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Poet Keith Wilson (see "Wilson, Keith" file) had asked Brigham to send some poetry to Merton for publication in Monks Pond. Merton decides to include her poems in the last three of his total four Monks Pond issues. Included are original letters to and from Merton concerning Merton's thoughts on Brigham's poems and details about their publication in Monks Pond.
Besmilr Brigham was born in Pace, Mississippi in 1923. Although spending much in her life traveling to places such as France, Central America, and Mexico, she was living in Horatio, Arkansas, the home of her parents, at the time of correspondence with Merton. She now lives with her daughter and son-in-law, the poet Keith Wilson, in New Mexico. In 1971, she published the book Heaved from the Earth. Merton had many good things to say about another book she was attempting to publish at the time of writing entitled The Tiger (Source: The United States of Poetry website, a program produced by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting).
Please click here for general restrictions concerning Merton's correspondence.
See also Monks Pond.
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1968/01/22 (#01) |
TLS to Merton |
Passed on to me through Keith Wilson an 'invitation' to submit to Monks Pond. Are you planning to |
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«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1968/01/22? (#02) |
other to Merton |
Besmilr Brigham--- drag sheet [-] Biography-- Choctaw (French, Irish and English) from my |
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[curriculum vitae for Brigham]
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1968/02/28 (#01) |
TLS from Merton |
Thanks for your most generous letter, stock of poems, offer of addresses, everything. First the |
|
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1968/02/28 (#02) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your most generous letter, stock of poems, offer of addresses, everything. First the |
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«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1968/03/no? |
TLS to Merton |
I hope you will not regret asking for my poems: I am sending you The Tiger (the moving force |
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«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1968/04/28 (#01) |
TALS from Merton |
Such a long time I have your Tiger and letters, and finally I want to answer. How much to respond |
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«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1968/04/28 (#02) |
TAL[c] from Merton |
Such a long time I have your Tiger and letters, and finally I want to answer. How much to respond |
|
«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1968/08/31 |
TLS from Merton |
I8m [sic] returning what's left of your beautiful book. Have used and pilfered for MPOND iii and iv |
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«detailed view» |
| 9. |
1968/09/06 |
TLS to Merton |
No, Mpond 3 hasn't arrived yet; sure it will in a day or two--. Book is with Doubleday, yes; |
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«detailed view» |
| 10. |
1970/10/14 |
TLS[x] to Center from Brigham, Besmilr |
I will be glad to contribute my correspondence with Thomas Merton to your Studies Center--and to |
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«detailed view» |
| 11. |
1971/03/14 |
TLS[x] to Center from Brigham, Besmilr |
I notice that I never did write out the quote mentioned in the letter that accompanies this. I will |
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«detailed view» |
| 12. |
1971/03/22 |
TL[c] from Center to Brigham, Besmilr |
Thank you for your letter of March 14, together with the one of last October 14. We would be very |
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«detailed view» |
| 13. |
1971/04/17 |
TLS[x] to Center from Brigham, Besmilr |
You will see that our correspondence was not extensive, that it was a brief contact--relative to the |
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«detailed view» |
| 14. |
1971/04/27 |
TL[c] from Center to Brigham, Besmilr |
Thank you so much for the three original letters you sent us that Thomas Merton had written you. |
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«detailed view» |
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