Kenneth Patchen Timeline

Courtesy of Larry Smith

Last updated 26 Jun 96

1911

Born Niles, Ohio, 13 December

1926

Attends Warren G. Harding School, Warren, Ohio

1927

Attends Warren G. Harding School, Warren, Ohio

1928

Publishes in school newspaper

1929

Attends Alexander Meikeljohn's Experimental College, Wisconsin
Publishes "Permanence" in the New York Times

1930

Attends Alexander Meikeljohn's Experimental College, Wisconsin
Attends Commonwealth College, Mena, Arkansas
On the road

1931

On the road

1932

Living and working in Boston
Publishes Lenin in Rebel Poet

1933

Meets Miriam Oikemus in Boston

1934

Marries Miriam Oikemus, 28 June
Moves to Greenwich Village, New York
Writes reviews for New Republic

1935

Living in Greenwich Village, New York

1936

Publishes first book of verse, Before the Brave

1937

Moves to Los Angeles
Sustains back injury
Lives in Los Angeles

1938

Lives in Los Angeles

1939

Moves to Norfolk, Connecticut
Works for James Laughlin at New Directions publishing company
Publishes Bury Them in God
Publishes First Will and Testament

1940

Moves to New York
Begins to write The Journal of Albion Moonlight

1941

Publishes The Journal of Albion Moonlight

1942

Publishes The Dark Kingdom
Publishes The Teeth of the Lion
Broadcasts The City Wears a Slouch Hat (Radio Play)

1943

Publishes Cloth of the Tempest

1944

Wins Ohioana Award for Cloth of the Tempest

1945

Publishes Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer

1946

Publishes An Astonished Eye Looks Out of the Air
Publishes Outlaw of the Lowest Planet
Publishes Sleepers Awake
Publishes Pictures of Life and Death
Publishes Panels for the Walls of Heaven
Publishes They Keep Riding Down All the Time
Publishes Selected Poems

1947

Moves to Old Lyme, Connecticut
Publishes introduction to Job. Invented and Engraved by William Blake

1948

Publishes CCCLXXIV Poems
Publishes To Say if You Love Someone
Publishes See you in the Morning

1949

Publishes Red Wine and Yellow Hair

1950

First major spine operation

1951

Moves to California

1952

Living in San Francisco
Publishes Orchards, Thrones and Caravans

1953

Publishes Fables and Other Little Tales

1954

Receives Shelley Memorial Award
Publishes The Famous Boating Party
Publishes Poems of Humor and Protest

1955

Publishes Glory Never Guesses

1956

Undergoes spinal fusion operation
Publishes Surprise for the Bagpipe Player

1957

Pioneers Poetry-Jazz with the Chamber Jazz Sextet
Records Kenneth Patchen Reads with the Chamber Jazz Sextext
Publishes Hurrah for Anything
Publishes When we were here together

1958

Publishes Poemscapes

1959

Sustains further back injury during surgery
Publishes the play Don't Look Now

1960

Publishes Because It Is
Publishes The Love Poems of Kenneth Patchen

1961

Records Kenneth Patchen Reads His Love Poems

1966

Publishes Hallelujah Anyway
Publishes Doubleheader

1967

Receives award from National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities for "life-long contribution to American letters"

1968

Publishes But Even So
Publishes The Collected Poems
Publishes Love and War Poems

1970

Publishes Aflame and Afun of Walking Faces
Publishes There's Love All Day

1971

Publishes Wonderings
Publishes Tell You That I Love You

1972

Dies California, 8 January
Tribute held at City Lights Poets Theater, 2 February
In Quest of Candlelighters published, May 1972

1977

Tribute to Kenneth Patchen published
Patchen's Lost Plays published

1980

Still another Pelican in the Breadbox published

1984

What Shall We Do Without Us? published


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