Friday, April 27, 2018

FFM: SILO, Fall 1963, edited by Lynne Coleman and Stephanie Spinner: Bob Dylan, Holland Taylor, William Marshall, Sandra Hochman, Gerard Malanga, et al.

SILO

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is an unusually-highly-prized/priced (for collectors) issue of this largely forgotten literary magazine; published beginning in 1942 at Bennington College, in 1963 as today a magnet for students from wealthy families who leaned into their talents (though then still a women-students-only institution), and a school willing to pay for "marquee" faculty. In 2016, perhaps the last annual issue, 73, was posted online as The Silo.

But this issue manages to gather a rather (eventually, at least) impressive set of students, faculty and a visiting folk singer who passed along the lyrics of a new song he was trying out at an on-campus concert. So...I'm not going to invest the fat little wad of money this issue is being offered for...but thought it worth citing in this context.

Update: I have been informed that Karen Jackel picked up a onetime Best Story from the College Literary Magazines award for this story, the contest judged by Leslie Fiedler...
No. 4 (presumably among 1963 issues; perhaps the title for this issue was for some reason Silo 4). Bennington, VT: Bennington College, Fall 1963. Size (h/w): 23 x 16.5 cm. 
Edited by Lynne Coleman and Stephanie Spinner. Contributions by Ellen Wilbur, Holland Taylor, Gerard Malanga, Sandra Hochman (later a notable film documentarian as well as poet, novelist and memoirist), William Meredith, Karen Jackel and Bob Dylan (insert of page reproducing a holograph of his first version of "The Times They Are A Changin"). 


Anne Waldman, later editor of Silo, was "Board member for poetry" at the time of this issue. "Cited for two first-place awards as the most outstanding college literary magazine in America." Artwork included (inserts) by Megan Parry Marash, Gitta Steiner (primarily a composer of music), Tonia Noell (as Tonia Noell-Roberts she had illustrations later in at least one chemistry text and a Carl Rogers book on psychology for lay readers).



I might yet review Jackel's novel, Living and Learning, which was published as a mass-market original contemporary-mimetic novel by Avon in 1972. Copies of this novel are a lot less expensive...it starts well, but becomes rather precious rather quickly...



For more of today's books, please see Patti Abbott's blog...

2 comments:

George said...

Needless to say, I have never seen a copy of SOLO before this. You have incredible taste for obscure books! I love it!

Todd Mason said...

Or, even, SILO, this issue at least an interesting slice (I have to wonder what other issues have in terms of early work from interesting contributors)...a lot of grain stored here, or at least a number of missiles (among the students) waiting to be launched...thanks!