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Wright,
Talbot & Stephen Matthews, eds.
MS. A Literary Workshop. Los Angeles: Ms. A Literary Workshop, 1940-44. 8vo. First two issues each two folded, unbound sheets
mimeographed from typescript on rectos only; subsequent issues mimeographed
from typescript and drawing on both recto and verso, and saddle-stapled in
printed card wraps. Final four issues offset printed. Some moderate
dampstaining to no. 5, else all issues very good with expected toning.
After a long search, I was able to track down what I believe to be all issues published of this early west coast little magazine
of the Mimeograph Revolution, published "on behalf of the new writers of Southern California". Editorship is not explicitly named in any issue; the
correspondence address for the first two issues was Talbot Wright, and changed
to Stephen Matthews for subsequent issues. MS. belongs to that strain of the
Mimeograph Revolution which developed out of the anti-war sentiment of the
Second World War (such as Untide and Compass). MS. published the work of
renegade poets who worked well away from established literary centers, using
the technology of Mimeograph to overcome their geographical isolation, in
common with such magazines as Judson Crews’ Motive, and the first version of
Kenneth Beaudoin’s Iconograph – MS. shared writers with both of those
publications, and also Crescendo, Matrix, etc. This strand of the Mimeograph
Revolution that happened in the forties away from the established literary
centers deserves its own book length study, as most of these magazine are
criminally overlooked.
Primarily a literary
magazine, later issues also included some woodcuts and linocuts, including some
beautiful linocuts in red by Connie Stengal in issue 8.
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| Linocuts by Connie Stengal |
Issue 10 includes some very early
work by Jay Rivkin, predating her better known assemblage work (the
biographical note here states that Rivkin “attended no art school, does pottery
and greeting card art.")The magazine was notable for the inclusion of a higher
than normal ratio of women contributors, and it also included contributions
from a number of active and retired members of the armed forces.
The masthead of issue 9 notes that included the
magazines Perspective, The Morgue, Newsletter, and Memo. At this point the war took a heavy toll on little magazines. In issue 8 the
editor announced the beginning of his own service, and around this time changed
the spelling of his name to “Steven Matthews” (unless editorship actually passed to another
individual). Issue 9 bore a lament on the difficulties of publishing the
magazine while in active service.
At least one further number was published, no. 10, in
’43 or ’44, which was perhaps the most politically involved issue. It includes
the poem “Dig the Grave Deep”, by an anonymous Polish Guerilla, and a protest
against the concentration camp internment of Japanese Americans by Harry Yanos,
with three letters from Japanese Americans. No editors or correspondence name
is listed for this issue. The contributor notes were written by Jack Hughes. In the shop talk
section, Alan Swallow lists the fellow little magazines that had ceased
publication due to manpower and paper shortages; also, “Finding worthwhile
material is troublesome with so many writers in the military.” We are aware of
no further issues of the magazine; perhaps it fell prey to the same wartime
stresses that caused so many fellow magazines to cease publication.
Authors published across the numbers include Stephen
Guy, Oliver Sudden, Max Bowman, Gregory Ames, Leo W. Fielding, William
Peterson, Mark Keats, Josephine Ain, J. Andrews, Ralph Lee, Leo Baefsky, Sidney
Siegel, Harry Cimring, Leonard Lickerman, Gilbert Romaine, Robert Thorson, Mata
Rae Friedman, Victor Tarrish, Cecile Kyle, Richard Lake, Ben Macin, Mark Keats,
Steve Pratt, Catherine Ruth Smith, Joseph Crowley, H. N. Baker, Connie Stengal,
Elizabeh Knapp, Mary Graham Lund, Oscar Collier, Rita Michaels, Veta Griggs,
Sylvia Logan, Marion Lee, Manfred Carter, Raymond Kresensky, James Franklin
Lewis, Jay Rivkin, Irving Meyers, Fritz Eichenberg, Judson Crews, Kenneth
Beaudoin, Wendell Anderson (very early work, done while he lived in Oregon),
Scott Greer, Charles Angoff, Alan Swallow, and Taro Suzuki (a member of the
Nisei Writers Club). Hoffman et al. p. 354 (though they were only able to find
two single issues to consult).
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OCLC locates six holdings, most of which
appear to be incomplete, and none which note an issue past no. 10. Decidedly
uncommon. SOLD.
