Thoughts on a Jim Carroll Blog

[Michaela Jones]

Hi all,

I’ve been following the recent conversation about starting a blog connected to CatholicBoy.com, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. Beyond the concrete archival material, Jim Carroll’s life and art invite so many personal stories, reflections, and memories that deserve a space of their own.

A blog could be a place where fans share anecdotes, interpretations, and even creative responses inspired by Carroll’s work. It wouldn’t replace the main site but could add a more personal layer to the community. I’d be very interested in contributing and reading what others have to say.

What do you all think about shaping it as a “living archive” of stories and reflections?

Warmly,

Michaela

[Your Name]Hi all, I’ve been following the recent conversation about starting a blog connected to CatholicBoy.com, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. Beyond the concrete archival material, Jim Carroll’s life and art invite so many personal stories, reflections, and memories that deserve a space of their own. A blog could be a place where fans share anecdotes, interpretations, and even creative responses inspired by Carroll’s work. It wouldn’t replace the main site but could add a more personal layer to the community. I’d be very interested in contributing and reading what others have to say. What do you all think about shaping it as a “living archive” of stories and reflections? Warmly, [Yo 

[Jeremiah Underwood]

Does anyone have access to any of Jims old Chapbooks? 

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[Cassie Carter]

Which old chapbooks do you mean?

There are a few items you might be talking about, all of them rare collector’s items and most in the higher price ranges. These include:

• Organic Trains 
• 4 Ups and 1 Downs
• Poem, Interview, Photographs (White Fields Press)
• “Cheered and Greeted” and “A Window in Cherry Valley” (Adventures in Poetry, 1973)
• Valentine (1996)
• Hearts & Sinew
• Bolinas Poems

Some or possibly all of these are available in the Jim Carroll archive at NYPL (these are the copies that were in JC’s possession when he died). You may be able to view these by appointment— check out the website.

When I was doing my original research on JC in the late 80s - early 90s I actually got 4 Ups and 1 Down via inter library loan! (I made a photocopy of it and that’s what I have in my collection.)

These items are also offered for sale in a bunch of places, including rare bookstores and eBay. Check out the collecting tips on the catholic boy website: 

https://www.catholicboy.com/WP/works/collecting-jim-carroll/

I have photos and details about all of these things on the website. Every poem and bit of text by JC in these items is available in JC’s books or on the website (generally not both) EXCEPT for “Hearts & Sinew” (2 Sherlock Holmes poems) and the interview in the Whitefields Press chapbook.

Cassie 

[Jeremiah Underwood]

All of them, but especially his earlier work

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[Jeremiah Underwood]

I have fear of dreaming 

The book of nods 

Basketball diaries 

Forced entries 

Void 

The zoo

I want some new jim Carroll or an actual copy of one of his first chapbooks?

Do you think there are unpublished poems?

[Cassie Carter]

Oh, there are definitely unpublished poems!

For JC's memorial at St Mark's I pulled out a set of poems for me and "the breakfast club" to read. Yes, there are unpublished poems.

I am not sure what you mean by "his first chapbooks."

Cassie

P.S. no worries about spam

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[Jeremiah Underwood]

Thank you for replying. Is there anyway to read the unpublished stuff? 

By his early chapbooks I mean 4 ups and 1 down (I think it's called) and organic trains. 

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[Cassie Carter]

All of the poems in 4 Ups and 1 Down are republished in Living at the Movies and Fear of Dreaming.

Organic Trains has never been reprinted (and probably never will be) but you may find something useful if you read the entire web page about Organic Trains.

As for any unpublished work, no, at the moment there is no way to read it, unless you go dig around the archive at NYPL, and I am not sure what might be there in physical form. Some people who have spent time in the archives have told me about handwritten journals containing work they hadn't seen before (like some notes about a possible "rock n roll diary" JC had talked about, as well as some notes for the other novel that came to him at the same time as *The Petting Zoo*), but so far nobody has mentioned poems. I, actually, would look for poems in the margins of the books from JC's library. There should also be a bunch of CDs and possibly other digital formats and those might contain some poetry in addition to original files for *Void of Course*, many notes and drafts for *Petting Zoo*, and possibly unpublished poems mixed throughout.  Any extant digital files such as the ones with JC's notes and drafts I used for *The Petting Zoo* that contain unpublished work are not mine to share. I hope eventually to do more digging around and maybe find enough to make up a (likely small) collection of unpublished work. But before I undertake such an effort I will need to have the estate's blessing, and that means Rosemary Carroll. Although she sometimes answers my emails, most of the time she doesn't. She's a busy lady, and I won't ask her until I am ready and able to follow up on the job.

I don't know if you have already read the various articles JC published but if you are interested in his prose you might want to check them out. These, along with a bunch of uncollected poems (published but never collected into books) are here: https://www.catholicboy.com/WP/works/articles-poems-by-jim-carroll/

Cassie

[Jeremiah Underwood]

Yeah, I've read the files you included. Thank you for doing that. And I do understand that the poems are in Fear of dreaming. 

What I'm trying to do is get a copy of the original printings. Like the physical chapbook. 

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[Cassie Carter]

Omg I just found Brent “Bunty Gargen” Garren’s copy of Organic Trains for sale for $3823.87!

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Organic-Trains-Poems-CARROLL-Jim-New/31947346277/bd

I didn’t even have to read the description because it’s signed to “Brent” and mentions the “great typing job.” Garren was Jim’s Marxist pal Bunty Gargen. Brent and his girlfriend Janet (with whom I astoundingly discovered I was sharing an office circa 1999) typed the book. (It looks like the seller pulled details directly from my website for the description. I wonder if Brent brought it in himself? Heh)

Oh I wish I had the money for this!

Anyway, I was going to direct you to a copy for sale at Strand Books for only $300. That’s as cheap as they get: 

https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Organic-Trains-Jim-Carroll-N.P-N.P/32343566205/bd

Again, you can look on abebooks.com, book find.com, biblio.com, and eBay (to name a few) and generally find interesting rare JC stuff.

Cassie 

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