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Letter 8
Lyle Saxon
Queries Houghton Mifflin
for
Fellowship or Publication of Christian
February
18, 1936
Mr.
Paul Brooks
In
care of Houghton
Mifflin
Publishing Co.
2
Park Street, Boston Massachusetts
Dear
Mr. Brooks:
I
have your letter of January 29, in which you sent blanks for the
1936 Literary fellowship. I regret to say that most of our
workers employed on the Federal Writers' Projects are not
creative writers, but among those who applied to me for work is
a Negro man, Marcus B. Christian, who seems to have a very
authentic talent. I have talked several times with this man and
it seems to me that he is really worth helping.
He
has published poems in "Opportunity" and other Negro
magazines, and he is now at work on an autobiographical poem
called 'The Clothes Doctor'. This man is largely self-taught,
and he operates a small pressing and cleaning shop. He refused
to be certified for relief. He is proud and says that he is not
asking the Government for help.
I
tried in every way to arrange to have him work on the Federal
Writers' Projects in Louisiana, but - because he refuses to be
certified and because of Governmental red tape - it is
impossible for me to give him the employment that he needs so
much.
I
do not know whether Houghton Mifflin is interested in Literary
Fellowships for poets, but I do believe that of all the writers
that I have seen since I have taken this job, Marcus Christian
is the one most likely to prove successful.
Although
I am under contract with another publishing house, I have always
had the friendliest feeling for Houghton Mifflin: first, because
you recognized the work of Oliver La Farge; second, because you
have given help to such a talent as that of E.P. O'Donnell; and
third, because you are publishing Frans Blom's book.
I
am enclosing some of the writings of Marcus B. Christian, but I
have said nothing to him about writing to you as I would dislike
to raise his hopes only to have them end in disappointment. If
you are interested in communicating with him, his address is 314
South Rocheblave Street.
Sincerely
yours,
Lyle
Saxon
State
Director, Federal Writers' Projects
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