Leland Hickman
Encyclopedia
Leland Hickman was an American poet, editor
, actor
, and literary magazine publisher. During his lifetime, Hickman was best known as the publisher and editor of the influential magazine Temblor which was noted for the publication of many east and west coast language-related
poets. His editorial and publishing activities brought the work of many established and emerging poets into the public view. Hickman has steadily gained posthumous recognition and fame for his poetry.
. He lived with his family in Bakersfield from 1937 to 1945. He attended Santa Barbara College, now University of California, Santa Barbara
, and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he played with the Berkeley Drama Guild.
After a tour in the Army, Hickman moved to New York City to continue his career in theater. In 1960 he returned to California to play at the Equity Library Theatre West in Los Angeles. After stints in New York City and San Francisco, Hickman settled permanently in Los Angeles with his partner, the actor Charles Macaulay.
. A book-length section of his serial poem, "Tiresias", entitled "Tiresias, Great Slave Lake Suite", was published by Momentum Press in 1980. It was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry.
A second book, Lee Sr Falls to the Floor (which collected early poems and several sections of "Tiresias"), was published posthumously by Jahbone Press in 1991.
In 1981, he co-founded with Paul Vangelisti
the magazine Boxcar: A Magazine of the Arts. The magazine ran for two issues.
In 1985, Hickman began publishing and editing Temblor, which continued for ten issues.
When Hickman died (1991) in Los Angeles of AIDS-related causes he was 56 years old.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and literary magazine publisher. During his lifetime, Hickman was best known as the publisher and editor of the influential magazine Temblor which was noted for the publication of many east and west coast language-related
Language poets
The Language poets are an avant garde group or tendency in United States poetry that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
poets. His editorial and publishing activities brought the work of many established and emerging poets into the public view. Hickman has steadily gained posthumous recognition and fame for his poetry.
Early years
Hickman was born in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. He lived with his family in Bakersfield from 1937 to 1945. He attended Santa Barbara College, now University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he played with the Berkeley Drama Guild.
After a tour in the Army, Hickman moved to New York City to continue his career in theater. In 1960 he returned to California to play at the Equity Library Theatre West in Los Angeles. After stints in New York City and San Francisco, Hickman settled permanently in Los Angeles with his partner, the actor Charles Macaulay.
Literary career
His literary career began in the middle 1960s with the publication of the poem "Lee Sr Falls to the Floor" in The Hudson ReviewThe Hudson Review
The Hudson Review is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts. It was founded in 1947 in New York by William Ayers Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of 1948...
. A book-length section of his serial poem, "Tiresias", entitled "Tiresias, Great Slave Lake Suite", was published by Momentum Press in 1980. It was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry.
A second book, Lee Sr Falls to the Floor (which collected early poems and several sections of "Tiresias"), was published posthumously by Jahbone Press in 1991.
Publishing career
Hickman worked as a poetry editor for the Los Angeles literary magazine Bachy, published by Papa Bach Bookstore, from 1977 to the spring of 1981. He edited issues nine to eighteen.In 1981, he co-founded with Paul Vangelisti
Paul Vangelisti
Paul Vangelisti is an United States poet and broadcaster. He graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy...
the magazine Boxcar: A Magazine of the Arts. The magazine ran for two issues.
In 1985, Hickman began publishing and editing Temblor, which continued for ten issues.
When Hickman died (1991) in Los Angeles of AIDS-related causes he was 56 years old.
Selected publications
- Tiresias: The Collected Poems of Leland Hickman, edited by Stephen MotikaStephen Motika-Life and work:Motika is the publisher of Nightboat Books, a literary non-profit publisher based in New York's Upper Delaware River Valley. He is the editor of Leland Hickman's Tiresias: The Collected Poems of Leland Hickman , and the author of the chapbook, "Arrival and At Mono" which was...
(Preface by Dennis Phillips and Afterwords by Bill Mohr), Nightboat Books, 2009.
External links
- Tribute to Leland Hickman links to this tribute sponsored by the Poetry Center, San Francisco State University on February 6, 2010. The event featured readers including: Todd Baron, Beverly DahlenBeverly DahlenBeverly Dahlen is an American poet who lives and works in San Francisco, CA.-Life and work:A native of Portland, Oregon where she attended public schools, Dahlen moved with her family to Eureka, California after World War II. In 1956, she resettled in San Francisco where she has lived for many years...
, Kathleen FraserKathleen Fraser-Early years:Fraser was born in 1937 and grew up in Oklahoma, Colorado, and California.-Her works:Kathleen Fraser's published works include What I Want , Magritte Series , New Shoes , Each Next, narratives , Something in the foreground, a lake , Notes Preceding Trust , When New Time Folds Up ,...
, Larry Kearney, Kevin KillianKevin KillianKevin Killian is an American poet, author, and playwright of primarily LGBT literature. He is also a highly regarded editor. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009...
, Bill MohrBill MohrWilbur T "Bill" Mohr was an Australian rules footballer who played with the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League ....
, Laura MoriartyLaura Moriarty-Life and work:Moriarty was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, grew up on Cape Cod in Massachusetts and has lived in Northern California since 1966. She attended Sacramento State University and the University of California at Berkeley in the 70s... - Leland Hickman’s Tiresias: The Collected Poems poet Pierre JorisPierre JorisPierre Joris, born in Strasbourg, France in 1946 and raised in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, is a poet and translator. He left Luxembourg at nineteen and since then has lived in the US, Great Britain, North Africa and France...
features Hickman on his blog in January 2010 to highlight a "Reading for Leland Hickman’s Tiresias: The Collected Poems which was held Jan. 13, 2010 at The Poetry Project @ St. Marks Church, NYC - Cd Shed Rage Shd Love Come a review of Hickman's Collected Poems by Kevin KillianKevin KillianKevin Killian is an American poet, author, and playwright of primarily LGBT literature. He is also a highly regarded editor. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009...
, featured at Amazon.com - Nightboat Publisher's page publisher of Tiresias: The Collected Poems, this site has information on Hickman's life and poetry, and updates on current events related to Hickman's resurgence
- The Register of Leland Hickman Papers 1950 - 1991 these are housed at the Mandeville Special Collections Library, Geisel Library, University of California, San DiegoUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
- Self & the Poem: Lee Hickman this is an excerpt from a 1984 letter from Lee Hickman to Todd Baron and was first read by Todd Baron at the recent "Tribute to Leland Hickman" (link in list above). According to Robin Tremblay-McGaw, this letter concerns Hickman's engagement with the question/problem of the "self" in poetry