PAUL R. CHESEBRO
HEADMASTER

THE HUN SCHOOL OF PRINCETON
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY

Thomas Edward Francis, Co-Director
The National Library of Spoken Literature &
The Living Voice Anthology

October 9, 1960

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127 th Street
New York 35, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Would you consider a recording-reading session for the LIVING VOICE ANTHOLOGY on Saturday evening, January 14, 1961 at 7:00 P.M.? The fee to cover your expenses will be $60,00. I do wish it could be more, but your trip here to Princeton will be financed by the boys of the Hun School Writer's Club. The reading-recording session will be limited to an informal group of boys and selected faculty limited to twenty-five in number. We will serve coffie and tea and attempt a literary discussion. My long range plans for 1961 would include putting your poetry on to disk and tape for free use in educational circles, classrooms etc.

I realize that your fee must be much more than I can offer, but I do hope that you will seriously consider my offer to both read and discuss your poetry with interested boys and to plan your spoken voice for disk and tape. I feel certain that each boy will wish to buy the latest copy of your book of verse and therefore suggest you bring or have sent to me twenty-five to thirty copies which you can autograph. Twenty five books will help, in one way, make the fee a little more than nothing.

You will be joining many great poets who have agreed to come this Fall and winter if you accept. Some of those coming are: Richard Eberhart, William C. Williams, Alfred Dorn, George Abbe, Archibald MacLeish, Mark Van Doren, Richard Wilbur, Robert Hillyer, John Hall Wheelock, Padaric Colum and Rose Davison. Your presence will not only create a good atmosphere for growing boys deeply interested in literature, but will certainly give an added impact to poetry in the field of education. Please let me know immediately if you are interested, and if the above date is possible.

Sent: 10-19-60

Bio sheet
SIH bill
Port Town program
L. A. Poetry-Jazz program

October 14, 1960

Mr. Thomas Edward Francis,
Hun School,
P. O. Box 271,
Princeton, New Jersey.

Dear Mr. Francis:

You LIVING VOICE ANTHOLOGY sounds most interesting, and I would be delighted to be a participant.

At the moment, the evening of Saturday, January 14, 1961, seems feasible, and I am putting it on my calendar. I have a Theatre Guild play, TAMBOURINES TO GLORY, in the offing, which the Guild expects to bring to Broadway this season, preceded by a road tour, the time as yet not set. As author, during this tryout period, I am contracted to travel with the play. If, at mid-January, I am in Chicago or Detroit, there is the eventuality that your date might have to be changed. But I think this rather unlikely. I only mention it, just in case.

Certainly I will be pleased to have books of mine available for autographing.

With my thanks to you for the invitation,

PAUL R. CHESEBRO
HEADMASTER

THE HUN SCHOOL OF PRINCETON

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY

Thomas Edward Francis, Director

The Living Voice Anthology

January 2, 1961

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127th Street
New York 35, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

In regard to your reading and recording at THE LIVING VOICE, I hope
that the date we set still stands: January 14, 1961, Saturday Evening
at 7:30. If you plan on coming to Princeton early please let me know so
I can make arrangements to make you comfortable. Please let me know what
your tarin schedule will be and if you plan to stay overnight here. If
you will be staying overnight I will try and find you room at either Nassau
Inn or Princeton Inn. I will need to know this immediately. I believe, from
past experience with poets who have visited us here, that there are no trains
leaving Princeton Saturday night for New York. You can check this at your
end. The program will consist of your reading poetry for approximately
one hour or so plus a discussional period ( very informal ) following where
boys can ask you questions about your poetry and poetry in general. Also
a short period where you can autograph books and talk briefly with each as you
autograph is volume.

I suggest that you contact your publisher and have him send me copies
of your book on consignment, say 30. If you have two still in print it
might be worth while to have both sent - I think we will be able to sell them.
How does this sound? Have them sent to me as soon as possible as I will
try to sell as many as possible previous to the reading.

I also wish to discuss with you my new text book to be called Poetry-in-the-Round. It will be published by National Poetry Association. I am hoping to include your poetry in the book, but need selected items from you which we can discuss when you are here. At the moment my Poetry-in-the-Round project is red hot. Camulet Writer's Conference to be held at Indiana University this May or June will be devoted to Poetry-in-the-Round. I also am interested in having you as one of the main speakers. We can discuss this when you come also. I do hope you will be interested as we plan MacLeish, VanDoren and Wheelock also.

The Living Voice project in Princeton has been successful this year
and we are looking forward to a new year of recordings. In 1960 we had
George Abbe, Alfred Dorn, W. Carlos Williams, Padaric Colum, Wheelock and
Eberhart. This new season will begin with you and have scheduled Van Doren,
MacLeish, Brackett, Rose Davison, Gustav Davidson, Abbie Huston Evans, Caroline
Gordon Tate, and James Dicky. I am sure this season will be as successful.

THE HUN SCHOOL OF PRINCETON

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY

-2-

PAUL R. CHESEBRO
HEADMASTER

I should like to have you record two hours of selected poetry for the LIVING VOICE besides your reading and discussion on the 14th. Can this be done previous to your coming here? Or would you rather record it here before or after the reading. I believe it would be easier for you if you have a recorder or access to one to record two hours of your selected poetry before the 14th. We need three hours for the National Library of Spoken Literature and your tapes will be the 5,102 added to the LIVING VOICE shelves. Let me know on this matter so I can plan.

Looking forward to hearing from you immediately on these important matters, and seeing you the 14th,

January 5, 1961

Dear Mr. Francis:

Our communications crossed. I must have
been writing you about the same time you
were writing me.

I have friends in Princeton and will stop
with them, perhaps driving up early Satur-
day afternoon. So if you will let me know
exactly where to come about 6:30 before the
program, I will be there. The books have
already been ordered sent directly from my
publishers, Alfred A. Knopf.

Regarding the Living Voice project (of
which I do not believe you informed me before)
perhaps we could make a two-hour tape at
Princeton on Sunday or Monday, since I think
I will spend the entire weekend with my
friends there. Would the use of my Knopf
poetry EBM "on disc and tape for free use
in educational circles, classrooms, etc.,"
as you state, require clearance with Alfred
A Knopf? I know Knopf does not permit the
large scale mimeographing or free reprinting
of any of their authors for classroom use, or
otherwise. And from your letter of October 9,
I did not gather that there would be a two-
hour taping in addition to the 7 P. M. student
session, for possible wide use elsewhere than
at Princeton. So maybe this had best be
cleared with the publishers.

In any case, I'll be seeing you on the 14th.

With cordial regards,

January 18, 1961

Mr. Thomas E. Francis,
Hun School of Princeton,
P.O. Box 271,
Princeton, New Jersey.

Dear Mr. Francis:

Mr. Hughes inquired at Alfred A. Knopf concerning the delay in the books ordered for The Hun School and was informed that a two week delay in all orders was caused by the Random House, Alfred Knopf merger.

The books were posted to you on the 17th, so I assume that you have received them. If your students still desire to purchase the books, sell them and send the money and any additional books to Mr. Hughes at His New York Address. (The order has been charged to Mr. Hughes' account) If the students do not want the books, return the parcel, unopened, to Alfred A. Knopf.

I regret that the books did not arrive so that Mr. Hughes could autograph the students' copies.

Go well.