Joel Oppenheimer
Encyclopedia
Joel Lester Oppenheimer (February 18, 1930 – October 11, 1988) was an American poet associated with both the Black Mountain poets
and the New York School
. He was the first director of the St. Marks Poetry Project (1966-68). Though a poet, Oppenheimer was perhaps better known for his columns in the Village Voice from 1969 to 1984.
, attended Cornell University
for one year in 1948, spent less than one semester at the University of Chicago
, and in 1950 enrolled at Black Mountain College
in North Carolina. At Black Mountain, he studied with Paul Goodman
and poet Charles Olson
, became friends with Fielding Dawson
and Ed Dorn
, and worked in the school's print shop.
In his earliest poetry, Oppenheimer shows clearly the influence of William Carlos Williams
, but he soon developed his own style. While at Black Mountain, Oppenheimer met and married his first wife, Rena Furlong. He left the school in January 1953 without taking a degree, eventually settling in New York and working in a print shop while continuing to write poetry.
His first publications were The Dancer (1951), as Jargon, no. 2, 1951, by The Sad Devil Press/Black Mountain College; The Dutiful Son (1956) by Jonathan Williams
's Jargon Society
, reprinted by LeRoi Jones's Totem Press in 1961, The Love Bit and Other Poems (1962), again with Totem. His satiric Western drama The Great American Desert was the first play produced by Robert Nichols, directed by Lawrence Kornfeld, who had been with the Living Theatre, at the Judson Poets' Theatre
. It opened on November 18, 1961.
Oppenheimer's poetry has been collected in two volumes: Robert J. Bertholf (editor, introduction), Collected Later Poems of Joel Oppenheimer, with eleven drawings by John Dobbs, The Poetry Collection, 1997 and Names & Local Habitations (Selected Earlier Poems 1951-1972), editor Jonathan Williams, The Jargon Society, 1988.
He also published two nonfiction works, The Wrong Season, Bobbs-Merrill 1973, about the New York Mets, and Marilyn Lives, Delilah, 1984, on Marilyn Monroe. Drawing from Life, posthumously published in 1997, gathered 92 columns written for the Village Voice. Library Journal
wrote that Drawing from Life "emphasizes several favorite themes: baseball, politics, and the role of the changing seasons in our lives".
Oppenheimer died at 58 of lung cancer in Henniker, New Hampshire
on October 11, 1988.
Don’t Touch the Poet: The Life and Times of Joel Oppenheimer, by Lyman Gilmore, was published by Talisman Press in 1998.
Black Mountain poets
The Black Mountain poets, sometimes called projectivist poets, were a group of mid 20th century American avant-garde or postmodern poets centered on Black Mountain College.-Background:...
and the New York School
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
. He was the first director of the St. Marks Poetry Project (1966-68). Though a poet, Oppenheimer was perhaps better known for his columns in the Village Voice from 1969 to 1984.
Life and work
Oppenheimer was born in Yonkers, New YorkYonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, attended Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
for one year in 1948, spent less than one semester at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and in 1950 enrolled at Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
in North Carolina. At Black Mountain, he studied with Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman may refer to:*Paul Goodman , British politician*Paul Goodman , American ice hockey player*Paul Goodman , Grammy Award-winning sound engineer...
and poet Charles Olson
Charles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist 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 School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
, became friends with Fielding Dawson
Fielding Dawson
Fielding Dawson was a beat-era author of short stories and novels, a student of the Black Mountain College. He was also a painter & collagist whose works were seen in several books of poetry & many literary magazines....
and Ed Dorn
Ed Dorn
Edward Merton Dorn was an American poet and teacher often associated with the Black Mountain poets. His most famous work is Gunslinger.-Overview:...
, and worked in the school's print shop.
In his earliest poetry, Oppenheimer shows clearly the influence of William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
, but he soon developed his own style. While at Black Mountain, Oppenheimer met and married his first wife, Rena Furlong. He left the school in January 1953 without taking a degree, eventually settling in New York and working in a print shop while continuing to write poetry.
His first publications were The Dancer (1951), as Jargon, no. 2, 1951, by The Sad Devil Press/Black Mountain College; The Dutiful Son (1956) by Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams (poet)
Jonathan Williams was an American poet, publisher, essayist, and photographer. He is known as the founder of The Jargon Society, which has published poetry, experimental fiction, photography, and folk art for more than fifty years...
's Jargon Society
The Jargon Society
The Jargon Society is an independent press founded by the American poet Jonathan Williams. Jargon has published seminal works of the American literary avant-garde, including books by Charles Olson, Louis Zukofsky, Paul Metcalf, James Broughton, and Williams himself, as well as sui generis books of...
, reprinted by LeRoi Jones's Totem Press in 1961, The Love Bit and Other Poems (1962), again with Totem. His satiric Western drama The Great American Desert was the first play produced by Robert Nichols, directed by Lawrence Kornfeld, who had been with the Living Theatre, at the Judson Poets' Theatre
Judson Memorial Church
The Judson Memorial Church is located on Washington Square South between Thompson and Sullivan Streets, opposite Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City...
. It opened on November 18, 1961.
Oppenheimer's poetry has been collected in two volumes: Robert J. Bertholf (editor, introduction), Collected Later Poems of Joel Oppenheimer, with eleven drawings by John Dobbs, The Poetry Collection, 1997 and Names & Local Habitations (Selected Earlier Poems 1951-1972), editor Jonathan Williams, The Jargon Society, 1988.
He also published two nonfiction works, The Wrong Season, Bobbs-Merrill 1973, about the New York Mets, and Marilyn Lives, Delilah, 1984, on Marilyn Monroe. Drawing from Life, posthumously published in 1997, gathered 92 columns written for the Village Voice. Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
wrote that Drawing from Life "emphasizes several favorite themes: baseball, politics, and the role of the changing seasons in our lives".
Oppenheimer died at 58 of lung cancer in Henniker, New Hampshire
Henniker, New Hampshire
Henniker is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 4,836. Henniker is home to New England College, Ames State Forest and Craney Hill State Forest....
on October 11, 1988.
Don’t Touch the Poet: The Life and Times of Joel Oppenheimer, by Lyman Gilmore, was published by Talisman Press in 1998.