Adrienne Rich: Teaching at CUNY, 1968-1974, Parts I & II

by Adrienne Rich
Contributors: Iemanjá BrownStefania Heimerica kaufmanKristin MoriahConor Tomás ReedTalia ShalevWendy TronrudAmmiel Alcalay

In this collective effort, a team of Lost & Found editors explore Adrienne Rich’s teaching materials from her formative years during the turbulent and exhilarating student strike for Open Admissions in the late 1960s at the City University of New York. Drawing on memos, notes, course syllabi, and class exercises, this collection provides insight into Rich’s dedication, passion, and empathy as a teacher completely dedicated to her students as they take a leading role in reshaping access to public higher education. Rich’s characteristic public generosity and courage can be seen, for the first time, in an institutional setting through these materials. Accompanied by essays that contextualize both the pedagogy and the politics, this collection truly breaks new ground in presenting lesser-known aspects of a major poet’s work.

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Adrienne Rich in 1971, smiling
Learn more about Lost & Found: The CUNY Poetics Initiative

Adrienne Rich in 1971. Image courtesy of the Kenyon College Special Collections and Archives, Gambier, Ohio.

Adrienne Rich: Teaching at CUNY 1968-1974, Parts I & II

The Lost and Found series includes critical essays written by editors alongside archival texts.

Part I

  • “What We Are Part Of“: Teaching at CUNY, 1968–1974, Part I

    In this two-volume collection, Adrienne Rich‘s memos, teaching notes, course syllabi, and class exercises are presented alongside critical essays from the series editors. Part I includes an introduction from erica kaufman that situates Rich‘s archival material as part of a revolution in writing instruction that took shape within City College‘s legendary SEEK Program, led by Mina Shaughnessy, and explores the relationship between the work of poets and writers and the teaching of writing.

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Part II

  • “What We Are Part Of“: Teaching at CUNY, 1968–1974, Part II

    In this two-volume collection, Adrienne Rich‘s memos, teaching notes, course syllabi, and class exercises are presented alongside critical essays from the series editors. Part II includes essays from Talia Shalev and Conor Tomás Reed that situate Rich‘s archival material within City College‘s legendary SEEK Program and broader social movements of the period.

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Part I: Contents

Part II: Contents

Author Biography:

ADRIENNE RICH (1929-2012) was one of the most celebrated poets of her time. She began teaching at City College in 1968, at the height of the nationwide social protest movements. While her stature as a poet and prominent feminist are well established, her absolute dedication to the teaching of Basic Writing has not been fully explored. Her firm belief in the power of writing pedagogy as a political tool was a conviction developed and honed during her years at City College, and something she remained committed to throughout her career.

Selected Archives:

Production Credits:

The digital edition of this text was prepared by Dasharah Green (Ph.D. Program in English, CUNY Graduate Center) and Roxanne Shirazi (CUNY Digital History Archive), and was supported by open educational resources funding from the Office of Library Services, The City University of New York.

Metadata

  • publisher
    The Center for the Humanities, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
  • publisher place
    New York, NY
  • restrictions
    Request for permission to reprint any archival materials must be made directly to the Adrienne Rich Literary Estate.
  • rights
    Copyright © 2013 The Adrienne Rich Literary Estate (archival reproductions) and The Center for the Humanities (critical essays).
  • series number
    Series IV (Winter, 2013), no. 3
  • series title
    Lost & Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative