June 21, 1976 (Letter from Sue)

You must've wondered why I didn't answer your letter with your offer to come down Memorial Day - -but alas (w/ regard to seeing you then, that is --) I was in California then, sunning myself by sailing on the Bay -- didn't receive your letter till I got home -- and I was so glad to hear from you!  Grant told me about your job with Merriam -- I've very glad for you.  Springfield is, I'm sure, a good place to live.  I imagine the competition for jobs there is pretty keen.  I assume G&C Merriam are the illustrious dictionary people -- next time we meet, I'll have to indoctrinate you to my new passion -- the Dictionary Game!  (Certainly a more intellectual pastime than swallowing goldfish, mescaline tabs, or chatting with senile sex-starved retired librarians.

I'm sorry we didn't have a better visit when you were her last October.  I don't think I was the Hostess with the Mostess.  It was a particularly difficult time for me, financially, and with regard to work, which seemed enormously hectic right then.  Plus the PLA Conference was, for the most part, was enormously tedious -- so much so that I'm going to give the conference syndrome another crack and go to ALA in Chicago.  I fear that it will be the Y rather than the Palmer House this time, though -- I can't afford the P.H. on my own.  (And naturally, I can't share a room with just n'importe qui.)  I don't suppose you are considering gracing the event with your presence?  (I.F. Stone will be there.)  Let me know if Merriam is going to send you, all expenses paid...

Since we may not see each other in Chicago, and since we didn't see each other Mem. Day -- what are your plans on the 4th?  Our friends Wendy & Ron (you watched Edward 2, or 13th, or 12th, at their apt) recently bought a house & we're planning a joint 4th of July Bicentennial Bash. Someone of your social grace, sizzling charm & scintillating wit would be most welcome.  Of course, the new love of your life (still Binghamton Harriet?) would be welcome, too.

I get this image of you from time to time as one of those ramblin' man types -- sort of a "Baby I'll love you today, but I gotta be on my way".  Do you think you've left a trail of broken hearts from Montana to Mass? I may sound facetious, but I don't mean to.  Actually, the whole male-female complexity of relationship is under review again by me.  I had some revealing experiences when in SF. . I intended to tie up some loose ends, but may have unraveled more than I tied up.  Men can be occasionally trying -- as can women, I'm sure.  Right now I'm into an obsession about trust, which is RARE.  Life becomes very heavy, to use the vernacular.  Sometimes I feel the need to immerse myself in frivolity. Hence one of my reasons for ALA.

I really loved being on the West Coast again.  Like you, I am entranced by the vast spaces.  I miss the physical beauty of central California.  I am beginning to feel genuinely oppressed by the East. (Another reason for ALA -- discreet, year-in-advance job-hunting.)  I don't think I can last more than another \year out here.  Fortunately, the job at Wynnefield (my "twig") is very satisfying.  And the kids make me happy.

For a quick change of subject -- sometimes I'm too lazy for neat & clever transitional passages -- have you seen any good movies lately?  I would list as noteworthy The Man Who Would Be King for the pure adventure & fidelity to the bones of the Kipling story, as well as remarkable portrayals by Connery & Caine.   Also Taxi Driver for diabolical cinematic genius & fine job by DeNiro.  And third, All the President's Men, just cause it was so satisfying to see a good old-fashioned detective story with a happy ending.  Actually, I felt that this was an inspiring film, on a level not created since some of the old 40s films.  I liked it because it wasn't a hype film, as it could've been.  I was also intrigued by Swept Away, which was really very clever in many respects. But I'm really fed up with the whole Wertmuller cult and have no desire to see Seven Beauties. We saw an old Renoir film which I hadn't seen before at the Philadelphia film festival (believe it or not).  La Chicune.  He really is the greatest -- probably even more so if you're French   I think movies are always more accessible in one's own language, culture, etc.  (Cuckoo's Nest needs no comment from me.  It's all been said.  It was in many ways very lyrical.  J.N. is my romantic hero.)

Well, m'dear, it's almost time for my beauty sleep.  And as the Big 30 is right around the corner, Lord knows a girl has to start thinking about those things.  So please don't be delinquent as I was, and write soon Y let me know about the 4th and ALA.  If Mayor Rizzo & the federal troops, as well as Mayor Daley don't turn you on, I'll understand.

July 15, 1974 (Letter from Sue)

How are you??!  I've thought of you and spoken (most fondly, of course) of you millions of times -- but it's taken me lo! these three weeks to get around to actually writing.

How was the convention?!  I expect a full report, written in your inimitable style on all of the going, and, of course, comings!  Did you get any good job leads?  Any interesting meetings to go to? Any scandals?!  (Like did George Grant go berserk and try to pay a midnight visit to Sister What's Her Name in her room at the Taft?)  Did you see our friend Sue and her continuing oral history project? Did you see my ex-heart throb Erwin?!!!  (How did he look -- )  How was the bus trip?  How was Blanche?  Did you stay in the Hilton, and who paid?  In short, I want to know everything!

I'm missing Pittsburgh and the exciting low key life at GSLIS, I find -- though I am enjoying SF -- very nice dry sunshine here -

I am not sure at this point whether we will arrive in Pgh before school lets out (though naturally I want to make it back there (no pun intended) before the big PARTY!  We may not arrive till around the 15th -- will you still be there?  Let me know because I really want to see you.

SF, as I said,k is fine -- though I have been put to work (which I feel is practically like being put out to pasture).  Bart said "You work" and so I got a job through a temporary agency which more than ever convinces me that I do not like or want to do secretarial work.   But it's just for a month -- 2 wks of which are already finito, so I'll just bear with it for awhile longer.  The only good thing is that I am pulling in $4 per hour (before taxes, natch).  I started out at $3.25 and had to register a mild complaint about this not being commensurate with my vast skills, poise, experience, intelligence, etc.  So they very fairly raised my pay.

At the same time I am trying to finish my 210 project for Wendell -- I've transcribed one tape plus half of another -- so I have 1 1/2 short ones to go.  What a debilitating job.  No wonder Rosemary Woods lost 18 minutes!  Mainly though, I want to get this thing out of the way and off my back -- I don't like the image of Wendell's spirit continually perched on my shoulder.

I had dinner w/ some Berkeley library school grads the other night-- and frankly, I think our illustrious institution is better for a lot of things.  Cal is a real snob school, completely computer science and academic research library oriented.  The Dean, whom I already hated based upon an infamous application interview, is a real ivory tower man and a swish (as opposed to gay) to boot. They concentrate on its PhDs -- the only good thing about Cal is that there are many, many jobs for the grad students as well as a limitless number of "field research" (like 219, etc( courses to take -- only 1 required course, so you can design your own program -- But -- in terms of faculty -student rapport and accessibility of administrative power within our own school, we are way ahead. At Berkeley the students are discouraged from the very beginning in the possibility of getting jobs, they are left completely to their own devices (you would probably like that), their student organization is even less together than ours (my friends were very impressed with the bus to ALA) -- and Cal has a very racist-sexist-snobbish admissions policy (absolutely no one admitted w less than a 3.0).   Their curriculum meets the students' needs even less than ours, and it sounds as if they have virtually no opportunity for student input into the decision-making system (as Patty Penland would say).

I know Pitt has many failings -- boring and meaningless classes, jerks like B.N. and his OCSC speech to us, etc.  But still, I would rather have gone to Pitt than UC, even if the latter is supposedly ranked 4 or 5 in the nation.

I do hope that life in Pittsburgh is progressing at a merry rate, aside from Lib school.  Have you seen any movies lately?  We saw Polanski's Chinatown recently -- excellent -- good evocation of 30's period w/out being overly nostalgic.  Very powerful, if somewhat despairing film on corruption. I'm reading about 5 books -- or trying to -- Terkel's Hard Times and Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men among them. Also one which you might like -- Erica Jong's Fear of Flying -- a very funny feminist approach to the existential dilemma ("theory of the zipless fuck", which you should appreciate) though a bit overstated at times.

Well, my dear -- I shall close for now.  Please write me -- and tell all!  Especially how much longer you will be in Pittsburgh -- OK --