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written in blue ink Edmunds address: 936 St. Charles Ave.

                                                                 New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
                                                                 Think he lives at YMCA

typed letter 20 Oct 1973 Jack oboyoboy:

         As you know by now I have sent northward my magnum opus to

THE NATION - last time I was in there was my calling Billy Graham "the Rasputin of the White House" and I still think he is, was, and evermore shall be.

         I have a feeling I didnt quite write what you wanted me to

write, but I must say your note was sort of flibberty-jibberty and I dood the best I could out of what I had to go on. I had read the review in OUR liberry and intended to write you about it - I was a bit surprised to see such a review after all these years.

        I tried to place review of Grant's poems in local Gazette and 

was rebuffed by managing editor who said he was sorry but they didnt review poetry and didnt print poetry - and he is a nice guy for all that. So I didnt know where else to go - I gave Grant addresses of the Richmond Va paper and Book Review Editor and no more I could do. You dont see many reviews of poetry - James Dickey, Edith (?) Plath, and a few black poets - chrise, the poets have all died and been replaced by modern robots - I cant read their poetry. No Emily Dickinsons, no Edna St Vincent Millays, no Edwin Arlington Robinson, not even an enemic Carl Sandburg or Robert Frost. Poetry has went down the drain it has.

     I am sorry if I flubbed up on The Nation deal, but I didnt know

that YOU wanted me to write and so I wrote what I FELT. underlined in red It was a radical time and Levin didnt know that - I remember the Wobblies my mother fed on the back porch - they ALWAYS talked radical - we were some miles from the railroad but they found their way - and they were always good guys, no bindlestiffs or hoboes - solid men, all of them. Good wholesome men - I liked talking to them. They smelled like people, none of this Faberge, Brut and such to make men smell like Gay Liberation shock troops. They smelled like farmers, and apple pickers, and blacksmiths, and carpenters - like people who worked for a living. They have lost their odor.

                                                                                      signature in red ink Jack II,

[[left-hand corner, illustration from advertisement of two men in full kilt garb drinking on a J&J Grant EST. 1840 barrel with a thistle and a smaller barrel labelled ROTHES in front of them see https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/whisky-heroes/6107/john-james-grant/]]

written in blue ink Just received your card - after your letter - will order W/R from local Bookshop - Alex. has several bookshops - one cut-rate one - maybe a regular bookshop will order some copies.