David Meltzer Papers (MSS081), 1955-1973 | MSS Manuscripts

Meltzer, David

David Meltzer (February 17, 1937 - ) is an American poet and musician. One of the key poets of the Beat generation and the San Francisco Renaissance, Meltzer is also a jazz guitarist, Cabalist scholar, and the author of more than 50 books of poetry and prose

Born in Rochester, New York, Meltzer’s family moved to Brooklyn in 1940. At the age of 11, Meltzer wrote his first poem, on the topic of the New York City subway system. He performed on radio and TV in The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour. After his parents separated, Meltzer accompanied his father to Los Angeles in 1954. In 1957, he moved to San Francisco and became part of a circle of writers based around Jack Spicer and Robert Duncan.

An integral figure in the California small press scene of the 1960's and 1970's, Meltzer has published most of his books through small presses such as City Lights, Unicorn Press, and Robert Hawley's Oyez Press. He came to prominence with the inclusion of his work in the anthology, The New American Poetry 1945-1960.

In 1958, he recorded an album of his poems with a jazz combo for Jim Dickson on Dickson's Vaja label. The album was not released until 2006 on Sierra Records titled "David Meltzer: Poet with Jazz 1958." He also taught at the New College of California in the Poetics Program, which was originally founded by Robert Duncan.