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Mad River Anthology Collection - Finding Aid
Collection Number
2018.05
Contact Information
The University Library, Special Collections
Cal Poly Humboldt
One Harpst Street
Arcata, California 95521
Processed By
Carly Marino, Drew Ahlberg, and Hannah Evans
Date Collection Processed
2018 - 2024
Language
English
Collection Creator
Stephen Patrick Miller (1949-2015)
Biography
Stephen Miller was born on February 24, 1949 in San Diego. After high school he served as a grunt in the Vietnam War. In 1978 Miller made his way to Arcata and attended Humboldt State University. Following his time in Vietnam, he experienced what we now know as PTSD, as well as other after effects from being involved in a dousing of 2-4D in Operation Ranch Hand. His time at war combined with his previous study of journalism led him to turn his experiences into poems.
Stephern Miller was the host of Mad River Anthology on KHSU for a number of years, and recorded and broadcast many local and visiting poets on his half-hour weekly show. Stephen also hosted the Jambalaya reading series and was a poetry editor for Northcoast View. He had many poetry readings in numerous venues, some of which he helped to create.
An Act of God: Memories of Vietnam was published in 1982 and then again in 1987.
In 1994, he published a second chapbook, a narrative poem of his time in the southwestern desert. Inside the Boar’s Circle described the war as it continued at home, which he re-lived to his last days.
Stephen Miller’s work has appeared in Toyon, American Mosaic, Orbis, Journal of American Culture, and Northcoast View. He left behind numerous other poems, stories and essays. He had compiled an extensive collection of archived material including videos of local readings and radio shows.
- excerpts from Stephen Patrick Miller's obituary.
Dates Covered by Collection
Exact dates largely unknown, scope covers 1980s-1990s
Size of Collection
100 total interviews, readings and lectures
Access
Available online. See container list for links to content.
Copyright
Copyright status unknown. This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Cal Poly Humboldt attempted to find rights owners without success but is eager to hear from them so that we may obtain permission, if needed. Upon request to archives@humboldt.edu, digitized works can be removed from public view if there are rights issues that need to be resolved.
Acquisition Information
Donated to Special Collections by Vincent Peloso in 2018 and 2022.
Scope and Content of the Collection
This collection was digitized through California Revealed over the course of several years. The original recordings were on ¼ inch audio tapes with sparse information written on the covers. All information was gathered from the container information and the recordings themselves.
Stephen Miller dedicated many years to compiling these recordings of lectures, speeches and readings from his radio show and his reading series at the Jambalaya Club. Miller was the host of The Mad River Anthology, a weekly radio program on KHSU for many years. The radio program recorded and broadcast many local and visiting poets. Miller also worked at the Jambalaya Club as a doorman, janitor and was overall a lively force that helped keep the institution alive for many years. The Club was an integral part of the counterculture and intellectual scene in Humboldt County from the 1970s through the 1990s, featuring something every night of the week from poetry readings to jazz to dance bands.
Due to many of the dates being unknown and the broad scope of topics covered, titles are listed alphabetically. The majority of titles are the names of those who were recorded.
Container List
Barry Tolken: Intro, Cheek Story
Barry Tolken/Women Storytellers/Judith Minty, Counting the Losses
Quotes and poems about death and aspects of womanhood. Local author Judith Minty wrote the book, Counting the Losses.
Bill Kowinski
Intro about the song “White Christmas” and talking about the concept of a white Christmas. Bill Kowinski is author of The Malling of America and many articles for periodicals including the New York Times, Rolling Stone and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has lived in Arcata since 1996.
Bruce Joe Chester, Interview #2
Bruce Joe Chester, prison poetry Canada
Carolyn Forche/Chamber Readers
Carolyn Kizer Reading and Lecture
Carolyn Wright Lecture
Wright discusses political poetry, cliches, and how to successfully write political poetry through the realities of a person’s own life. She discusses the “yuppie poet phenomenon” and “Milton scholars” in English departments. She discusses the attention around creative thought versus acquiring a database of memorization of poetry.
Cid Cindering, Lecture and Reading
Dan Gerber, Richard (Dick) Day Lecture/ Buzz, Other side Backwards night reading
Diane Wakowski, End of Music Reading
Diane Wakowski, Image is Narrative Lecture, Rings of Saturn
Diane Wakowski, Lecture, New American Poetry
Diane Wakowski, Lecture and Piano Lessons
Emily Jones on Mad River Anthology with Patsy Givens and Laurie Simmons
Ernest Gaines, Workshop/ Ernest Gaines/ Jane Pittman Lecture/ Ernest Gaines, A Gathering of Old Men
Etheridge Knight, Live Reading
Grace Paley, Dick Day and Herbert Gold discussion
Grace Paley Writers Workshop Part I
Houston Smith, Reading and Lecture
Kenneth Patchen in Canada, Jazz Poetry
Jack Drisco Lecture and Reading
James Welch, Lecture and Reading
Jane Hirschfield, Lecture, Night Reading, Lullaby
Jerry Martien at the Jambalaya
Jerry Martien at KHSU, The Sky Over Taylor Peak
Jerry Martien, Work Poems
Author and poet Jerry Martien shares his collection titled “Work Poems”. Some of these include themes of being a carpenter, poet, and trying to make a living and find balance in both.
John Ross
John Ross reads a collection of poems in addition to reflecting on his time as a reporter and journalist. His poems honor a Trinidad resident, and criticize political institutions.
John Ross, Scott Momaday, Jazz Poems
John Ross/ Steve Miller, Unlawful Search and Seizure
John Ross/Jerry Martien, Live at the Jambalaya
John Ross, Whose Bones and Border/Mexico
Jorie Graham/ William Stafford Interview
Jorie Graham interviews author William Stafford. Stafford talks about the concept of failure when approaching art, curiosity, and the relationship between teaching and writing.
Judith Minty into Richard (Dick) Day/ Toby Jack, Killing the Bear
Kid Talk Fairy Tales
Show Kid Talk, hosted by Claire Burger from the Chicago Library. Discussed by the guest speaker is the potential harm of fairy tales and also discusses sexist/non-sexist literature.
Larry Kramer
Kramer reads works about Iowa, ex-girlfriends, and kinship. Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist.
Laurie Simmons, Michael Kagen, Alison Lima
Leonard Cirino
Autobiographical poems, reads pieces from his collection On Stones. Leonard Cirino has published dozens of books and chapbooks, and his poems appear in numerous magazines and journals.
Luis Chabolla, Mad River Anthology
Mad River Anthology
Mini-series about the writing and comments about Bruce Chester, a poet imprisoned in Kent Penitentiary, where he elaborates on his novel Paper Radio and his unpublished works at the time, Aztalan and Figures of Jade. Themes include realities of British Columbia, social issues, Native Issues, and prison justice. He also talks about the process of getting his work published while in prison.
Mad River Anthology, Kids in School
Teachers read a variety of poems written by their students of various ages, covering a variety of topics.
Maya Angelou, part I/Barry Tolken
Angelou starts out with an introduction of her reciting “Her Brown Body is Glory” and opens up for a discussion of reflection and how we see ourselves.
Maxine Hong Kingston, Woman Warrior and Tobby Laure
Michael Dennis Brown Reading
Author Michael Dennis Brown shares a variety of poems from different areas of his life. He shares poems of his time living in England, acknowledging life in times of grief, and about him and his wife.
Morry Herman
Poet Morry Herman reads about manhood, human life, and nature.
Mrs. McCants/Katherine Sausa
Former students Kathleen McCants and Katherine Sausa discuss their writing.
Mutahar Williams: Centering School
Exploring ways to encourage poetry writing within groups of elementary school kids in the centering school, which is more natural to children than they thought. It shows how children are able to transcribe their feelings into colors and images. Includes techniques used to help children create the poems, and children reading their own poetry. Older students then work with younger students to create poems.
M. Scott Momaday, Hoopa at Humboldt State University, Dick Day Mad River Anthology
M. Scott Momaday, Students at Humboldt State University, Richard (Dick) Day
Nancy Ryan
Hosted by Stephen Miller, author Nancy Ryan reads some of her poetry. She starts with the first of three poems, for Danielle Zunbrin, in honor of her death on March 16, 1988 in Redwood Park. Poem follows the thought process making her way home in Manhattan after making the wrong stop, and then the mourning of Danielle with the questioning of the safety of the redwoods and nature. She wrote a second poem in honor of Eddie Hilisom as an elegy for her, also inspired by her book (14:30). She then recites a poem that she wrote for her daughter, Amber, and the one for her cat.
Nina Wolff
Nina Wolff is an artist and author. During the 1980s her paintings became a part of the East Village and Soho art scene.
Olga Loya
Poet Olga Loya reads a variety of pieces focused around being a storyteller. Among these include topics such as comparing/contrasting poetry and storytelling, childhood, the magic of storytelling, kinds of grief/mourning, and other topics.
Patsy Givens
Poet Patsy Givens reads a variety of her poetry about nature, people’s relationships, and other topics.
Porter Chaffe, At Home/Naomi Steinberg
A collection of poetry under various themes such as _____. Rabbi Naomi Steinberg has been associated with Temple Beth El in Humboldt County for nearly 30 years. He discusses the Beatnik scene in the SF Bay Area and specific Communist poets.
Robert Peterson
Poet Robert Peterson reads a variety of poems including found poems inspired by various technical manuals and forms.
Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Susan Griffin Lecture and Reading
Teelyn Mauney/Laurie Simmons, Live at Jambalaya
Two students, Teelyn Mauney and Laurie Simmons, read their work at a Mad River Poetry Slam. Laurey Simmons writes poems about her memories living on O’ahu, and also about her indecision in her life. Teelyn Mauney writes about her trauma and healing, and how it caused her to be separated from most of her family.
Tess Galliger, Reading at Humboldt State University
William Pitt Root at Humboldt State University
Related Works
Cal Poly Humboldt Archives Pamphlet Collection, “Department- English” (1985-1999)
Subject Headings
American literature -- California -- Arcata
Oral interpretation of poetry
Poetry, Modern -- 20th century