Ruth Stone papers

Content Description

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Ruth Stone, a Virginian-born American poet and teacher. The papers include personal and professional correspondence, early writings, notebooks and journals, manuscripts, drafts, galleys, unpublished writings, student papers, clippings, programs, announcements, contracts, curricula vitae, endorsements, review requests, memorabilia, ephemera, floppy disks, CDs, zip disks, and audiocassettes documenting the work and life of Ruth Stone. General groupings of material are as follows; although, some boxes are currently quite mixed and may be in multiple groupings: Ruth Stone Works (c. 1924-2010) includes manuscripts, drafts, galleys, notebooks, journals, and notes of the published work of the poetry of Ruth Stone which can be found in boxes 14, 21, 28, 30, 36,40, 46, 57, 63, 67. In addition, there are early, childhood works (box 68) as well as notebooks and journals from 1958 to 2007 (boxes 16, 22, and 56). Potentially unpublished writings can be found in boxes 31, 32, 34, and 58. Other People’s Work (c. 1968-2007) includes manuscripts of poetry from colleagues, theses, and student work given to Ruth Stone to review. These materials can be found in boxes 4, 13, 43, 45, and 66. Correspondence (c. 1940-2010) includes a variety of personal and professional correspondence sent both to and from Ruth Stone. A significant body of letters documents the relationship of Ruth and Walter Stone from 1940 to 1945 (Boxes 2, 22, 23, 35, and 59). Letters are both from Ruth and Walter Stone to each other documenting their blossoming relationship as well as Walter’s experience in World War II. Notable letters and correspondence from other writers including Robert Bly, Adrienne Rich, Denise Levertov, Tilly Olsen, Donald Hall, Willis Barnstone, and Henry Popkin from 1970 to the 2000s can be found in box 55. A mix of personal and professional correspondence from 1950 to the early 2000s, some of which contain manuscripts of Stone and others as well as vitae and promotional materials, can be found in boxes 5, 11, 14, 15, 20, 25, 28, 29, 40, 41, 42, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, and 64. Professional Work (c. 1942-2007) includes clippings, some correspondence with publishers, promotional material, Stone’s vitae, teaching materials, and grade books. Ruth Stone maintained important clippings and professional letters in binders organized by date documenting the years from 1946 to 1978 which can be found in box 17. Additional clippings and promotional materials can be found in boxes 3, 10, 18, 60, and 70. For materials related to teaching see boxes 6, 38, 54, and 62. Boxes 5, 9, 33, 37, and 48 contain a mixture of promotional materials, vitae, correspondence, and other materials. Financial Records (c. 1950-2007) contains materials related to the financial life of Ruth Stone including checkbooks, check registers, bank books, bank statements, tax documents, pay slips, returned checks, account summaries, credit card statements, bills, receipts both professional and personal, and statements from publishing houses (boxes 7, 9, 12, 44, 65). These boxes are currently restricted. Born Digital Media (floppy disks, zip disks, etc.) and AV (audiocassettes and CDs) date from around 1980 to 2000s and can primarily be found in boxes 1, 5, 8, 24, 42, 43,49, 52, 61. The floppy disks contain works primarily related to her poetry, as well as vitae, correspondence, and the work of students, colleagues, and family members. In addition, there are backup disks, software, and additional programs. Most of the audiocassettes are non-commercially produced and appear to be a mix of readings from Ruth, other writers, and mixed musical tapes. Family Ephemera (c. 1967-1998) include photographs of friends and family and scrapbooks found in boxes 19 and 64. Miscellaneous ephemera like poems and stories written for Stone’s grandchildren, drawings, letters, and promotional materials of the Stone’s daughters and grandchildren can be found in box 51.

Acquisition Type

Purchase

Provenance

Purchased from Ruth Stone House, Inc, 25 February 2022.

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Access Restrictions

This collection is minimally processed and open for research. Conservation remediation is needed and the following boxes will be restricted until conservation treatment is complete: 5, 6,10,11,12,13,18,21,25,26,28,29,30,31,32,36,39,41,45,48, 60, 63, 64, 66, and 68. Due to privacy concerns in the financial materials boxes 7, 9, 12, 44, 65 are restricted until a review can be done. Original digital media (floppy disks, zip disks, thumb drives, born-digital files, etc.) and other media formats such as LPs, audiocassettes, videotapes, films, CDs, and DVDs cannot be handled directly by patrons. Appointments must be made in advance to request these items held by Special Collections. In most cases, materials must be reformatted before they can be accessed, sometimes at the researcher’s expense. Please use our online reference request form (https://small.library.virginia.edu/services/reference-request) to request access to these materials, or to ask for further information.