ARIZONA QUARTERLY

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · TUCSON

December 14, 1945

Dr. William Carlos Williams
9 Ridge Road
Rutherford, New Jersey

Dear Dr. Williams:

I have been enjoying your poems for a long
time, as a matter of fact, since Al Que Quiere and
have recently had much pleasure in reading the whole
Collected Poems. Also The Wedge. I wish very much
that you could be persuaded to send us a poem, per-
haps a part of Paterson for publication in the
ARIZONA QUARTERLY.

Or a story. I admired *First Act*. Or an
article. Or an essay. I remember how much I en-
joyed *In the American Grain*.

We do not pay. Cannot. All we can offer
is the grateful admiration of the people who read
our magazine, and a year's subscription. We would
be very happy if you would send us something.

HB:ih

ARIZONA QUARTERLY

January 25, 1946

Dear Dr. Williams:

When the Editorial Board met yesterday, a couple of them squirmed a little over the reference to an abortion. Please, they pleaded, does it have to be said; you know the President of our institution - I do. He would fire me! Shall I let him? It might be better. At any rate, I don't want to touch a word of your story. I want to print it as it is, but you did mention in your letter that it had not been quite completed. With some sort of hope, but not much, I am sending back a copy, hoping that you might be able to do to it something that is still your intention but which the President will not scream over. It's all very silly, but, as Jimmy Durante says - "Those are the conditions that prevail."

We go to press February 12 - 15. This isn't much time. That's another thing.

I am rather depressed about the whole thing.
Please let me know.

HB:ih
Encl.

University of Arizona
TUCSON

RADIO BUREAU

February 13, 1946

Dear Dr. Williams:

It was pleasant but rather astonishing to hear
that our natural way of doing business stuck out so
obviously in the little magazine field as a special
courtesy. I cannot imagine any other way of doing the
job. Still it was very generous of you to mention it.

Your poem *The Horse* is wonderful. We are planning to use it as the first item in the Spring issue. It will be in good company with fine articles by Martin Schutze, Eric Bentley, Anne Armstrong; stories by Carlos Bulosan, Berthold Viertel, O'Kane Foster. E. E. Cummings, who is here now, has promised a poem. Perhaps we may have another contribution from you for future issues.

I treasure the copy of *The Horse* which you in-
scribed to me.

HB:ih

I don't know the Behns you mention and am not
sure that I read "San Turce" correctly. I believe my
father was related to Sosthenes Behn of I.T. & T., but
I don't know him personally. It would be interesting to
hear what more you could say about the Behns you know.
I presume all of them are related somehow - except
Aphra (that libidinous poet, but poet)!