Clarence Major Papers

Clarence Major, born in Atlanta, Georgia, was raised in Chicago where he briefly attended the Chicago Art Institute. He began writing before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1955, during which he continued to write poems and short stories. From 1958 to 1961 he edited Coercion Review, which put him in touch with such writers as William Carlose Williams, Robert Creeley, and Allen Ginsberg, and allowed him to continue to develop his craft. In 1966 Major moved to New York City, where he became further immersed in the black literary culture. He has held professorships at the City University of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, Queens College, Howard University, the University of Washington at Seattle, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. A painter and novelist as well as poet, Major currently teaches at the University of California, Davis, as a professor of English.