CloseImageViewView image “Letter to President Alice Chandler of CUNY”Letter to President Alice Chandler of CUNYUploaded September, 2024Tags listtagspresident alice chandleracademiafrance
![3, rue du Midi, B 129
31400 Toulouse
FRANCE
16 October 1979
President Alice Chandler
The City College of
The City University of New York
Convent Avenue at 138th Street
New York, New York 10031
Dear Alice,
Congratulations on your taking over as Acting Presi-
dent of CCNY. When I remember the moments of order and
clarity that you brought to our departmental meetings over
the years, I am sure that CCNY will profit from your stand
at the helm.
During my sabbatical year, 1978-1978, I had the unusual
experience of writing difficult poetry constantly, except
for breathing spells that I took by driving to Spain, Portugal,
Germany, etc. I spent six months writing in an attic flat in
London, then six months in a small apartment in Montparnasse
in Paris--in deliberate isolation. As a result, I have a
new volume of poetry coming out soon, entitled A Chisel in the
Dark.
As you probably know, the Ministry of Education in Paris
granted me a visiting professorship--as part of the "national
contingent," and serving at the University of Toulouse--for
1979-1980, renewable for a second year. The University here,
incidentally, is offering a one-semester course on my poetry,
using as a text The Toulouse Poems that I had published by
Lotus Press of Detroit last year. The American embassies in London and Paris are arranging reading tours for me already,
so all is well on the poetry front.
A university official here will be writing to you, by the
end of this month, he said, in an attempt to get your cooperat-
tion in securing a second year of leave without pay for me.
It seems that the University of Toulouse will be disadvantaged
in a few rather serious ways if I must leave at the end of
this academic year. As for me, I have strong reasons for pre-
ferrring to remain here a second year; so I shall appreciate
anything you can do to help.
In the meantime, good luck in your hard job, and I hope
that you will find both pleasure and pleasantries in these
autumn days.
Cordially,
[signature - Jim]
James A. Emanuel](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/d/2/8/d28f7177-77b2-442a-89ab-5f4f9d79aeae/attachment/a55c5d16d78112ba238ae78f53d36827.jpg)