James Ryan Morris, born in New York City in 1935, served as a marine in Korea. He co-founded and co-edited the literary magazine Sight until its cessation in 1958, founded The Croupier (Seattle, 1965-?) and Mile High Underground (Denver, 1966-1967). Published collections of Morris' own poetry include She Said, The Rat's Nest, Diana's Smile, He Has Heard, 13 Sounds, .22 For Her, and The Hands. He has also published poetry postcards and broadsides. Morris died in 1978.

The collection consists primarily of letters to James Ryan Morris from poets Diane Di Prima, Theodore Enslin, Jack Hirschman, William J. Margolis, Dan Propper, and Stuart Zane Perkoff. Letters from Perkoff to Anthony Scibella and Maxine Cherry are included, as well as typescripts and holographs of Perkoff's poetry. The collection also includes other correspondence, poetry books, poems, broadsides, two unidentified photographs, and graphics.