Ted Joans was a painter, poet, trumpeter, and member of the New York Greenwich Village literary Beat Generation.The Ted Joans collection consists mainly of correspondence and notes (1969-2003).
Born in Cairo, Illinois, on July 4, 1928, Ted Joans spent his early years in the Midwest. In 1951, after earning a B.A. in Fine Arts from Indiana University, he moved to Greenwich Village, New York. Known as a Beat (jazz) poet, Joans was among the first poets to set his poems to jazz music. The author of over 30 books, Joans, a self identified surrealist, worked and wrote until the time of his death on May 7, 2003. He had relocated to Vancouver, Canada, after vowing to never live in the United States again, after the police officers involved in the killing of Amadou Diallo were acquitted of all charges.
Joans survived on the earnings from his art. He read his poems throughout the world, sold artwork he created, and earned royalties from his publications and the recordings of his readings. He maintained residences in Paris, France, and Timbuktu, Mali for many years and made frequent visits to the United States for speaking engagements and performances. On many occasions when visiting New York City, Joans stayed with his friend and attorney, Hy Shore, from whose estate the collection was acquired.
The Ted Joans collection consists mainly of correspondence and notes (1969-2003). The bulk of the material is between Hy Shore, Joans's attorney, agent and friend, with a folder of material on Jim Haynes, a client and friend of Hy Shore and a key social figure in the expatriate community in Paris. Also included is the typescript for "The Hipsters" (1961), poems, sketches, and cartoon style drawings (mostly on envelopes).
Gift of the Estate of Hy Shore, December 2002.
Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2022 April 16)
Accessioned by Nurah-Rosalie Jeter, January 2004.
Transferred to the Art and Artifacts Division: posters and art.
Transferred to the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division: books.
Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs.