Elizabeth Bartlett (20 July 1911 – 12 August 1994) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and writer noted for her lyrical and symbolic poetry, creation of the new twelve-tone form of poetry, founder of the international non-profit organization Literary Olympics, Inc., and known as an author of fiction, essays, reviews, translations, and as an editor.

Life

Bartlett, née Elizabeth Roberta Winters, was born in New York City. She was the daughter of Lewis Winters and his wife, Charlotte Field. A gifted child, Bartlett skipped a grade in elementary school, completed high school in three years, and, also in three years, her bachelor's degree from Teachers’ College, 1931, and subsequently carried out postgraduate study at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, 1938-40.''Who's Who in the West,'' 16th edition, 1978-79, p. 40.''The World's Who's Who of Women,'' 11th edition, 1992, and 13th edition, 1995.Biographical information from th
Elizabeth Bartlett Collection, Archive for New Poetry, Mandeville Department of Special Collections, University of California, San Diego
She then began a life devoted to writing and teaching. In 1941, she met writer and artist Paul Alexander Bartlett in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

; they were married in 1943 in Sayula, Mexico. Her husband was an accomplished artist and author of many published novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction works relating to the Mexican haciendas.Inventory of the Paul Alexander Bartlett papers, 1912-1993 held by the American Heritage Center of the University of Wyoming
This collection contains fine art by Paul Alexander Bartlett, consisting of his paintings in multiple media, drawings, and sketches, and 77 original pen-and-ink illustrations, as well as 1,271 prints and 799 negatives of photographs of the Mexican haciendas that are in addition to those included in th

; literary and publishing correspondence; personal records; notes; newspaper clippings; program and exhibit announcements; book reviews; original manuscripts; a complete collection of Paul Alexander Bartlett's published books, short stories, essays, poetry, and reviews; a collection of his publications in literary reviews, journals, and newspapers; and anthologies in which his work was published. Also included in the collection are original copies of a wide variety of as yet unpublished manuscripts (books, short stories, and poetry)
Online PDF inventory of this collection
They had one child,

Steven James Bartlett Steven James Bartlett (born 1945) is an American philosopher and psychologist notable for his studies in epistemology and the theory of reflexivity, and for his work on the psychology of human aggression and destructiveness, and the shortcoming ...

(b. 1945), later to become a widely published author in the fields of psychology and philosophy. For many years Elizabeth Bartlett lived in numerous areas of Mexico while she dedicated herself to poetry and her husband undertook a lifelong extensive art and photographic study of more than 350 haciendas throughout the country.Inventory of the Paul A. Bartlett Drawings and Photographs of Mexican Haciendas held by the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection of the University of Texas
. The collection includes Paul Alexander Bartlett's 294 original pen-and-ink illustrations of the haciendas of Mexico, 903 hacienda photographs, 279 negatives, and 69 slides.Finding aid for the Paul Alexander Bartlett Collection held by the Department of Special Collections of the Charles E. Young Research Library of the University of California in Los Angeles
Bartlett, Paul Alexander. ''The Haciendas of Mexico: An Artist's Record.'' Foreword by James Michener; Introduction by leading historian of the Mexican haciendas Gisela von Wobeser, trans. by Steven J. Bartlett. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1990. Illustrations and photographs reproduced in this book were selected from the collection

. Periodically they returned to the U.S. where Bartlett taught at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

(1947–49),

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

(1960–61), the

University of California at Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

(1961–64),

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

(1979–81), and the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...

(1981–82). She served as Director of the Creative Writers Association of the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...

(1955), as Consultant for Theatre Atlanta, as visiting poet at universities in Canada, California, Florida, and Texas, and as Poetry Editor for ''ETC: A Review of General Semantics and for Crosscurrents''. After purchasing a house in Comala, Mexico, her husband's health failed in 1976 and they settled in San Diego where Bartlett continued to work, give poetry readings, and teach until her death in 1994.

Contributions to poetry

Called "the Emily Dickinson of the 20th Century" by Chad Walsh, distinguished poet and writer, in ''The Saturday Review'',Walsh, Chad. "Cadence for Our Time," ''Saturday Review,'' Vol. 48, Jan. 2, 1965, pp. 28-30.Commendations from letters, pre-publication correspondence, and other records and documentation preserved in th
Elizabeth Bartlett Collection, Archive for New Poetry, Mandeville Department of Special Collections, University of California, San Diego
Elizabeth Bartlett's concise lyrics have been praised by

Allen Tate John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944. Life Early years Tate was born near Winchester, ...

, William Stafford, Ted Weiss,

Maxine Kumin Maxine Kumin (June 6, 1925 – February 6, 2014) was an American poet and author. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1981–1982. Biography Early years Maxine Kumin was born Maxine Winokur on June ...

Josephine Jacobsen Josephine Jacobsen (19 August 1908 – 9 July 2003) was a Canadian-born American poet, short story writer, essayist, and critic. She was appointed the twenty-first Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1971. In 1997, sh ...

, and Robert M. Hutchins, among others, and commended by musicians and composers. Bartlett is a widely recognized poet, the author of 16 published books of her own poetry and more than 1,000 individually published poems, as well as essays, short stories, collections of poetry edited by her, and poetry translations by her from other languages.Elizabeth Bartlett Collection held by Rare Books, Archives and Special Collections, University of Louisville
. She has gained international attention for her many publications, the creation of a new form of poetry, the twelve-tone poem, and as founder of the international non-profit organization, Literary Olympics, Inc., which has sought to reinstate the role of literature in the Olympic Games as originally conceived by the Greeks.

Bartlett's poetry

Bartlett's poetry is lyrical, disciplined in structure, expressing a heightened consciousness of word sounds and symbolism, and infused with "delicate nuance, a sort of reticent and abstracted reverie that could nevertheless, at its best, be extremely moving.... er poetrybucked the trend in modern literature toward the precise and realistic description of detail and the confessional flavor...."Webb, J. F.. "Bartlett's Poetic Legacy Will Be Felt for Decades to Come," ''The San Diego Union-Tribune,'' Sept. 6, 1994, p. E-3.

Twelve-tone poems

Bartlett created and developed the twelve-tone form of poetry, adapting

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

's musical system to the verbal, accented sounds of language. ''Twelve-Tone Poems'', her first book that introduced this form, was published in 1968.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Twelve-tone Poems.'' Santa Barbara, CA: Sun Press, 1968. In Bartlett's words: "The 12-tone poem is a new form.... It was inspired by Arnold Schoenberg's musical system. The poem consists of 12 lines, divided into couplets. Each couplet contains 12 syllables, using the natural cadence of speech. The accented sounds of the words are considered tones. Only 12 tones are used throughout the poem, repeated various times. As a result, the poem achieves a rare harmony that is purely lyrical, enriching its imagery and meaning."Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Around the Clock.'' Laurinburg, NC: St. Andrews Press, 1989, p. iv. About this work, Allen Tate wrote: "The new form is most interesting, the poems quite beautiful and distinguished." Encouraged by this and other commendatory responses to her twelve-tone poems by poets, musicians, and composers including

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

, Bartlett continued to develop the new form. ''The House of Sleep'', published in 1975, was the result, consisting of 68 poems related to dreams and written in the new form.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''The House of Sleep.'' Colima, Mexico: Autograph Editions, 1975. Of these poems, William Stafford wrote: "There is a trancelike progression in these poems, in which all unfolds quietly, with a steady holding of a certain pervasive tone."Commendation from book cover: Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''The House of Sleep.'' Colima, Mexico: Autograph Editions, 1975. Robert M. Hutchins wrote: "I am much impressed. The poems seem to me what is called an important contribution, and a beautiful one." A third collection of twelve-tone poems, ''In Search of Identity'', was published in 1977,Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''In Search of Identity.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1977. further establishing the diversity and versatility of ways in which Bartlett was able to make use of the new form. A fourth collection of twelve-tone poems was published in 1981, ''Memory Is No Stranger''.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Memory Is No Stranger.'' Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1981.

Literary Olympics

In her mission to bring the work of leading poets to public awareness, Bartlett founded the international non-profit organization, Literary Olympics, Inc. Like

Marianne Moore Marianne Craig Moore (November 15, 1887 – February 5, 1972) was an American modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. Early life Moore was born in Kirkwood ...

, "Bartlett ... asa member of that small group of men and women who, during this century, have furthered the art of others at no small cost to themselves in time, money and sleepless nights. People such as

Harriet Monroe Harriet Monroe (December 23, 1860 – September 26, 1936) was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet, and patron of the arts. She was the founding publisher and long-time editor of ''Poetry'' magazine, first published in 1912. As a ...

, whose small journal ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

'' furthered the careers of

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

and T. S. Eliot;

Sylvia Beach Sylvia may refer to: People *Sylvia (given name) *Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter *Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive *Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer credi ...

, owner of the Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Company, who championed

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

in the face of the most rabid censors; Edward Marsh, the much-pilloried editor of the ''

Georgian Poetry Georgian Poetry refers to a series of anthologies showcasing the work of a school of English poetry that established itself during the early years of the reign of King George V of the United Kingdom. The Georgian poets were, by the strictest ...

'' anthologies; and others." Until her death in 1994, Elizabeth Bartlett devoted twelve years to this project whose goal was to reinstate the role of literature, and specifically of poetry, in the Olympic Games as originally implemented by the Greeks.Perrottet, Tony. ''The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games.'' New York: Random House, 2004. To this end, she served as founder and CEO of Literary Olympics, Inc., an international non-profit project that brought together every four years in conjunction with the summer Olympic Games a published anthology containing the work of leading poets from many countries. She coordinated and directed the work of associate editors in Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, East, North, and West Europe, Great Britain, Latin America, and the United States. The first Literary Olympics poetry anthology was published in 1984 to coincide with the

Games of the XXIII Olympiad The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and included the work of poets from nine countries.Bartlett, Elizabeth (Poetry Ed.). ''Literary Olympians: 1984.'' Westlake Village, CA: Crosscurrents, 1984. The publication of the second anthology, to coincide with the

1988 Olympic Games 1988 Olympics refers to both: *The 1988 Winter Olympics, which were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada *The 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul ...

held in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea, grew to represent more than 30 nations.Bartlett, Elizabeth (Poetry Ed.). ''Literary Olympians II.'' Westlake Village, CA: Crosscurrents, 1987. By 1992, coinciding with the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain, the Literary Olympics anthology had grown to represent 132 poets from 65 countries and 55 languages.Bartlett, Elizabeth (Ed.). ''Literary Olympians 1992: An International Anthology.'' Boston: Ford-Brown & Co., 1992. Second printing, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. These anthologies shared the intent to recognize and to honor the creative work of the world's leading poets in a way that was true to the original spirit of the Greek Olympic Games. Each volume was published in a multi-language format, with non-English poems translated into English by well-qualified poetry translators.

Recognition and importance

Bartlett's poetry came to the attention of leading poets, writers, and critics as diverse as

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

Mark Van Doren Mark Van Doren (June 13, 1894 – December 10, 1972) was an American poet, writer and critic. He was a scholar and a professor of English at Columbia University for nearly 40 years, where he inspired a generation of influential writers and thin ...

Conrad Aiken Conrad Potter Aiken (August 5, 1889 – August 17, 1973) was an American writer and poet, honored with a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, and was United States Poet Laureate from 1950 to 1952. His published works include poetry, short st ...

Alfred Kreymborg Alfred Francis Kreymborg (December 10, 1883 – August 14, 1966) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, literary editor and anthologist. Early life and associations He was born in New York City to Hermann and Louisa Kreymborg (née Nasher), ...

Robert Hillyer Robert Silliman Hillyer (June 3, 1895 – December 24, 1961) was an American poet and professor of English literature. He won a Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1934. Early life Hillyer was born in East Orange, New Jersey to an old Connecticut fa ...

Louis Untermeyer Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961. Life and career Untermeyer was born in New Y ...

Rolfe Humphries George Rolfe Humphries (November 20, 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – April 22, 1969 in Redwood City, California) was a poet, translator, and teacher. Life An alumnus of Towanda High School, Humphries graduated cum laude from Amherst Co ...

John Ciardi John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Richard Eberhart Richard Ghormley Eberhart (April 5, 1904 – June 9, 2005) was an American poet who published more than a dozen books of poetry and approximately twenty works in total. "Richard Eberhart emerged out of the 1930s as a modern stylist with romanti ...

Richard Wilbur Richard Purdy Wilbur (March 1, 1921 – October 14, 2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and gentle ...

, Robert M. Hutchins,

Kenneth Rexroth Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (1905–1982) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Although he did not consider h ...

, William Stafford, and others. Over the years, Bartlett maintained an active and extensive correspondence with eminent poets, writers, and literary critics; evident throughout this collected literary correspondence are strong statements attesting to the importance of her work. About her first book of poetry, ''Poems of Yes and No'', published in 1952,Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Poems of Yes and No.'' Mexico City: Editorial Jus, 1952. Marianne Moore wrote: "I surely find good in the ''Poems of Yes and No''.... The clearness of the book is certainly beautiful." Wallace Stevens was impressed by ''Poems of Yes and No'' and wrote: "Your poems give one a sense of intelligence and sensibility." Alfred Kreymborg was enthusiastic about the book: "You have found a style of your own and developed it. I say ''yes'' to your ''poems of yes and no''. This is a distinguished volume as a whole. I wish you well with this warm book. Any poet might envy the courage and artistry of what you say, or rather sing, there." Further commendation came from Robert Hillyer, who wrote: "Your poems are moving and unusual.... A distinguished achievement!" A few years later, Moore took it upon herself to submit Bartlett's second book manuscript, ''Behold This Dreamer'', to John Ciardi, then editor of Twayne. Although Ciardi judged the poems to be "taking and moving poems," Twayne turned the work down because the publisher felt the book of poetry would not be commercially profitable. Ciardi wrote "corn flakes being easier to sell than a good book of poems." Moore then wrote about ''Behold This Dreamer'': "I believe in ability. It always belies annoyance." Despite this initial response, ''Behold This Dreamer'' was published in 1959.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Behold This Dreamer.'' Mexico City: Editorial Jus, 1959. By 1961, Jonathan Williams was saying: "Your language is cultivated, employed consistently and lucidly. To my observation, it seems fair to say that you belong with the best of your generation, which I would say includes

May Swenson Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson (May 28, 1913 – December 4, 1989) was an American poet and playwright. Harold Bloom considered her one of the most important and original poets of the 20th century. The first child of Margaret and Dan Arthur Sw ...

Denise Levertov Priscilla Denise Levertov (24 October 1923 – 20 December 1997) was a British-born naturalised American poet. She was a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry. Early life and influences Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Ess ...

Garrigue Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils in southern Fra ...

, et al." Louis Untermeyer added his voice: "I particularly like your fusion of observation and whimsicality, as well as your avoidance of the poetic stereotypes." Rolfe Humphries was intrigued by Bartlett's poetic techniques: "I enjoyed your poems and admire many...." About ''Behold This Dreamer'',

Gustav Davidson Gustav Davidson (December 25, 1895 in Warsaw, Poland – February 6, 1971 in Santa Cruz, United States) was an American poet, writer, and publisher. He was one time secretary of the Poetry Society of America. Biography Gustav Davidson was bor ...

wrote: "I enjoyed reading these poems. I was impressed by their precision, clarity, and technical competence." About the same work, critic

Paul Jordan-Smith Paul Jordan-Smith (April 19, 1885 – June 17, 1971) was an American Universalist minister who also worked as a writer, lecturer and editor. Academically, he is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the 17th-century British author an ...

wrote: "Your poems were begotten of a strong, imaginative sense. My congratulations on this beautiful collection." ''Behold This Dreamer'' was followed by the publication of ''Poetry Concerto'', also in 1961.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Poetry Concerto.'' Vagrom Chap Book No. 7. Flushing, NY: Sparrow, 1961. Meanwhile, Bartlett had published more than 200 poems in literary reviews and anthologies, and felt encouraged to bring out a collection of her poetry. She sent the manuscript of the new work to Moore, who wrote: "You have here what is indeed a conspectus of experience, and I thank you for the book. It seems an anomaly that it is not in 'hard covers,' in shops where all might buy. This must be corrected. As I may have said before, you must not be acquiescent under neglect, nor deterred by polite evasion or any kind of inability to make headway." This collection, titled ''It Takes Practice Not to Die'', was published soon after, in 1964.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''It Takes Practice Not to Die.'' Santa Barbara, CA: Van Riper & Thompson, 1964. For the book cover, Marianne Moore offered this comment: "The poems are the result of a discipline that assuredly justifies the writer, and should console the right readers (if anything can)."Commendation from book cover: Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''It Takes Practice Not to Die.'' Santa Barbara, CA: Van Riper & Thompson, 1964. From the beginning, Richard Eberhart expressed his admiration for Bartlett's work: "You have a fresh, swift, lyrical impulse." About ''It Takes Practice Not to Die'', he wrote: "I have read these poems with pleasure.... ture, they have a bite to them." Praising the same book, Mark Van Doren wrote: "These poems are clear, swift, and strong; and witty, too, in the best sense of that word."

James Schevill James Erwin Schevill (June 10, 1920 – January 30, 2009) was an American poet, critic, playwright and professor at San Francisco State University and Brown University, and the recipient of Guggenheim and Ford Foundation fellowships. Summa ...

added: "I have read your book and there is no doubt of your ability as a poet. Time and again, you strike off a powerful line!" ''Twelve-Tone Poems'', published in 1968, introduced the new twelve-tone form of poetry. It was followed by the publication of ''Threads'', also in 1968.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Threads.'' Santa Barbara, CA: Unicorn Press, 1968. Conrad Aiken wrote: "I like the poems; they think, and they mean what they say." About this book, Kenneth Rexroth wrote: "It is certainly an impressive work." ''The House of Sleep'' followed in 1975, and then ''In Search of Identity'' in 1977, about which Richard Wilbur wrote: "I like her work very well. It has force, economy, genuineness, and distinctness of tone." Also in 1977, Bartlett's one-act play in verse, ''Dialogue of Dust'', was published,Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Dialogue of Dust.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1977. and then recorded by the Fairhaven Radio Theatre in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (locat ...

. In 1979, Dufour Editions, distinguished for its publication of leading British and European writers, published Bartlett's volume of poems, ''Address in Time''.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Address in Time.'' Introduction by Kenneth Rexroth. Chester Springs, PA: Dufour Editions, 1979. Bartlett was the first American author to be included on the Dufour list. For this book, Kenneth Rexroth provided the Introduction. In it, he wrote: "Elizabeth Bartlett's poems are good examples of the change, or one of the changes in poetry since World War II. They are poems of direct statement. They are poems of personal communication. They are overt judgments of life, of people, of value relations.... s with the poemsof

Francis Jammes Francis Jammes (; 2 December 1868, in Tournay, Hautes-Pyrénées – 1 November 1938, in Hasparren, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) was a French and European poet. He spent most of his life in his native region of Béarn and the Basque Country and his po ...

, Verhaeren, ...

Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

, ...

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

Laura Riding Laura Riding Jackson (born Laura Reichenthal; January 16, 1901 – September 2, 1991), best known as Laura Riding, was an American poet, critic, novelist, essayist and short story writer. Early life She was born in New York City to Nathan ...

, or Reverdy... ese are the kinds of poetry coming back today, a poetry I value and find here in this book..., oetry that is concerned with therelationships of the self to nature, of self to self, of selves to the world.... She has said clearly, 'This is the way I handle life'—and does so, superbly."Rexroth, Kenneth. "Introduction," in Bartlett, Elizabeth; ''Address in Time.'' Chester Springs, PA: Dufour Editions, 1979, pp. 9-10. Bartlett's book, ''A Zodiac of Poems'', was also published in 1979.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''A Zodiac of Poems.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1979. In 1981,

Ohio University Press Ohio University Press (OUP), founded in 1947, is the oldest and largest scholarly press in the state of Ohio. It is a department of Ohio University that publishes under its own name and the imprint Swallow Press. History The press publishes ap ...

published Bartlett's ''Memory Is No Stranger'', a fourth collection of her twelve-tone poems, calling it "an important publishing event.... believe we have taken an important step towards honoring her unusual and original twelve-tone poems."Commendation from book jacket: Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Memory Is No Stranger.'' Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1981. Bartlett had showed the form to be adaptable for single lyrics, multi-part poems, narratives, group sequences, dramatic compositions, chorales, elegies, and odes. ''Memory Is No Stranger'' was then followed by ''The Gemini Poems'' (1984)Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''The Gemini Poems.'' Brandon, Canada: Pierian Press, 1984. and ''Candles'' (1987, 1988),Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Candles.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1987 (first edition); 1988 (second edition). about which Josephine Jacobsen wrote: "I have been simply mesmerized by this beautiful book. There is a magic sort of unity and progress which refuses to release the reader. I have read and reread the poems with increasingly pleasure."Commendation from book cover: Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Candles.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1987 (first edition); 1988 (second edition). William Stafford was equally impressed by the work: "I have read it page to page, gaining from its sequence, its natural forwarding, your attaining to continuity between poems and at the same time varying the way of going forward." Bartlett's last published book of poetry, ''Around the Clock'', appeared in 1989.Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Around the Clock.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1989. Maxine Kumin commended the book with these words: "Elizabeth Bartlett enumerates the eternal questions that preoccupy us 'while we try to sleep / on the rough floor of our hearts.' In the strictest of forms .e., the twelve-tone form she examines the human condition; the poetry is pitiless, yet redemptive."Commendation from book cover: Bartlett, Elizabeth. ''Around the Clock.'' San Diego, CA: Autograph Editions, 1988. Similarly, Josephine Jacobsen praised this work: "Elizabeth Bartlett understands that the very large and the very small are siblings. Perceptive and emotionally vital, her poems ask all our own questions, poems in an original and lucid form." In addition to her published books of poetry, more than 1,000 individually published poems by Bartlett appeared in such magazines as '' Harper's'', '' Saturday Review'', ''

Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by v ...

'', '' Malahat Review'', ''

Prism International ''Prism International'' (styled ''PRISM international'') is a magazine published quarterly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1959, it is Western Canada's senior literary magazine. The magazine was started with name ''Prism'' ...

'', '' Windsor Review'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', ''

Denver Quarterly The ''Denver Quarterly'' (known as ''The University of Denver Quarterly'' until 1970) is an avant-garde literary journal based at the University of Denver. Founded in 1966 by novelist John Edward Williams. ''Publisher'' ''Denver Quarterly'' i ...

'', ''

Virginia Quarterly Review The ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established in 1925 by James Southall Wilson, at the request of University of Virginia president E. A. Alderman. This ''"National Journal of Literature and Discussion"'' ...

'', ''

Tamarack Review The ''Tamarack Review'' was a Canadian literary magazine, published from 1956 to 1982. Established and edited by Robert Weaver, other figures associated with the magazine's editorial staff included Anne Wilkinson, William Toye and John Robert C ...

'', ''Pierian Review'', ''

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived a ...

'', ''

Beloit Poetry Journal The ''Beloit Poetry Journal'' is an American poetry magazine established in 1950 at Beloit College.Canadian Forum The ''Canadian Forum'' was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000). History and profile ''Canadian Forum'' was founded on 14 May 1920 at the University of T ...

'', ''

Dalhousie Review ''The Dalhousie Review'' is a Canadian literary magazine, founded in 1921 and associated with Dalhousie University. It publishes three times a year, in the spring, summer, and fall. Content includes fiction, poetry, literary essays and book reviews ...

'', ''Antigonish Review'', ''Women's Studies'', and many others, as well as overseas in England, France, and India. Her poems were anthologized in numerous collections, including ''Golden Years P. S. A.'', ''American Scene'', ''Golden Quill'', ''New Voices'', ''Poets West'', ''Encounters'', ''New Poems by American Poets 2'', ''American Literary Anthology 3'', ''Contemporary Women Poets'', ''Life and Literature'', ''American Women's Anthology'', ''Yearbook of American Poetry'', ''California Bicentennial'', ''Encounters'', ''Second Coming'', ''Where Is Vietnam?'', ''The Writing on the Wall'', ''Peace Is Our Profession'', ''Anthology of American Verse'', ''Against Infinity'', ''Muse Anthology'', ''Parthenon Anthology'', and others.

Poetry readings and recordings

Bartlett gave many dozens of individual poetry readings in addition to readings of her poetry during regular teaching appointments. She gave readings as Visiting Poet at

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Fairhaven College Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies is an interdisciplinary liberal arts college at Western Washington University. Instead of completing the general education requirements at Western, students take interdisciplinary classes at Fairhaven ...

, the University of the Pacific, Loyola University in Los Angeles, the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

, as well as for public libraries and museums across the country. Taped recordings of her readings were made for the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

, the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

, the

University of California in San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

, the

University of California in Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, the University of California in Riverside,

, Fairhaven College,

, the University of Houston,

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, St. Andrew's College,

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

, Claremont College, and for FM radio stations in Atlanta, Richmond, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Other writings and art

In addition to her many poetry publications, Elizabeth Bartlett was an author of fiction, essays, literary criticism, translations, and reviews. Among these, her short stories were published in such literary reviews as ''Accent'', ''Arizona Quarterly'', ''Queen's Quarterly'', ''Kenyon Review'', ''New Story'', ''Dreamworks'', ''Crosscurrents'', ''Phantasm'', ''Writers Forum'', ''Prospice'', ''Footwork'', ''The Artful Dodge'', ''Facet'', ''Stone Drum'', ''South Carolina Review'', ''Short Story Digest'', etc. Essays by Bartlett appeared in ''ETC: A Review of General Semantics'', ''Crosscurrents'', ''New Orleans Review'', ''National Forum'', ''Letters'', and others. Her reviews were published in the ''L. A. Times'', the ''New York Times'', ''Dallas News'', ''New Orleans Review'', ''ETC: A Review of General Semantics'', ''National Forum'', ''Windsor Review'', and other metropolitan newspapers and magazines. Bartlett's many poetry readings were often accompanied by exhibits of her original art. Her husband, Paul Alexander Bartlett, was an accomplished fine artist whose paintings and illustrations were widely exhibited in the U.S. and Mexico. Elizabeth Bartlett shared with her husband a deep interest in art. Influenced by the

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...

School, her art has been exhibited by numerous museums, galleries, and art and poetry festivals in New York City, Richmond, Atlanta, San Juan Capistrano, the Love Library of San Diego State University, the Carlsbad Library, the San Diego Central Library, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Athenaeum Library, San Jose Central Library, Grossmont College, etc. Her fine art won awards for original designs in scratchboard, brush and ink, and pen drawing. She experimented in a wide variety of media, and developed a style that is at once abstract and lyrical. Much of her art was intended and used to illustrate her published books of poetry. Some of her art pioneered a new technique created by her, which she called wax painting. It involves a controlled flow and manipulation of poured colored molten wax onto canvas, board, or paper. She also used techniques of cut paper and collage in her art, often supplemented by India ink and acrylics. The subjects she focused on in her art were drawn from her rich, symbolic imagination and dream life. She developed a preference for "primitive" art, whose unassuming simplicity she felt was capable of representing the images she wished to portray.

Later years

In 1983, Elizabeth Bartlett placed her own creative work to the side to begin a project that was to occupy her for the last dozen years of her life. She was aware that the summer Olympics was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles the following year. The Olympic Games in ancient Greece had honored outstanding athletes, but also recognized poets for excellence of mind and literary talent. Bartlett therefore founded Literary Olympics to bring the cultural component back into the Olympics. She directed the work of internationally distinguished associate editors located in Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, East, North, and West Europe, Great Britain, Latin America, and the United States. The international organization was granted status as a non-profit corporation under IRS Code 501(c)(3) in 1991. Through Bartlett's leadership and editorial effort, beginning in 1984 three international anthologies of poetry were published in conjunction with the Olympics, and included the work of eminent contemporary poets, including

Yehuda Amichai Yehuda Amichai ( he, יהודה עמיחי; born Ludwig Pfeuffer 3 May 1924 – 22 September 2000) was an Israeli poet and author, one of the first to write in colloquial Hebrew in modern times. Amichai was awarded the 1957 Shlonsky Prize, the ...

, Thorkild Bjørnvig,

Eavan Boland Eavan Aisling Boland (24 September 1944 – 27 April 2020) was an Irish poet, author, and professor. She was a professor at Stanford University, where she had taught from 1996. Her work deals with the Irish national identity, and the role of w ...

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz (, also , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. Regarded as one of the great poets of the 20th century, he won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Literature. In its citation ...

Odysseas Elytis Odysseas Elytis ( el, Οδυσσέας Ελύτης , pen name of Odysseas Alepoudellis, el, Οδυσσέας Αλεπουδέλλης; 2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as th ...

, Oscar Gonzáles,

Yannis Ritsos Yiannis Ritsos ( el, Γιάννης Ρίτσος; 1 May 1909 – 11 November 1990) was a Greek poet and communist and an active member of the Greek Resistance during World War II. While he disliked being regarded as a political poet, he has be ...

Ewald Osers Ewald Osers (13 May 1917 – 11 October 2011) was a Czech translator and poet born in Prague, Austria-Hungary. Career He translated several important Czech poetry works of the 20th century into English, including Jaroslav Seifert, Vítězsla ...

Zbigniew Herbert Zbigniew Herbert (; 29 October 1924 – 28 July 1998) was a Polish poet, essayist, drama writer and moralist. He is one of the best known and the most translated post-war Polish writers. While he was first published in the 1950s (a volume title ...

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko ( rus, links=no, 1=Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Евтуше́нко; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet. He was also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, ...

Octavio Paz Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican poet and diplomat. For his body of work, he was awarded the 1977 Jerusalem Prize, the 1981 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the 1982 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and ...

Eugénio de Andrade Eugénio de Andrade was the pseudonym of GOSE, GCM José Fontinhas (19 January 1923 – 13 June 2005),His baptismal date reads 1 February 1923, however, every biographic book and the Eugénio de Andrade Foundation state 19 January 1923 Portu ...

, among others. ''Literary Olympians: 1984'' contained poetry from nine countries. ''Literary Olympians II'' included poetry from 34 countries and was published in conjunction with the 1988 Olympic Games held in Seoul, Korea. Bartlett was brought to the Seoul Olympiad as a guest and honored by Park Seh-jik, President of the Seoul Olympics Organizing Committee, by Sook Hee Chun, President of the Korean P.E.N., and by leading Korean poet Kim Nam Cho. President Park Seh-jik contributed the introductory essay, "Greetings," published in ''Literary Olympians II''. Bartlett was similarly the honored guest at the 1992 Olympiad XXV held in Barcelona, Spain. ''Literary Olympians 1992'' was published to coincide with the Barcelona Games and now included the work of 130 poets from 64 countries. In all the Literary Olympics anthologies, the poetry was published in the original languages in which it was written, accompanied by facing-page professional translations into English. Gold, silver, and bronze Literary Olympics medals were awarded in 1992 by an international panel of distinguished scholar-judges who included

J. D. McClatchy J. D. "Sandy" McClatchy (August 12, 1945 – April 10, 2018) was an American poet, opera librettist and literary critic. He was editor of the ''Yale Review'' and president of The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Life McClatchy was born ...

of Yale University,

M. L. Rosenthal Macha Louis Rosenthal (March 14, 1917 – July 21, 1996) was an American poet, critic, editing, editor, and teacher. The W. B. Yeats Society of New York renamed their award for achievement in Yeats studies the M. L. Rosenthal Award after Rosenth ...

of New York University,

Ivar Ivask Ivar Vidrik Ivask (December 17, 1927 Riga – September 23, 1992 Fountainstown, Ireland) was an Estonian poet and literary scholar. He escaped in 1944 from Estonia to Germany and lived from 1949 onwards in the United States and from 1991 in Irela ...

of the University of Oklahoma, Canadian literary critic

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, '' Fearful Symmet ...

, and

Paul Engle Paul Engle (October 12, 1908 – March 22, 1991), was an American poet, editor, teacher, literary critic, novelist, and playwright. He is remembered as the long-time director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and as co-founder of the International W ...

of the University of Iowa Translation Program. The Gold Medal in Poetry was awarded to

of Israel, the Silver Medal to Thorkild Bjørnvig of Denmark, and the Bronze Medal to

of Ireland. Nobel Laureate

of Greece was the anthology's Guest of Honor. An impressive group of Nobel Laureates contributed to the project, including

Vicente Aleixandre Vicente Pío Marcelino Cirilo Aleixandre y Merlo (; 26 April 1898 – 14 December 1984) was a Spanish poet who was born in Seville. Aleixandre received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977 "for a creative poetic writing which illuminates man ...

Saul Bellow Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 10 July 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary work, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only wr ...

Eugenio Montale Eugenio Montale (; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator, and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature. Life and works Early years Montale was born in Genoa. His family were che ...

, and

Jaroslav Seifert Jaroslav Seifert (; 23 September 1901 – 10 January 1986) was a Czech writer, poet and journalist. Seifert was awarded the 1984 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his poetry which endowed with freshness, sensuality and rich inventiveness provides ...

. Numerous heads of state endorsed the Literary Olympics, among them Hon. Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada; Hon. Hedy d'Ancona, Minister of Culture of the Netherlands with the approval of H. M. Queen Beatrix; Hon. Juan A. Yanez-Barnuevo, Ambassador of Spain to the United Nations; Alfredo F. Cristiani, President of El Salvador; Hon. Lazhar Haoum, Cultural Attaché of Algeria; Hon. Marja-Leena Rautalin, Director, Finnish Literature Centre, Helsinki with the endorsement of Mauno Henrik Koivisto, President of Finland; Gladys Ramírez de Espinoza, Director of the Institute of Culture of Nicaragua; Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco López, Vice-Minister of Culture, Costa Rica; and others. At the time of Bartlett's death in 1994, she was nearing the completion of the fourth international anthology to be published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games to be held in 1996 in Atlanta. Prof. Dasha Čulić Nisula of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

agreed to complete the editorial task for this international collection. The anthology was published as a memorial volume to honor Bartlett. It contained the work of leading poets from 20 countries, writing in 15 languages, published with facing-page translations by professional poetry translators.Nisula, Dasha Čulić. ''Leading Contemporary Poets: An International Anthology.'' Kalamazoo, MI: Poetry International, 1997. As a legacy to the future of poetry, Elizabeth Bartlett endowed a time-leveraged "Benjamin Franklin trust" for a period of one hundred years for the international benefit of poetry. At the end of the one hundred-year term, the initial funding will have grown by compounding to provide for a self-perpetuating endowment to make it possible to continue to honor outstanding international contributions to poetry.

Awards and honors

Bartlett was awarded residential fellowships at: * th
Huntington Hartford Foundation
(1959 and 1960) *

Villa Montalvo The Montalvo Arts Center is a non-profit center for the arts in Saratoga, California, United States. Open to the public, Montalvo comprises a cultural and arts center, a park, hiking trails and the historic Villa Montalvo, an Italian Mediterran ...

(1960 and 1961), now known as the Montalvo Arts Center *

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

(1970) * the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

(1970) * th
Dorland Mountain Arts Colony
(1979) *

Ragdale Ragdale is the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (1869–1926), located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation, an artist residency program that hosts creators from a number of dis ...

(1983) Awards for her poetry and short stories: * National Endowment for the Humanities award in poetry (1970) * P. E. N. International award in poetry (1971) * National Institute of Arts & Letters award in poetry (1971) * Carnegie Foundation award in poetry (1971) * P. E. N. Syndicated Fiction award in short story (1983) * P. E. N. Syndicated Fiction award in short story, one of top 10 (1985) * Louise M. Steele Trust Travel Grant (1985) * N. E. A./COMBO award in poetry (1988) * Featured Poet of the 1988 Laguna Winter Festival Literary Olympics honors: * Guest of honor at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea: honored for her work in founding Literary Olympics by Park Seh-jik, President of the Seoul Olympics Organizing Committee, by Sook Hee Chun, President of the Korean P.E.N., and by leading Korean poet, Kim Nam Cho. * Guest of honor at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain; honored for her work on behalf of Literary Olympics.

Archives of Bartlett's work

Extensive permanent collections of Elizabeth Bartlett's papers, literary correspondence, publications, unpublished manuscripts, and art have been established, one as part of th
Archive for New Poetry
maintained by the Mandeville Department of Special Collections at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

, and the second by the Rare Books Collection of the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

Selected works

Books

* ''Poems of Yes and No'', 1952. Available fro
Project Gutenberg.
* ''Behold This Dreamer'', 1959. Available fro
Project Gutenberg.
* ''Poetry Concerto'', 1961 * ''It Takes Practice Not to Die'', 1964. Available fro
Project Gutenberg.
* ''Threads'', 1968 * ''Twelve-tone Poems'', 1968 * ''Selected Poems'', 1970 * ''The House of Sleep'', 1975. Available fro
Project Gutenberg.
* ''In Search of Identity'', 1977 * ''Dialogue of Dust'' (a one-act play in verse), 1977 * ''A Zodiac of Poems'', 1979 * ''Address in Time'', 1979 * ''Memory Is No Stranger'', 1981 * ''The Gemini Poems'', 1984 * ''Candles'', 1987, 1988 * ''Around the Clock'', 1989

Selected short stories

* "A Matter of Lineage," ''Stone Drum'' * "A Special Place," ''Queen's Quarterly'' * "A-B-C," ''The Artful Dodge'' * "Analfabetismo," ''Arizona Quarterly'' * "Gloria in Excelsis," ''Footwork'' * "Guilt," ''New Story'' * "Hickory, Dickory, Dock," ''South Carolina Review'' * "Journey into Fear," ''Dreamworks'' * "Making It," ''Northwest Magazine'' * "Mister Brown," ''Facet'' * "Nancy's House," ''Writer's Forum'' * "Prima Donna," ''Footwork'' * "Shipping Out," ''Short Story Digest'' * "The Golden Gate," ''Accent'' * "The Hairweb," ''Prospice'' * "Virgin of the Bees," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Who Needs 18 Toothbrushes?," ''Arizona Quarterly'' * "World’s End," ''Kenyon Review''

Selected collections of poetry edited by Bartlett

* ''Literary Olympians: 1984''. Westlake Village, CA: Crosscurrents, 1984. * ''Literary Olympians II''. Westlake Village, CA: Crosscurrents, 1987. * ''Literary Olympians 1992: An International Anthology''. Boston: Ford-Brown & Co., 1992. * ''Literary Olympians 1992: An International Anthology''. Second edition published by Harvard University Press, 2000. * ''Leading Contemporary Poets: An International Anthology''. Editing and publication posthumously completed by Dasha Čulić Nisula. A memorial volume dedicated to Elizabeth Bartlett. Kalamazoo, MI: Poetry International, 1997.

Selected anthologies containing Bartlett's poetry

* ''Album'' * ''American Literary Anthology #3'' * ''American Scene'' * ''Aspen'' * ''California Bicentennial'' * ''Contemporary Woman Poets'' * ''Encounters, 1988'' * ''Golden Quill'' * ''Golden Year PSA'' * ''Life and Literature'' * ''Monitor'' * ''Muse Anthology'' * ''New Poems by American Poets 2'' * ''New Voices'' * ''Parthenon Anthology'' * ''Peace Is Our Profession'' * ''Poets West'' * ''Second Coming'' * ''The Writing on the Wall'' * ''Where Is Vietnam?'' * ''Yearbook of American Poetry, 1981, 1984, 1985''

Selected essays

* "A Proposal to Support Creative Artists," ''Letters'' * "Dante's Tenzone," ''Italica''. Collaboration with Antonio Illiano * "Introduction to Award Winners," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction to Award Winners II," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction to Literary Olympians I," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction to Literary Olympians II," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction to Literary Profiles," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction to Many Voices," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Introduction," ''Literary Olympians 1992'' * "Letters of Flannery O'Connor," ''National Forum'' * "Sor Juana de la Cruz," ''New Orleans Review'' * "The Making of an Editor," ''Crosscurrents'' * "The Mirror View," ''ETC.: A Review of General Semantics'' * "In Tribute to Jaroslav Seifert," ''Crosscurrents'' * "Word Barriers," ''ETC.: A Review of General Semantics'' * "Word Bridges," ''ETC.: A Review of General Semantics''

Poetry-related art

Bartlett illustrated many of her published books of poetry. Her poetry-related illustrations were exhibited in museums, public libraries, and art festivals across the country, including New York City, Richmond, Atlanta, San Juan Capistrano, the Love Library of San Diego State University, the Carlsbad Library, the San Diego Central Library, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Athenaeum Library, San Jose Central Library, Grossmont College, and others. Collections of the original illustrations, as well as other fine art by Bartlett, are preserved in collections maintained by the University of California, San Diego and the University of Louisville.

Poetry recordings

Master tapes of recordings of poetry readings given by Elizabeth Bartlett form part of her collections maintained by the University of California in San Diego and the University of Louisville. These recordings include the following readings: * Readings of selections from her published books, including: :''Poems of Yes and No'' :''Behold this Dreamer'' :''Poetry Concerto'' :''It Takes Practice Not to Die'' :''Threads'' :''Twelve-Tone Poems'' :''Selected Poems'' :''The House of Sleep'' :''In Search of Identity'' :''Dialogue of Dust'' (performed by Radio Theatre, Fairhaven College, Bellingham, Washington) :''Address in Time'' with an Introduction by Kenneth Rexroth :''A Zodiac of Poems'' :''Memory is No Stranger'' :''The Gemini Poems'' :''Candles'' :''Around the Clock'' * A complete reading of

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

's novel, ''Magister Ludi'' * "Early Poems for Son, age 4-8" * "Christmas over the Years, a Family Story," written by Elizabeth Bartlett

Translations

Bartlett also translated poetry from other languages. Her translations appeared in ''Italica'', ''Italian Quarterly'', ''La Revue Moderne'', ''Poésie Contemporaine'', ''Poésie-USA'', ''La Voix des Poètes'', ''Poemas de Griselda Alvarez'', etc.

Unpublished manuscripts

Bartlett's prolific output also includes as yet unpublished manuscripts of books, narrative and other poems, short stories, plays, ballet scripts, and essays. Copies of the original manuscripts are included in Bartlett's collected papers held by the University of California in San Diego. The book manuscripts include: * ''Chili Con Blarney''. An autobiographically-based novel about Bartlett's early years in Mexico. * ''Beatrice'' * ''Portrait of Time: Sea Drift''. An autobiographically-based novel recounting Bartlett's childhood years * ''Biography of a Summer'' (c. 1940) * ''Novella, a collection of short stories'' * ''Theme and Variations'' (1939) * ''This Side the Fog'' * ''With Love, Mom'' * ''Country Wedding'' * ''Bartlett's Mexico: Short Stories by Paul and Elizabeth Bartlett'' * ''The City'' * ''Those Lucid Moments'' * ''Gourmet on a Budget''

References

External links and resources

*
''Poems of Yes and No'', Project Gutenberg.

''Behold This Dreamer'', Project Gutenberg.

''It Takes Practice Not to Die'', Project Gutenberg.

''The House of Sleep'', Project Gutenberg.

This collection contains literary and publishing correspondence; personal records and notes; newspaper clippings; program and exhibit announcements; book reviews; original manuscripts; a complete collection of Bartlett's published books, short stories, essays, and reviews; a collection of her poetry publications in literary reviews, journals, and newspapers; anthologies in which her work was published; and tape recordings of her poetry readings. Also included in the collection are copies of a wide variety of previously unpublished manuscripts (books, short stories, plays, scripts, and essays), including Bartlett's long 550-page typescript of her autobiographical novel, ''Portrait of Time: Sea Drift'', Literary Olympics materials (published Literary Olympics anthologies, literary, publishing, and legal correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and related source material), and original poetry-related original art by Bartlett.
Elizabeth Bartlett Collection held by Archives and Special Collections, University of Louisville
This collection contains autographed copies of published books by Bartlett, copies of Literary Olympics volumes edited by Bartlett, selected literary quarterlies in which Bartlett's work was published, issues of ''ETC: A Review of General Semantics'' for which Bartlett served as Poetry Editor, and a complete recording of Bartlett's reading of Hermann Hesse's Nobel Prize winning novel, ''Magister Ludi''.
Works by Elizabeth Bartlett in the Library of Congress

Works by Elizabeth Bartlett in University of California libraries

Works by or about Elizabeth Bartlett in libraries catalogued by WorldCat
* Camille, Pamela; "An Interview with Elizabeth Bartlett," ''Crosscurrents'', Vol. 2, No. 2, 1982, pp. 50–59. * Biographical sketch of Elizabeth Bartlett: Bartlett, Steven; "Elizabeth Bartlett: A Portrait in Words," in Dasha Čulić Nisula (Ed.), ''Leading Contemporary Poets: An International Anthology'', pp. 341–346. Kalamazoo, MI: Poetry International, 1997. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Elizabeth 1911 births 1994 deaths American women poets Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Southern Methodist University faculty San Jose State University faculty San Diego State University faculty University of California, Santa Barbara faculty University of San Diego faculty Poets from New York City 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers American women academics