Vincent Ferrini
Encyclopedia
Vincent Ferrini age 94, was an American writer and poet from Gloucester, Massachusetts
.
on June 24, 1913. Vincent's parents emigrated from Riano and Bella, Italy in the province of Abruzzi to work in the shoe factories of Lynn, Massachusetts
. Vincent’s experience working in the shoe factories would instill a sensitivity for the life of the poor.
Ignoring his father’s warning that the son of a shoe worker could never become a poet, Vincent published his first volume of poetry, "No Smoke" in 1940. He pursued his education in the Lynn Public Library and when the Great Depression
hit, the young bard found work as a teacher in the WPA
. In 1943, Mike Gold
of the Daily Worker
praised "Injunction", a collection of working class vignettes set against the backdrop of World War II. In 1942 he married and left his job at General Electric
to make a living as a frame maker.
In 1949, after seeing a poem in the magazine Imagi, Charles Olson
paid Ferrini a visit that Olson would later characterize the visit as a "fan call". Ferrini was the catalyst that brought together Olson and poet Robert Creeley
. Later Olson addressed his first “Maximus Poems” as letters to Vincent.
Ferrini’s first marriage ended in the 1960s after the death of his daughter. He later married the artist Mary Shore. When his second marriage ended in divorce he moved back to his frame shop at 126 East Main Street. The little shop became a nexus for many artists and writers who came to Gloucester.
Vincent’s view of the individual, the family, the community, and the nation working together for the common good compelled him to write editorials and letters not only to local Gloucester papers but also to The Boston Globe
, The New York Times
, and The Nation
. At Gloucester City Hall he voiced his concerns at hundreds of council meetings. His focus was always the preservation of his city from what he characterized as "the wildfire greed that will destroy the spirit and originality of his city."
Ferrini remained an academic outsider who never made a living solely from his writing. With vigor, creativity, and compassion he kept publishing for over 67 years, producing 31 volumes of poetry, four volumes of plays, and an autobiography. Vincent is the subject of his nephew Henry Ferrini
's film Poem in Action. He also is interviewed briefly in Henry's film about Vincent's colleague Charles Olson
entitled Polis is this.
The singer and keyboard player Willie Alexander
recorded a few Ferrini's poems under the title Vincent Ferrini's Greatest Hits (CD released by Fisheye Records, 2009).
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
.
Early life
Vincent Ferrini was born in Saugus, MassachusettsSaugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
on June 24, 1913. Vincent's parents emigrated from Riano and Bella, Italy in the province of Abruzzi to work in the shoe factories of Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. Vincent’s experience working in the shoe factories would instill a sensitivity for the life of the poor.
Ignoring his father’s warning that the son of a shoe worker could never become a poet, Vincent published his first volume of poetry, "No Smoke" in 1940. He pursued his education in the Lynn Public Library and when the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
hit, the young bard found work as a teacher in the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. In 1943, Mike Gold
Mike Gold
Michael "Mike" Gold is the pen-name of Jewish American writer Itzok Isaac Granich. A lifelong communist, Gold was a novelist and literary critic, his semi-autobiographical novel Jews Without Money from 1930 was a bestseller.- Biography :Gold was born Itzok Isaac Granich on April 12, 1894 on the...
of the Daily Worker
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
praised "Injunction", a collection of working class vignettes set against the backdrop of World War II. In 1942 he married and left his job at General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
to make a living as a frame maker.
Career
Vincent's move to Gloucester marked a shift in his poetry from the political and social to the personal and cosmic. Over the next 59 years, Gloucester became his place, where life and poetry combined.In 1949, after seeing a poem in the magazine Imagi, Charles Olson
Charles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
paid Ferrini a visit that Olson would later characterize the visit as a "fan call". Ferrini was the catalyst that brought together Olson and poet Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school's. He was close with Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, John Wieners and Ed Dorn. He served as the Samuel P...
. Later Olson addressed his first “Maximus Poems” as letters to Vincent.
Ferrini’s first marriage ended in the 1960s after the death of his daughter. He later married the artist Mary Shore. When his second marriage ended in divorce he moved back to his frame shop at 126 East Main Street. The little shop became a nexus for many artists and writers who came to Gloucester.
Vincent’s view of the individual, the family, the community, and the nation working together for the common good compelled him to write editorials and letters not only to local Gloucester papers but also to The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. At Gloucester City Hall he voiced his concerns at hundreds of council meetings. His focus was always the preservation of his city from what he characterized as "the wildfire greed that will destroy the spirit and originality of his city."
Ferrini remained an academic outsider who never made a living solely from his writing. With vigor, creativity, and compassion he kept publishing for over 67 years, producing 31 volumes of poetry, four volumes of plays, and an autobiography. Vincent is the subject of his nephew Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini
Henry Ferrini is an American non-fiction filmmaker best known for his portraits of Jack Kerouac and Charles Olson.Ferrini attended Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA where he studied music...
's film Poem in Action. He also is interviewed briefly in Henry's film about Vincent's colleague Charles Olson
Charles Olson
Charles Olson , was a second generation American modernist poet who was a link between earlier figures such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams and the New American poets, which includes the New York School, the Black Mountain School, the Beat poets, and the San Francisco Renaissance...
entitled Polis is this.
Poetry
- No Smoke, 1941 Falmouth Publishing House, Portland Maine
- No Smoke, available in braille, Injunction, 1943 Sand Piper Press, Lynn, Massachusetts
- Tidal Wave, 1945 Great Concord Publishers, New York, New York
- Blood of the Tenement, 1945 Sand Piper Press, Lynn, Massachusetts
- Plow in the Ruins, 1948 James Decker Press, Prairie City, Illinois
- Sea Sprung, 1949 Cape Ann Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- The Infinite People, 1950 Great Concord Publishers, New York, New Your
- The House of Time, 1952 Fortune Press, London, England
- In the Arriving, 1954 Heron Press, Liverpool England
- Mindscapes, 1955 Peter Pauper Press, Mt. Vernon, New York
- Timeo Hominem Unius MulierisHomo unius libriHomo unius libri is a phrase that is generally attributed to Thomas Aquinas. According to a literary tradition at least three centuries old, Saint Thomas Aquinas is reputed to have employed the phrase "hominem unius libri timeo" .-Interpretations:Aquinas's phrase has been interpreted in various ways...
, 1956 Heron Press, Liverpool, England - The Garden, 1958 Heuretic Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- The Square Root of In, 1959 Heuretic Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Book of One, 1960 Heuretic Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Mirandum, 1963 Heuretic Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- I Have the World, 1967 Fortune Press, London, England
- The Hiding One, 1973 Me and Thee Press, Brookline, Massachusetts
- Ten Pound Light, 1975 The Church Press, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Selected Poems, 1976 University of Connecticut Library, Storrs, Connecticut
- Know Fish, Volumes I and II, 1979 University of Connecticut
- Know Fish, Volume III, The Navigators 1984 University of Connecticut
- Know Fish, Volumes IV and V, The Community of Self, 1986 University of Connecticut
- Know Fish, Volumes VI and VII, This Other Ocean, 1991 University of Connecticut
- A Tale of Psyche, 1991 Igneus Press, Bedford, New Hampshire
- Magdalene Silences, 1992 Igneus Press, Bedford, New Hampshire
- Deluxe Daring, 1994 Drawings by Jane Robbins and poetry of Vincent Ferrini, Bliss Publications, Boston, MA
- The Magi Image, 1995 Igneus Press, New Hampshire
- Preamble To Divinity, 1996 Published in cooperative venture by: JUXTA, Charlottesville, VA & 3300 Press, San Francisco CA
The singer and keyboard player Willie Alexander
Willie Alexander
For the football player of the same name see Willie Alexander .Willie "Loco" Alexander is an American singer and keyboard player based in Gloucester, Massachusetts....
recorded a few Ferrini's poems under the title Vincent Ferrini's Greatest Hits (CD released by Fisheye Records, 2009).
Anthologies
- American Poets: 1880-1945, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol 48, 1986 Gale Research Company, Detroit, MI
- Italian American Poets, 1985 Italian translation: Ferdinand Alfonsi, A. Carello Editore, Catanzaro, Italia
- Poets of Today, Walter Lowenfels, 1964 International Publishers, NY, NY
- Twentieth Century American Poets, 1989 Russian translation: Valery Shpak, Ukraine, USSR
Plays
- The Innermost I land, Best Short Plays 1952-53, Dodd Mead & Company NY, NY
- Telling of the North Star Best Short Plays 1953-54, Dodd Mead & Company NY, NY
- Five Plays, 1960 Fortune Press, London, England
- War in Heaven, 1987 University of Connecticut Library, Storrs, CN
- Undersea Bread, 1989 University of Connecticut Library, Storrs, CN
Autobiography
- Hermit of the Clouds, 1988 Ten Pound Island Book CompanyGregory GibsonGregory Gibson is an American author.Gibson is the author of Gone Boy , Demon of the Waters , and Hubert's Freaks .-Biography:...
, Gloucester, MA - Hermit of the Clouds, 1990 Japanese translation: Shingo Tajima. Ten Pound Island Book Company, Gloucester, Massachusetts