Greg Masters Archive
Greg Masters is a writer and editor who has lived in the East Village of New York City for 45 years. When he arrived in the mid-1970s, he played drums with bands in various alternative spaces (including CBGB and Irving Plaza) and began attending readings and workshops at The Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church and at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Along with Michael Scholnick and Gary Lenhart, he edited the poetry magazine Mag City from 1977–1985. In 1977–1978, he produced a cable TV show with poet friends, Public Access Poetry (which was recently digitized by The Poetry Project). From 1980–1983, he edited The Poetry Project Newsletter. He is the publisher and author of nine Crony Books, which often explore the history of the art and poetry scene of the East Village through Masters’ own experiences and observations.
The bulk of the archive is autograph, typescript, and printed typescript drafts of works, many authored collaboratively or otherwise reflective of the poetry and art scene of the 1970s and 1980s. There are also folders with correspondence, and hundreds of digital photographs on compact discs with accompanying photograph descriptions (item-level, created by Masters). The archive is accompanied by a comprehensive list of Masters’ publications (including works he edited or appeared in), and an ephemera collection documenting poetry in the East Village.
The collection has sold.