CHARLES GHIGNA PAPERS

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi

	Creator:	Charles Vincent Ghigna
	Title:	Charles Ghigna Papers
	Dates:	1965-2003
	Quantity:	8.10 cubic feet (25 boxes)
	Identification:	DG1054

Biographical Note

Charles Ghigna was born in Bayside, Long Island, New York, on August 25, 1946, to Charles Vincent and Patricia (Pelletier) Ghigna. His family moved to Fort Myers, Florida, when he was five years old. Ghigna enjoyed writing early in life and secretly took up poetry and journal writing while in school. He taught English at Cypress Lake Senior High School in Fort Myers from 1967 to 1973. He earned a B.A. degree in English in 1968 and a M.Ed. degree in 1969, both from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Ghigna published his first poem in Harper's magazine in September 1974 and devoted himself to writing free verse for adults. He was poet-in-residence at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham from 1974 to 1993. His Returning to Earth was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1990.

Charles Ghigna began writing poetry for children in the late 1980s. He published his first books of children's poetry, a pair of flip-over books entitled Good Dogs / Bad Dogs and Good Cats / Bad Cats, in 1992. Ghigna since has published nine more poetry books for children. He acquired the pseudonym Father Goose from schoolchildren to whom he read. Ghigna also authored the nationally syndicated light verse newspaper feature Snickers between 1993 and 1998, as well as publishing several books of free verse for adults.

Ghigna married Nancy Minnicks in 1967 and had a daughter, Julie Ann. They divorced in 1973. He married Debra Holmes, a writer, in 1975. They live in Homewood, Alabama, with their son, Chip, born in 1989.

Sources:
Something About the Author, ed. Alan Hedblad (Detroit: Gale Group, 2000), 108:92-94.
Charles Ghigna's Personal Website, www.charlesghigna.com, accessed 14 May 2003.

Scope and Content Note

The Charles Ghigna Papers contain manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, printed material, photographs, and clothing created and accumulated by Charles Ghigna between 1965 and 2003. Ghigna's papers were created from his composition of 19 published books, scores of published poems, numerous unpublished poems, and the syndicated newspaper feature Snickers; his participation in theatrical productions; his public appearances; and the management of his correspondence. The material is organized into seven series: Biographical Material, Books, Snickers, Other Published & Unpublished Poems, Theater Material, Public Appearances, and Correspondence.

The Biographical Material Series contains photographs and printed material providing information on Charles Ghigna's personal and professional lives between 1965 and 2001. The series includes clippings and announcements regarding his education, marriages, and other personal events of his early life, as well as publicity photographs and photographs of himself with noted poets. The bulk of the series consists of clippings of articles discussing Charles Ghigna's poetry career since 1970, mostly from Birmingham, Alabama, periodicals. It also contains articles on poetry composition written by Charles Ghigna, as well as interviews with him discussing his craft.

The Books Series consists of correspondence, typescripts, printed material, and photographic material concerning the composition, publication, and sale of 19 books of poetry for both children and adults. The material spans the years 1973 to 2002. The papers in the books series are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known. The quantity of material for specific titles varies tremendously, from a single clipping to an assortment of typescripts, proofs, correspondence, advertisements, and reviews. Following departmental custom, the processor has numbered each typescript and proof by order of creation (first, second, third, etc.). The container listing offers detailed descriptions of the holdings for each title and information on the material's process of creation may be gleaned easily from the container listing for each book.

TheSnickersSeries consists of printed material regarding Ghigna's nationally syndicated light verse newspaper feature Snickers, which he authored between 1993 and 1998.

The Other Published & Unpublished Poems Series includes correspondence, manuscripts, typescripts, and printed material for scores of poems published in magazines and anthologies, as well as unpublished poems. The material spans the years 1969 to 2002. The series is organized into three subseries: Correspondence, Production Material, and Printed Material.

The Correspondence Subseries consists of letters that Ghigna exchanged with publishers of literary periodicals and anthologies regarding poems he had submitted for publication between 1969 and 2002. Ghigna bundled together letters received from the same source, often creating blocks usually of between five and ten letters. Following Ghigna's own tentative arrangement, the correspondence is arranged chronologically according to the date of the first letter for each correspondent.

The Production Material Subseries consists of manuscripts and typescripts for 244 poems written between 1975 and 2002. Some of these poems were published, although the publication status of all of the poems is not known. More than one draft exists for many of the poems, which were written both for children and adults. Following Ghigna's own tentative arrangement, the material is arranged chronologically.

The Printed Material Subseries contains photocopies of more than 120 poems published in 17 children's periodicals between 1984 and 2001. The original periodicals have been removed, cataloged, and added to the published material held by the de Grummond Collection. The material is arranged alphabetically by the title of the periodical and the photocopies for each periodical are arranged chronologically. The subseries also includes printed material for four adult poems published in several formats between 1982 and 1999.

The Theater Material Series consists of clippings, theater programs, and a copy of a play that document Charles Ghigna's participation in the theater between 1968 and 1977. The clippings largely concern his acting with several theater companies in Fort Myers, Florida, between 1968 and 1973. The series also includes theater programs for productions by the Edison Players of Edison Community College in Fort Myers between 1971 and 1973, as well as a copy of Ghigna's one-act play of 1977, Cockroach.

The Public Appearances Series contains correspondence, printed material, clothing, and photographs concerning public appearances made by Charles Ghigna between 1974 and 2003. His appearances included poetry workshops, readings, and presentations; conference panel discussions; keynote speeches; book signings; and poetry contest judging. The series is organized into two subseries: Planning Records and Letters Received from Schoolchildren.

The Planning Records Subseries consists of correspondence and printed material created while planning public appearances between 1974 and 2003. Most of these appearances occurred at educational institutions in the southeastern United States, especially in Alabama and Mississippi, although Ghigna traveled outside the region on several occasions to make presentations. He bundled together letters received from the same source, often creating blocks usually of between five and ten letters. When he made his first donation of records concerning public appearances in December 1997, he had arranged the records chronologically by the date of his appearance. Following his filing scheme, all records donated after 1997 likewise have been arranged chronologically. A few appearances outside the Southeast generated a considerable amount of paperwork, so these bundles have been placed in their own files.

The Letters Received from Schoolchildren Subseries contains letters, poems, photographs, and articles of clothing received by Charles Ghigna from 31 groups of grammar school children that he had visited between 1990 and 2002. Prompted by their teachers, children often sent bundles of letters to Ghigna thanking him for a recent appearance at their school. The great majority of the classes represented in the subseries attended elementary schools in Alabama, although a handful came from Mississippi, Florida, and Alaska. The material is arranged chronologically

The Correspondence Series consists of correspondence and printed material exchanged between Charles Ghigna and his family members, friends, acquaintances, and other individuals between 1967 and 2003. The correspondence deals both with personal affairs and Ghigna's writing. The series is organized into three subseries: Family, Friends & Acquaintances, and Other Correspondence.

The Family Subseries consists of letters sent by Charles Ghigna to his parents between 1967 and 1994. It also includes three letters sent by his second wife, Debra Holmes Ghigna, to his parents in 1975-1976. Charles Ghigna sent four postcards to Debra Ghigna from Washington, D.C. when he traveled there to record poetry at the Library of Congress with Robert Hayden in March 1978. Ghigna filed these postcards with his correspondence with Robert Hayden, which now is in folder 19/3.

The Friends & Acquaintances Subseries consists of correspondence and printed material from familiar individuals who corresponded with Charles & Debra Ghigna between 1975 and 2002. The letters of 86 frequent correspondents-defined as individuals for whom at least three items exist-have been filed exclusively in separate folders. The most prominent of these, contributing at least fifteen pieces each, are poets Betty Adcock, Ann Deagon, James Dickey, Robert Hayden, X. J. Kennedy, and Michael Mott; authors Dr. Caroline Feller Bauer, Faye Gibbons, and Charles Nicholson; artists Howard Cruse and Armor Keller; editor/publisher Mary Veazey; and rare book dealer Jett Whitehead. The container listing provides a complete alphabetical list of all frequent correspondents.

When Ghigna made his first donation of correspondence from friends and acquaintances in October 1997, he had arranged the records alphabetically. Following his filing scheme, the letters of frequent correspondents donated after 1997 likewise have been arranged alphabetically. The remainder of the Ghignas' correspondents-those who contributed only one or two letters each-have been filed together in a group of folders for infrequent correspondents, so as to avoid creating an overlong list of correspondents in the container listing. These also are arranged alphabetically.

The Other Correspondence Subseries consists of correspondence with individuals who apparently were not family members, friends, or acquaintances of the Ghignas. The material spans the years 1974 to 2003 and has been organized by the processor according to the functions of the letters. The majority of the letters are either fan mail from both child and adult readers or correspondence regarding requests for biographical information, writing advice, or other assistance. The subseries also includes letters received from poets in response to fan letters sent by Charles Ghigna; letters of recommendation written on his behalf; and letters received from particularly eminent poets such as John Ciardi, Eve Merriam, Howard Nemerov, and Anne Sexton. Charles Ghigna intentionally separated these last letters from the rest of his correspondence because of the notoriety of the senders. More substantial correspondence with other celebrated poets is organized in the Friends & Acquaintances Subseries.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Separated Material

Oversize and odd-size material is kept in box 25. Original issues of children's periodicals that featured poems by Charles Ghigna have been removed, cataloged, and added to the published material held by the de Grummond Collection.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Charles Ghigna Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, (Cite the item's box/folder numbers).

Provenance

These papers were donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries by Charles Ghigna between 1997 and 2003.

Processing Information

Processed by Hans Rasmussen, June 2003. Encoded into EAD Version 1.0 by Danielle L. Bishop. This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Container Listing

Contact:
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
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