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Mount Vernon, New York 10553
February 17, 1971
Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks Blakely
7428 South Evans Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60619
Dear Gwendolyn:
Since my author's copies of PANTHER MAN arrived yesterday
afternoon while I was at CCNY, I've spent much of this day--a
day off for me--sending copies to people who have been expect—
ine them. Along with the one that I'm sending to you comes
this wish that your various projects are moving along smoothly.
The current number of BLACK WORLD mentions your JUMP BAD, a
title that reminds me of my eighteen months in a CCC camp in
Kansas, a f e w years ago, when I was first thrown among large
numbers of strangers who would "jump bad" for the slightest
of reasons. I look forward, too, to seeing your A BROADSIDE
TREASURY. Just the other day I suggested to Therman B. O'Daniel
that he edit a "treasury" gleaned from Black critics' essays
on Black writers as found in his journal over the years.
I thought of your remarks last July when Ted Gross men—
tioned recently the possibility of getting you to take on sev—
eral students a couple of days a week in our creative writing
program developing at CCNY. In fact, mentioned your probable
reluctance to him. But there are good aspects, especially for
a writer of your eminence. Probably if you could make it clear that
your main concern was saving time for working on projects of
importance to you and to Black readers (which is my own case),
you could hold your on—campus duties to a few hours per week.
Your presence there, even for so short a time, would give a
large boost to the thrust of our Open Admissions program, which
may affect similar movements throughout America. And, should
you risk coming to marvelous New York City weekly, my wife and
I would be glad to provide you [*free, of course*]
with a hide—away room" in our
house whenever you need it, where you could work without being
disturbed by any living creature. Since Jimmy is away at Brown
University, it is very quiet around here (for his first—semester
grades be received A in history, B in French, "satisfactory"
[vs. "no credit" possibility] in anthropology, and "incomplete"--
which he disputes--in Black literature, a class in which he says
the teacher failed gave incompletes to [*left as it was*]
almost a third of the class).
Must write Don soon; It m sure he's hard at work on DYNAMITE
voices, book two. I might do some prose for his press.
Cordially ,
Encl: PM
[signature - Jim Emanuel]](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/4/4/0/440e9e2e-7398-42ca-b4cd-987e36118f10/attachment/989f657fd3dc2c850a5eab5ec259f5e0.jpg)
![405 Nuber Avenue
Mount Vernon, New York 10553
February 17, 1971
Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks Blakely
7428 South Evans Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60619
Dear Gwendolyn:
Since my author's copies of PANTHER MAN arrived yesterday
afternoon while I was at CCNY, I've spent much of this day--a
day off for me--sending copies to people who have been expect—
ine them. Along with the one that I'm sending to you comes
this wish that your various projects are moving along smoothly.
The current number of BLACK WORLD mentions your JUMP BAD, a
title that reminds me of my eighteen months in a CCC camp in
Kansas, a f e w years ago, when I was first thrown among large
numbers of strangers who would "jump bad" for the slightest
of reasons. I look forward, too, to seeing your A BROADSIDE
TREASURY. Just the other day I suggested to Therman B. O'Daniel
that he edit a "treasury" gleaned from Black critics' essays
on Black writers as found in his journal over the years.
I thought of your remarks last July when Ted Gross men—
tioned recently the possibility of getting you to take on sev—
eral students a couple of days a week in our creative writing
program developing at CCNY. In fact, mentioned your probable
reluctance to him. But there are good aspects, especially for
a writer of your eminence. Probably if you could make it clear that
your main concern was saving time for working on projects of
importance to you and to Black readers (which is my own case),
you could hold your on—campus duties to a few hours per week.
Your presence there, even for so short a time, would give a
large boost to the thrust of our Open Admissions program, which
may affect similar movements throughout America. And, should
you risk coming to marvelous New York City weekly, my wife and
I would be glad to provide you [*free, of course*]
with a hide—away room" in our
house whenever you need it, where you could work without being
disturbed by any living creature. Since Jimmy is away at Brown
University, it is very quiet around here (for his first—semester
grades be received A in history, B in French, "satisfactory"
[vs. "no credit" possibility] in anthropology, and "incomplete"--
which he disputes--in Black literature, a class in which he says
the teacher failed gave incompletes to [*left as it was*]
almost a third of the class).
Must write Don soon; It m sure he's hard at work on DYNAMITE
voices, book two. I might do some prose for his press.
Cordially ,
Encl: PM
[signature - Jim Emanuel]](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/4/4/0/440e9e2e-7398-42ca-b4cd-987e36118f10/attachment/medium-f47660139402be12cd02391bb200d292.jpg)
Letter to Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks
Full description
Typed letter from James Emanuel to Gwendolyn Brooks, dated February 17, 1971, where he asks her to lead writing workshops at CCNY (City College of New York).
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- typeImage
- created on
- file formatjpg
- file size21 MB
- container titleJames A. Emanuel Papers
- creatorJames A. Emanuel
- issueBox 1 Folder 12
- rightsJames A. Emanuel Estate
- rights holderJames A. Emanuel Estate
- version17-Feb-71