Some final notes on the archive

We have arrived at the end of the archive and feel the desire to add a couple of notes.

Putting the U.S. Blues archive on the web meant that we actually read the poems and looked at the drawings. They went from "a stack of old stuff" to a snapshot of the lives of the authors and artists, showing their dreams, fears, hope, despair, rage and forgiveness.

The posts of this archive  reflect the state of mostly young people in what for many of them was without doubt the most difficult period in their lives. Although some got there via a childhood that can only be described as atrocious, much worse than anything afterwards.

For some of them, as we found out, it was a time unexpectedly close to the end of their life.

So much closer to the end that each death devastated the already fragile world of those who loved them.

So, before we knew it, we had not just an archive but a memorial.

Of those who made it through and are alive today, some still struggle with PTSD, unsurprisingly and really not talked about. The rest of us don't want to have to feel any regrets about what was done in our name and sometimes by us personally. Others have become your friends and neighbors, and you may never know what long strange trip lays behind them.

We believe the archive is not complete. So if you have any other copies of the U.S. Blues or the Midnight Special, we would be happy to add them here.

Our thanks and appreciation go out to the artists and authors and to those who supported them by making copies and by distributing the flyers. Alvin and Heather, this means you!