Red Herring Poets Papers, 1975-1986 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes records of the organization, such as membership lists, meeting minutes and notes, newspaper clippings, and advertising materials such as flyers and posters. It also contains correspondence dealing with group matters, particularly their publications. There are also materials relating to the first volume of the Blue Moon anthology.

Biographical/Historical Context:

Formed in the fall of 1974, the Red Herring Poets hosted weekly poetry workshops and monthly meetings at the Red Herring Coffeehouse, located at the Channing-Murray Foundation in Urbana. "The Herring" published Matrix, an annual poetry collection, and also Blue Moon, an annual fiction anthology.

Acquisition Source: The papers of the Red Herring Poets were acquired with the papers of Illinois Writers, Inc., between 1985 and 1987, but were separated to form a distinct collection in 1990.