wainioken Inventory of the Ken Wainio Papers, 1970-1999 Processed by: Meghan Lyon; machine-readable finding aid created by: Meghan Lyon David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, N.C., USA

(C) 2011 Duke University. All Rights Reserved.

Aleph Number: 004672623

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: February 2011Processed by Meghan Lyon, February 2011; finding aid encoded by Meghan Lyon, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, February 2011 Description is in English Finding aid was prepared using DACS and local Style Guide Inventory of the Ken Wainio Papers, 1970-1999 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185 USA

(C) 2011 Duke University. All Rights Reserved.

 Descriptive Summary David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University Wainio, Ken. Ken Wainio Papers, 1970-1999 Material in English 9.4 Linear Feet 7050 Items For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Ken Wainio (1952-2006) was an American surrealist author and poet based in San Francisco, California. Collection includes manuscripts and drafts of many of Wainio's poems and writings, including his novel, Starfuck. Also includes his journals and diaries, published poetry and printed materials, some correspondence, snapshots, and other biographical information. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

 Copyright Notice

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Ken Wainio Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

 Provenance

The Ken Wainio Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2011.

Processing Information

Processed by Meghan Lyon, February 2011

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, February 2011

This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

 Biographical Note

Ken Wainio was born in Ukiah, California, about two hours north of San Francisco, in 1952. He began to write at age fifteen--having been influenced by the writings of the French poets Lautreamont, Rimbaud, and Nerval. He moved to San Francisco at the beginning of the 1970s to study at San Francisco State University with the Greek surrealist poet Nanos Valaoritis, and met the American surrealist poets Philip Lamantia and Stephen Schwartz. A couple of years later, in an informal "poetry class" being conducted in the home of Harold Norse, he met Thomas Rain Crowe, Neeli Cherkovski and Luke Breit--along with whom he would later help to resurrect Beatitude magazine. Wainio was co-editor of issue No. 26 which appeared in 1977. During the 1970s, his poems were regularly published in Bay area literary magazines. With Jerry Estrin, Wainio was a founding editor of the surrealist publication Vanishing Cab. After driving a taxicab for the entire decade of the 1980s, he moved to Glenhaven, California. His travels took him to Greece and Egypt, where he spent considerable time in the 1980s and 1990s. His poems and fiction were published both in America and abroad in such journals as Nexus, Asheville Poetry Review, Litterature en Marche and Gregas in Montpellier, France. His books included Crossroads of the Other (written in the 1970s and published in 1994), Letters to Al-Kemi, Starfuck (a novel published on computer disk in 1996) and Automatic Antiquity (a collection of poetry published in 2004). Wainio died on January 26, 2006.

Biographical note source: The Baby Beats & The 2nd San Francisco Renaissance. New Native Press, 2005.

 Collection Overview

The majority of the collection consists of drafts or manuscripts of Wainio's writings, which ranged from poetry to short stories to novels to plays. The condition of the drafts is fairly good, although many are incomplete or only excerpts of the text. There are many draft versions of Amorfos, Letters from Al-Kemi, and The Spiral Canyon, which was later published by New Native Press as Starfuck, Wainio's first novel. Small amounts of material exist for several poems, short stories, and plays.

The remainder of the Writings, Manuscripts, and Drafts series includes some of Wainio's published works, present in both broadside form as well as in journals or other serials. Of note are the several issues of Beatitude, edited by Wainio at one point, as well as two issues of Vanishing Cab, his own publication. Also in the series is a small amount of Wainio's artwork.

Another notable series is Wainio's Journals. There are over 30 present in the collection and they include diary entries, travel plans and notes, drafts of writings and poems, as well as sketches and artwork. They offer excellent insight into Wainio's thought process as an author, as well as his methods of writing.

The remainder of the collection contains correspondence, including a series of correspondence between Wainio and Thomas Rain Crowe; personal materials, including obituary information, some of Wainio's college papers, and other miscellaneous materials; and photographs, which are largely undated snapshots taken by Wainio during his travels through Greece and the United States.

 Subject Headings

These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.

Wainio, Ken, 1952-2006. Crowe, Thomas Rain. American poets--History and criticism. Surrealism--Authors. Surrealism--Poetry. Surrealism (Literature) Drafts (documents) Diaries. Poems. Related Material

Ken Wainio was a friend of Thomas Rain Crowe, whose papers are also held by Duke Univeristy.

 Contents of Collection Writings, Manuscripts, and Drafts, 1970s-2005 (4 boxes)

Includes handwritten and typescript drafts of Wainio's poetry, prose, and plays. The largest amount of material is from his work on Starfuck and Amorfos. Also includes a small amount of his artwork; published versions of his poetry and prose; as well as some works published by others.

 1The Spiral Canyon

The Sprial Canyon was renamed to Starfuck. It is a novel published by New Native Press.

 Outline Debris Draft No. 1, 1993(4 folders) First draft, undated(4 folders) Draft, 1996(3 folders) Draft, copy 2, 1996(3 folders) Draft, 1997(3 folders) Starfuck, 1997 California memoir manuscript, undated(2 folders) 2Amorfos Bits Outline Draft, 1987(3 folders) Drafts, 1987(2 folders) Drafts, undated(2 folders) Draft, undated(8 folders) Poetry Early poetry and other writings, undated Unfinished and first drafts, Summer 1976 Poems, undated Copies of poems, 1970s and undated(2 folders) Early poems, unfinished poems, and other writings(2 folders) 3Poetry, 1974-1978 and undated Poems, 1980s(2 folders) Copies of poems, undated Dead file (poetry), undated Poem originals, 1993 Egypt poems, undated(2 folders) Automatic Antiquity (poem), undated Essays and poems, 1990s Miscellaneous drafts and manuscripts, undated Old stuff, undated(2 folders) Voyeur One, undated Sasquatch, undated Maldorer--Adaptation of Comte de Lauremont's Les Chants de Maldorer, 1974 Two Children Menanced by a Nightingale (play), undated Short stories Stories, 1999 Close Quarters, undated Public Enema, undated Vancouver to Paris, undated Vancouver to Athens, undated Eyes of the Night, undated Free Milk, undated Hawk Eggs, 1987 and 2001(2 folders) Jacking Off, 1987 The Loon, undated Hoop Snakes, 1987(2 folders) Crossroads of the Other (poem), undated (2 folders) Fountain of Wolves, 1990s(2 folders) Child of the Sun (book in progress) Letters from a Future Ancestor, undated Scene of the Crime, 2005 Apocalypse Rave: A Coda, 2002(2 folders) Book in Progress, 1980 Rock Bottom (play), undated Necropolis, undated Slab Window, undated Camaroon, undated Inn of Dreams, undated The Island Where Homer Died, undated Pink Olympics, undated The Ugliest Woman in the World, undated 4Letters from Al-Kemi, undated Egypt Pages and print proofs Egypt paraphenalia Upper Egypt First drafts Cairo draft Published version, 1980-1981 Computer art by Wainio, undated Original artwork, 1978 and undated Posters and promotional materials Printed poetry, broadsides, 1977-1996 Beatitude issues 21-26, 31, 33, dated 1975-1985(2 folders) Crow issues 1-4, 6, dated 1985-1986 Vanishing Cab issues 1, 3, dated 1975 Published artwork, 2001 Published poetry Published prose The Baby Beats and 2nd San Francisco Renaissance, 2004-2005 Printed works by others(3 folders) 1Oversize poetry and draft Journals, 1970s-1990s (2 boxes)

Wainio's personal journals: bound volumes with his diaries, drafts, and artwork.

5Journals 6Journals Correspondence, 1970s-2006 and undated (1 box)

Majority of the correspondence consists of letters from Thomas Rain Crowe. Also includes miscellaneous incoming correspondence dating from the 1970s to the 1990s, as well as correspondence between Crowe and Wainio's friends and family following his death in 2006.

 6Incoming correspondence from Thomas Rain Crowe, 1970s-1990s(4 folders) Emails, 2004-2005(3 folders) Incoming correspondence, miscellaneous, 1970s-1990s(2 folders) Outgoing correspondence from Cairo, 1979 Copies of outgoing correspondence, 2000 and undated Correspondence regarding Wainio's death, 2006 Personal Materials and Miscellany, 1973-2006 (1 box)

Includes obituary information, Wainio's numerology chart, some college papers, a statement on poetries, and other miscellaneous materials.

 6Biographical information and obituary materials, 2006 Surrealism history essay by Steve Schwart, undated Publishing history College papers, 1973 and undated Letters of recommendation Statement on poetries Numerology chart Portraits of Wainio Photographs, undated (1 box)

Color snapshots of Wainio or by Wainio, including portraits, scenery from various vacations and travels, and pictures of his friends and colleagues. Most are unlabelled and undated.

 7Photographs