''Origin'' was an American poetry magazine that was founded in 1951 by Cid Corman. The magazine provided an early platform for the work of

Charles Olson Charles Olson (27 December 1910 – 10 January 1970) was a second generation modern American poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York ...

Robert Creeley Robert White Creeley (May 21, 1926 – March 30, 2005) was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school. He was close with Char ...

, Gary Snyder,

Theodore Enslin Theodore Vernon Enslin (March 25, 1925 – November 21, 2011) was an American poet associated with Cid Corman's ''Origin'' and press. He is widely regarded as one of the most musical of American avant-garde poets. Enslin was born in Chester, Penn ...

and other important, ground-breaking poets, who collectively created an alternative to academic poetry.Carlson, Michael
"Cid Corman/ Poet who was behind the literary magazine Origin"
obituary in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', April 15, 2004

History and profile

Cid Corman, the publisher and editor of the magazine, recruited Charles Olson as a contributing editor when he started it. Their correspondence was printed in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

as ''Letters For Origin''. "This collection details an enormous battle of creative energy", during the founding process of this magazine. Olson's "In Cold Hell, In Thicket" featured in ''Origin, '' no. 8 (1953). Through the Origin Press Corman published Louis Zukofsky's key work, ''A'' 1–12 (Ashland, 1959) and his novel ''It Was'' (1961).

William Bronk William Bronk (February 17, 1918 – February 22, 1999) was an American poet. For his book, ''Life Supports'' (1981), he won the National Book Award for Poetry. He was also a veteran of World War II and a businessman. After teaching at Union Co ...

's first book, ''Light and Dark,'' was published in 1956, Gary Snyder's ''Riprap,'' in 1959. Corman published translation of classic Japanese poetry like Matsuo Bashō's ''Cool Melon'' (1959) and poetry by Shinpei Kusano (1903–88), ''Selected Frogs'' (1963). Among Cid Corman's own books, ''Sun Rock Man,'' (Origin Press, 1962) is singled out by Michael Carlson of the ''Guardian'' as "his best collection of poetry". The anthology ''The Gist of Origin, 1951–71'' (Grossman, 1979) "remains a groundbreaking work." Corman edited the magazine from 1951 to 1984 (with some interruptions), even when he was abroad studying at the Sorbonne in Paris and translating Paul Celan (1954), taught English in Matera, Italy or lived in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, Japan. The first series was published in Dorchster, Mass. (20 issues, Spring 1951 – Winter 1957), the second and third in Kyoto (14 issues, April 1961- July 1964 and 20 issues from April 1966 to 1971). The fourth series in Boston (20 issues, October 1977 – July 1982), the fifth from Orono, Maine, (6 issues, Fall 1983-January 1986). In late 2003 Corman, after his trip to Milwaukee and Lorine Niedecker Centenary USA visit, conceived the idea of ''Origin''s Sixth Series. He designed this to be both an online and printed edition of the magazine. Upwards of twenty issues were planned in collaborative assistance with Chuck Sandy, a newly found friend and educator who resided in Japan. Unfortunately, Corman only sketched out Origin Sixth Series issues 1–4, instead of his intended twenty issues. These proposed ideas came with only brief notes, recommendations, and plans for the featured poets. Cid Corman died in 2004. The magazine published Corman's skeletal notes about the physical and online magazine.This collection ultimately made up four online issues of the magazine which was released in 200

and sixth series issues one and tw

/ref>

Archival collection

The ''Origin'' Archive is housed in the

Fales Library New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections is located on the third floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhat ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Fales Library guide to the ''Origin'' Archive
1951 establishments in the United States 1986 disestablishments in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1951 Magazines disestablished in 1986 Poetry magazines published in the United States