Robert Bly's career includes many vocations, and the series designations reflect this diversity. Because of his varied career, there is much crossover in the materials of this collection. Researchers are encouraged to review the descriptions of each series carefully.

The files are organized based on what is contained in the majority of the materials for each file. For instance, when most of the items in a particular file contain translated poetry and prose, they are located in the Translations series. When most of the items in a file embody publishing and editing work in translation, they are located in the Publishing and Editing series. Therefore, to study poetry translations as a publishing business venture, researchers are encouraged to review both series.

The collection is organized into eighteen series. Because of the extent of information in the collection, each series is described in a separate finding aid. Please click on the desired series below for a full description of materials contained in it.

To return to the Main finding aid, see: Robert Bly papers (Mss 81)

Series 1. Correspondence contains correspondence to and from Robert Bly on such far-ranging subjects as poetry in the 20th century, Vietnam War protests, and the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.

Series 2. Journals and Diaries contains journals and diaries of Robert Bly which provide an intimate portrait of the influential poet, publisher, translator, and social critic.

Series 3. Poetry manuscripts contains poetry manuscripts, galley proofs, and comments and suggestions from friends and colleagues of Robert Bly which demonstrate the process of creating the written art form.

Series 4. Prose manuscripts contains manuscript plans of books and chapters, drafts, and revisions; literary essays; page proofs; comments and suggestions by others for work on Robert Bly's best-selling book, , as well as other prose work.

Series 5. Plays manuscripts contains handwritten, typed, and computer printed manuscripts of plays written by Robert Bly, including produced in 2008 by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis; correspondence pertaining to the plays' productions; and advertisements of some plays.

Series 6. Translations manuscripts includes both manuscripts and published poetry and prose in translation. It contains correspondence and works translated by Robert Bly and others with whom he collaborated, as he published and edited his and others' works throughout his career. Also found in this series are Bly's works translated and published into other languages.

Series 7. Publishing and Editing includes scrapbooks, business details, editors' proofs, correspondence, news clippings, galley proofs, and handwritten notes by Robert Bly regarding the publishing of his literary journal, , , and . In addition, materials demonstrating his work publishing and editing monographs for the , , and can be found in this series.

Series 8. Vietnam War includes news clippings, essay and poetry manuscripts, published research periodicals and books for Robert Bly's poetry read-ins around the country in protest of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, there are graphic slides of the results of napalm bombing used in some readings and lectures, as well as correspondence and editorial materials for the book, , distributed by the Sixties Press.

Series 9. Conferences and Workshops contains Robert Bly's notes on what to present at the Great Mother and other conferences; address lists of participants; reading materials to present at the conferences; photographs of co-leaders; a photograph album including images of participants and Bly at the conferences; and advertising posters and flyers.

Series 10. Men's Movement contains news clippings; articles, poems, and stories about the Mythopoetic Men's Movement, begun in the 1980s by Robert Bly. In addition, Bly's notes on plans and activities at men's workshops; lists and groupings of participants; business details on men's workshops; and posters advertising workshops and retreats are included.

Series 11. Readings and Performances contains materials Robert Bly used in preparation for readings in which he performed. The items include both his own and others' poems (published and retyped) and translations; notes; images; news clippings; and advertising posters and flyers.

Series 12. Personal contains childhood, U.S. Naval, college, and other biographical documents, including high school and college assignments at St. Olaf College and Harvard University, as well as Naval school assignments of poet, translator, publisher, and social critic, Robert Bly. In addition, biographical essays on Bly, contracts for work, and both published and unpublished interviews are found in this series.

Series 13. Photographs contains both loose photographs and photograph albums beginning with Robert Bly's parents, Jacob and Alice Blys' collections from the 1900s to Robert Bly's childhood and adult photographs in 2007. Many family photographs are included in the series.

Series 14. Reviews includes scrapbooks, news clippings, and correspondence on Robert Bly's individual books of poetry, his poetry in general, translations, and . There are also reviews on books published and edited by Bly.

Series 15. Financial materials contains royalty statements, check registers, invoices, receipts, bank statements, and handwritten estimates of income for Robert Bly's professional career including his published books, readings, conferences and workshops, as well as for the .

Series 16. Miscellaneous materials contains manuscript materials of some of Robert Bly's colleagues, materials that pertain to people close to Bly, as well as materials that do not fit in the categories of the other series in this collection.

Series 17. Published materials includes a portion of Robert Bly's library of his and others' published materials of poetry and prose, including books, periodicals, and chapbooks.