspondence and promotional materials, which offers a comprehensive view of Brenner's interaction with the business side of writing. Among Brenner's correspondents were agents, magazine editors, and both small press and publishing house editors. Correspondents also included editors of anthologies who wrote to request contributions from Brenner. Letters of request include anthologies such as Laura Chester's
Series six contains fifty-two periodicals, small journals, and little magazines where Brenner's short fiction and poetry has appeared. In collaboration with individuals from an extended creative circle, Brenner not only contributed works but helped edit some of these self-published collections. The many notable periodicals where Brenner's work has appeared include
Series seven includes materials beyond Brenner's writing career, as she worked as an activist through the human rights organization, Amnesty International. The world-wide movement's main cause was to campaign for internationally recognized human rights by mobilizing public pressure surrounding governments that continued to commit crimes against humanity. As a member of this organization, Brenner wrote articles and organized poetry readings to raise awareness, publicly demonstrated against the death penalty, protested the execution of reformed Crips founder, Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and, on behalf of various "prisoners of conscience," appealed to numerous dignitaries of foreign countries to respect these prisoners' basic human rights. Articles and clippings related to Brenner's attempt to raise awareness are included in series seven. Also included are printed email correspondence that she had shared with members from Amnesty International as well as copies of letters she had written to foreign dignitaries.
Several items were removed from the collection to be cataloged separately. These materials can be located in the library's public access catalog, Delcat. Titles include:
Summer Brenner was a lifelong keeper of personal correspondence. The organization of this series, and Series I.A. in particular, reflects Summer Brenner’s original physical housing, which included letterboxes filled annually. Individual correspondents, whom Brenner grouped by name within each annual letterbox with rubber bands and ties, are maintained in folders within the respective years. In addition to documenting Brenner's youthful travels, her rich personal network of friends, and creative projects, this series captures the material history of written communication in the later half of the 20th century and early 21st century. Formal letters to agents, magazines, and publishing house editors are intermingled with artistically decorated and hand-crafted letters, post cards, holiday and greeting cards, and e-mails .
Letters from mother, Rita Brenner, to Summer, who was away at college in Massachusetts.
Includes a collage box and an ornately decorated box, both of which were Brenner's original housing for letters
This collection preserves one of the many letterboxes Brenner used as original housing. Also included is alternate letter housing, which was a collage box with pasted images.
The calendars offer an overview of Brenner's daily activities, social events, and writing-related occasions. Wall calendars include 1975-1979, 1981-1985, 1987, 1993, 1996-1998. Desk calendars include the years 1997-2005.
Photographs include Brenner's passports circa 1968, a poetry reading at Berkeley circa 1978, a visit to a middle school as the author of
Includes letters, family history, and financial information.
Journals contain personal reflections, travel sketches, annotated dreams, outlines and foul papers of writing projects, poems, clippings, and, letters.
Collection contains manuscripts of novels across multiple stages of the writing process, from first drafts to corrected and uncorrected galley proofs.
.
Both drafts printed from a floppy disk in Brenner's collection.
Includes drafts of children's books and students' written and artistic responses to
Spiral bound children's story handwritten on hand crafted pictures made of construction paper.
Includes a draft and a notebook.
Collection includes
Clean draft of epistolary collection.
Student drawings in response to
Poetry slam thank you poster and large student drawings removed to oversize.
Includes both published and unpublished articles, essays, and poems.
Drafts of poems include "For Amy," "Shadowland," "K-Cane," "Desesperanza," "No Mean Feet," "Back to Bellagio: Swimming in Northern Italy," and "Salmon, Idaho," and three drafts of a poem written on loose notebook paper. Other materials include Laura Chester's notes on Brenner's
Materials include letters and email print-offs related to the recording. A printing of the CD cover is also included.
Articles include: "Dance,"Work Sickness in the Health Factory," which was published in
Essay titles include: "What is a Liberal," "How Do Our Bombs Get to be his Fault?", "A Victorian Afternoon," "The Norman Invasion," "How Did Life Get to be so Cheap?", "The Lesson of Viet-Nam," "Work Sickness at the Health Factory," which was published in the magazine,
Essay titles include: "Educational Corner," "Reflex," "Printworks," and "Software Needs for the Legal Profession," co-authored by Brenner and Bill Scheffel.
Includes stories and articles written by Laura Chester, Margaret Edwards, Gloria Fyrm, and Elizabeth Hall
Includes sketches of different cultural dances and articles explaining the significance of dance across cultures.
Includes drafts, notes, and materials on the subject of dance.
Includes drafts and letters from a variety of contributors.
Includes correspondence with publishers and editors regarding the publication of
Includes a letter and a teaching binder for children's dance and poetry summer workshop.
Book includes course offerings for adult education in Berkshire County.
Includes correspondence leading up to a writing lecture in Japan that featured Summer Brenner and Gloria Frym. Also includes a list of event participants and two art pieces.
Includes correspondence with various agents on the subject of representing Brenner's novels to publishing houses or placing Brenner's short work in their respective magazines. Letters from editors often pertain to publication and promotion matters.
Includes correspondence concerning readings, local radio and television appearances, and the publication of
Includes correspondence with the Marketing, Promotion, and Sales Director of the Coffee House Press concerning the publication of
Promotional materials include a chronological listing of readings, flyers announcing readings, broadsides, contracts for readings and performances, brochures, book jackets, correspondence with other writers, such as Gloria Frym and Margaret Edwards, and invitation cards for the book release of
Materials cover the production and promotional phases of Ivy, including correspondence with the book’s illustrator, Marilyn Bogerd. Bogerd’s drafts and sketches of scenes and the book’s cover art are included. Other materials regarding
Includes promotional cards for poetry reading, entitled, "Beat Night at the Parkway Speakeasy."
First issue of poems and drawings by women from Abuquerque.
Other contributors Bill Pearlman and Stephen Rodefer.
Other contributors include Andrei Codrescu, Laura Chester, Bill Pearlman, Stephen Rodefer, and Larry Goodell.
Third issue of poems and drawings by women from Abuquerque.
Issue Includes works from Larry Eigner, Bill Pearlman, Stephen Rodefer, and Larry Goodell.
This literary magazine, edited by Laura Chester and Geoffrey Young, includes the work of Tom Clark, Stephen Rodefer, Laura Chester, and Bill Pearlman.
This counter-cultural literary magazine, edited by Charlie Walsh and Charlie Vermont, contains the work of Andrei Codrescu, Laura Chester, Geoff Young, Larry Goodell, and Bill Pearlman.
Fourth issue of poems and drawings by women from Abuquerque. Issue includes poems from Laura Chester and Gloria Frym.
This reader contains articles, graphics, poetry, and letters that explore the psychiatric system in the United States.
This literary magazine, edited by Laura Chester and Geoffrey Young, includes the work of Tom Clark, Stephen Rodefer, Laura Chester, and Bill Pearlman.
This literary magazine, edited by Laura Chester and Geoffrey Young, includes the work of Tom Clark, Stephen Rodefer, Gloria Frym, Laura Chester, and Bill Pearlman.
Magazine collection of poems published in San Francisco.
Literary magazine also contains Bob Perelman's "God."
This literary magazine publishes the work of contemporary poets.
This literary magazine was published by Foothill Community College.
Magazine contains articles concerning social and political current events.
The issue of this literary journal is dedicated to women's prose writing.
Newspaper published annually in Pittsfield, MA, with a circulation of 5, 000. Contents include artistic sketches and writing.
Includes to copies of this dance education journal published by American Dance Guild Inc. Journal includes Brenner's fiction piece, "The Ballet Dancer."
This literary magazine publishes the work of contemporary poets.
A magazine concerning technological and social issue.
The premiere issue of this west coast literary and artistic quarterly, published by Howard Junker, included contributions from Barry Gifford, Stephen Rodefer, and Tom Clark.
Periodical described as "a journal of modern times in the Bay Area."
Issue also includes work contributed by Laura Chester.
Includes the magazine cover and photocopies of Brenner's article.
This "Journal of Erotic Arts," includes prose, poetry, and art.
This "Journal of Erotic Arts," includes prose, poetry, and art.
This literary journal was edited by Pat Smith.
A journal of poetry and fiction published by Thumbscrew Press.
Magazine is described as "Dancing with different populations."
Magazine contains articles concerning social and political current events.
This little magazine printed only 50 copies and includes 6 annual installments.
A journal of poetry and fiction published by Thumbscrew Press.
Includes two copies of this literary and counter-culture magazine.
A magazine of literary fiction published by Turtle Press.
Includes two copies of a magazine of literary fiction published by Turtle Press.
Summer Brenner's photograph appears on the cover of this independently published collection of poetry and prose.
Includes four copies of this magazine. Other contributors include Barry Gifford and Gloria Frym.
Includes two copies of a magazine of literary fiction published by Turtle Press. Also includes a letter to Brenner from editor, Les Smith.
Summer Brenner's photograph appears on the cover of this independently published collection of poetry and prose.
Includes four copies of this magazine.
This collection of prose and poetry, compiled and distributed by Owen Hill, also includes contributions from Tom Clarke and Andrei Codrescu.
A Berkeley culture and arts periodical.
This poetry collection includes the work of attendants from the substance abuse treatment program, Ujima Women in Recovery. In conjunction with the program, Brenner offered workshops for the women and provided the introduction to this book.
This chapbook is compiled by Utahna Faith and published by Wild Berries Press.
This chapbook is compiled by Utahna Faith and published by Wild Berries Press.
This chapbook is compiled by Utahna Faith and published by Wild Berries Press.
This student journal of art and writing was overseen by Summer Brenner.
This literary journal was edited by Dave Brinks and published in New Orleans Other contributors include Andrei Codrescu.
This student journal of art and writing was overseen by Summer Brenner.
This literary journal was edited by Dave Brinks and published in New Orleans Other contributors include Andrei Codrescu.
Magazine contains articles concerning social and political current events.
Includes posters of poems, oversize letters, birthday cards, a get well card from Aline and Robert Crumb, artistic drawings, and newspaper clippings.
Includes reviews and promotional materials, human rights and activist materials, and
Includes three issues of
Includes
Includes letters, a poster printed with Laura Chester's poem, student drawings in response to
Includes both desk and wall calendars, promotional posters, and student drawings in responses to
Includes material related to Brenner's work with Amnesty International, human rights interests, and other social causes. Bulk of material includes letters to foreign dignitaries requesting the pardon of political figures. Also included are correspondence with Kay Boyle and Brenner’s poetry readings and other Amnesty International events, which served to raise awareness and support.
Includes correspondence, events, and clippings regarding the impending death sentence of founding Crips gang leader, Stanley Williams.
Clippings concern Summer Brenner or current events.