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Mary Norbert Körte papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.408

Biographical / Historical note

Born in 1934, Mary Norbert Körte grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Her younger years were heavily influenced by her Catholic family and when she graduated high school in 1952 she joined the St. Rose Convent in San Francisco (Körte, Knight 257). During this period in her life she earned a master’s degree in Silver Latin but continued to strictly practice her faith (Knight 258).

Her life changed forever when she attended the Berkeley Poetry Conference in 1965. She was the only nun in attendance but was deeply moved. “She [had] found her true calling (Knight 258).” Excited by her new found love, she stole food from the Convent to give to her starving poet friends and started writing a different, more unconfined type of poetry (Knight 258-9).

In 1968, Körte realized that her religious community did not share her penchant for political activism and writing. She left the convent the same year and moved to Berkeley. Obtaining a job in the psychology department at the University of California, Körte was able to explore herself as a writer and an activist (Knight 258).

In the fall of 1972, Körte was nominated for a National Endowment award and later that year moved to a residence in the Redwood Forest in Mendocino County, California, where she wrote extensively (Biography 260-261). Along with her writing and activism she took up a new project, that of being an environmentalist (Knight 259-260).

Before 1997, Körte had spent most of her life teaching. She was one of the original Poet/Teachers for the California Poets in the Schools program. Thirty years of her life was devoted to this program (Kurt Raw Data). In 1997 she stopped teaching to be the Environmental Director for Coyote Valley Tribe (Biography). To support herself she taught at a college on an Indian reservation, bringing the joys of writing to students.

Her own publications include Beginning of Lines (1968), Hymn To The Gentle Sun (1967), and Mammals of Delight (1978). Her work is also included in many anthologies, Remember Our Fire: Poetry by Women (1969) and Poems Read in the Spirit of Peace & Gladness (1966) among them.

Scope and Contents

The Mary Norbert Körte Papers consists of 10 boxes of Körte's personal papers, including correspondence, manuscript and printed material, works by other authors, printed material and ephemera, biographical documents and materials.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1966-2010

Language of Materials

English

Extent

10 box(es)

Access

The Mary Norbert Körte Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Mary Norbert Körte Papers, D.408, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Bibliography

Selected Bibliography

Körte, Mary Norbert. For Gertrude Stein: Notes on the Statewide Conference. [Mendocino County, California]: Everybody Knows Press, 1960.

Körte, Mary Norbert. For the Diggers--: A Perhaps Poem. San Francisco: Communications Corp, 1960. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Le Jeune David. Detroit, Mich: Detroit Artist's Workshop, 1966. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Adam: A Poem for Michael McClure. Berkeley: The Author], 1966.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Hymn to the Gentle Sun: Poems. [Kensington, Calif.]: Oyez, 1967. PS3561.K78h

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Beginning Is the Life Is the Word. [Berkeley, CA]: Oyez, 1967. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Jester Is Not Always Volunteer. Berkeley, Calif: Oyez, 1967. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert & Kenneth Patchen. Beginning of Lines: Response to Albion Moonlight. Berkeley [Calif.]: Oyez, 1968.

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Sign of the Fool: Poems. [S.l.]: Pacifica-Middle Earth Press, 1968.

Körte, Mary Norbert, Jess Villalva, and Clayton C. Barbeau. The Generation of Love. New York: Bruce Pub. Co, 1969.

Körte, Mary Norbert. "My Day Has Been Beautiful, How Was Yours?"; "The Going": Two Poems. [Berkeley? Calif.]: Oyez, 1969. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Two Poems. [Berkeley]: Oyez/White Rabbit, 1969.

Körte, Mary Norbert. While We Slept, America. San Francisco: [Cranium Press], 1969. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. A Breviary in Time of War. San Francisco: Cranium Press, 1970.

Körte, Mary Norbert. 4th of July. [S.l.]: Hermes Free Press, 1970. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. A Grammar of War. San Francisco: Cranium Press, 1970. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Midnight Bridge. Berkeley [Calif.]: Oyez, 1970. PS3561.K78m

Körte, Mary Norbert, and Clifford Burke. Reading from the I Ching. S.l: s.n.], 1970.

Körte, Mary Norbert, Clifford Burke, and Allen Say. This Room Within My Self Wants Light. Berkeley, Calif: Oyez], 1970.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Fourth Annual Protest Poem against War. San Francisco: Cranium Press, 1971. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Window: Poem for the Death of Kenneth Patchen. Santa Cruz, Ca: The Lime Kiln Press, 1972. Broadside.

Hitchcock, George, Mary Norbert Körte, Peter Veblin, Naomi Clark, John Skinner, and William Everson. West to the Water; Six Poets: a Santa Cruz Portfolio; George Hitchcock, Mary Norbert Körte, Peter Veblin, Naomi Clark, John Skinner [and] William Everson. [Santa Cruz, Calif.]: The Lime Kiln Press, 1972. Six broadsides.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Any Day Now, Any Day Now Bob Dylan: A Collection of Contemporary Female Poets. California?: s.n, 1973.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Lines Bending. [Berkeley, Calif.]: Oyez, 1978.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Mammals of Delight. Berkeley: Oyez, 1978.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Finally When You Have To. [Mendocino, Calif.]: Everybody Knows Press, 1982. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. The Generation of Teachers Like Fire: A Poem to Honor Cecile Scully Körte. Mendocino, Calif: Black Bear Press, 1983.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Stalking the Wild Beatles. London: British Museum, 1986. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Greenham Women Are Every Where. S.l: Rainyday Women Press, 1987.

Körte, Mary Norbert. My Mother & Gaia & the Mole. Willits, [Calif.]: Rainy Day Women Press, 1989.

Körte, Mary Norbert. When She Hides. [Willits, Calif.]: Rainy Day Women Press, 1989. Broadside.

Körte, Mary Norbert, and Henry Massie. In the River the Roar of a Train: Poems of the Noyo. Willits, Calif: Rainy Day Women Press, 1990.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Throwing Firecrackers Out the Window While the Ex-Husband Drives By. Willits, Calif: Rainy Day Women Press, 1991.

Körte, Mary Norbert. Sesquicentennial Anniversary. 2000. An anniversary questionnaire. Sanctuary Station, Mendocino County.

Körte, Mary Norbert. An Edited Biography. Raw Data. Willits, California. This is a piece of information that she wrote and edited. This is one of the original versions but we are also in possession of other versions.

Compilations:

Black, Gordon Leon. Low Tech in the Great Northwest. Albion, Calif: Pygmy Forest Press, 1990.

Bohn, Dave, and John Carpenter. The Authorized Checklist. Oyez. Berkeley: [White Rabbit and Oyez?], 1997

Bovarney, Dot, and Jodi Gehrman. Small Mirrors: (2007). Ukiah, Calif: Friends of the Mendocino College Library, 2007

Cregg, Magda. Hey Lew: Homage to Lew Welch. Bolinas, Cal. (Box 964, Bolinas 94924): M. Cregg, 1997. Rhees Stacks PS3573.E45 Z6 1997

Di Prima, Diane. Seminary Poems. Point Reyes Station [Calif.]: Floating Island Publications, 1991.

Palmer, Doug, and Tove Neville. Poems Read in the Spirit of Peace & Gladness. Berkeley, Calif: Peace & Gladness Co-op Press, 1966.

Weiss, Ruth. For These Women of the Beat. S.l.: 3300 Press, 1997.

Aldebraran Review

Berkeley Poetry Conference

Blue Moon

Everything Irish

Hollow Orange 3

Manhattan Review

Or, Oar, Ore #1

Phantasm

Quarterly News-Letter

Remember Our Fire

The The

Three Poems for Christmas

Way Poems

See also: Knight, Brenda. "Mary Norbert Körte: Redwood Mama Activist." Women of the Beat Generation: the Writers, Artists, and Muses at the Heart of a Revolution. Berkeley, CA: Conari, 1996. 257-61. Print. PS508.W7 W585 1996

Title
Mary Norbert Körte papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA