Patchen, Miriam

Biography

Miriam Patchen, wife of American novelist and poet Kenneth Patchen, peace activist, and longtime Palo Alto resident, died March 6, 2000 at the age of 86.

Born Sirkka Miriam Oikemus in Belmont, Massachusetts in September 28, 1914, Miriam, like her Finnish socialist parents, became a lifelong political activist. She joined the American Communist Party at age 7 and claimed to be the "youngest card-carrying member" of this party.

She met Kenneth Patchen in 1933 and in June of 1934, they married. The Patchens moved to New York in 1935, where Kenneth's first book, Before the Brave, was published the following year. For the next thirty eight years of their marriage and through the creation of more than forty works of poetry and prose all dedicated "For Miriam", she was Patchen's "Muse" and complete partner in all the successes and hardships of their lives.

After the loss of her husband, Miriam diligently continued to campaign for poetry and for peace. She stood together with her later partner, the civil-rights activist, Laurent Franz on the corner of El Camino Real and Embarcadero Roadevery for 15 years holding a picket sign protesting American military intervention around the world. She was active in promoting her husband's poetry by taking part in readings and exhibits of Kenneth's work across the US and abroad; "Kenneth Patchen Literary Festival" held at the poet's home town Warren, Ohio between 1987-1989, the "Word, Image and Rhythms: a celebration of Kenneth Patchen" in London, 1998, and an exhibition of Patchen's silkscreen prints in Centro Studi Americani in Rome, 1999 etc. For the last two years of her life Miriam assisted Larry Smith on the biography, Kenneth Patchen: rebel poet in America . She was also featured in a documentary Miriam Is Not Amused, directed by Kim Roberts in 1998.

People who knew Miriam remember her as a woman of compassion, intelligence and wit, and one who was devoted to her causes and friends.

From the guide to the Miriam Patchen papers, 1930-2000, (bulk 1972-2000), (University of California, Santa Cruz. University Library. Special Collections and Archives)