The Keystone Debuted in 2003 and Has Been South West Ern Writers Col Lec - Going Strong Ever Since

THEKEYSTONE

THEWITTLIFFCOLLECTIONS

FALL 2009 | SOUTHWESTERNWRITERSCOLLECTION | SOUTHWESTERN & MEXICANPHOTOGRAPHYCOLLECTION

A member of The Texas State University System from the CURATOR

(right) Connie Todd, Hola amigos— plus a support crew of interns, 15 student workers, and one (left) View into the new 2008, Ave Bonar In January 2010, I will retire temp (Valerie Anderson, who has just moved on to the gallery hall, below the archway carved and (center) as curator of the Wittliff Registar’s Office). And we are all extremely busy. painted by David Everett Water Witching (Bill Wittliff), 1996, Collec tions after twelve-and- We host thousands of visitors and hundreds of scholars (below) Guests entering Keith Carter a-half very happy and remark- each year, and the Wittliff Collections now enjoy an interna- the gallery hall after the able years. tional reputation. Our two book series have thrived and, ceremonial ribbon cutting When I began working along with our in-house publications, have won scores of here in September 1997, the design awards. The Keystone debuted in 2003 and has been South west ern Writers Col lec - going strong ever since. We’ve brought in significant new tion had been in its new space material in literature, journalism, film, television, music, and in the Alkek Library for about photography—as a matter of fact, our collections have at OUR VERY SPECIAL six years, and the South - least quadrupled in the last 10 years. THANKS to all western & Mexican Photog - Through it all, presiding over the growth and expansion come in, those who have raphy Col lec tion had opened not only of our holdings, but also of our activities and [continued from p. 2] provided recent the year before. The staff back spaces, I’ve felt enormous gratitude for the staunch support Friends of the Wittliff financial support then was pretty small: Steve Davis, who started in 1994, and and goodwill of our many friends both inside and outside of WE’RE OPEN # Founder’s Circle (Sept 1, 2008 – Mara Levy as library assistants, and a couple of student the academy and for the ongoing guidance of my friend and Susan C. Bailey Sept 30, 2009). workers. Though I was well aware of the exceptional hold- mentor, founding donor Bill Wittliff. OVER 500 GUESTS cele- the University of Texas # Curator’s Circle Special Project ings in these collections, I knew that the materials on the 7th Now, when I walk through the galleries and see students brated the Wittliff Collections Grand Press: A Certain Alchemy, published Rick Baish Support & Sponsors floor of the library were seen both as the university’s “crown enthralled by the photographs, or when I talk with a manu- Reopening on Saturday, October 17. After founders last October in the Wittliff’s photography book Mary Crouch Caroline A. Forgason jewels” and as its “best-kept secret.” Now was the time to script researcher who has flown halfway around the world to Bill and Sally Wittliff, Curator Connie Todd, and Texas State series (see the Fall 2008 issue of The Keystone), and Fireflies, Janis & Joe Pinnelli The Summerlee # impress and engage the stu- access Cormac McCarthy’s President Denise Trauth cut the silver ribbon to open the Carter’s images of children, published this October. In the Collector’s Circle Foundation dents, staff, faculty, and papers, or when I speak to new spaces, the crowd enjoyed remarks by Todd and Presi - original galleries adjacent to the new ones, Nueva Luz / New Cruz Bay Publishing, Martin-Woods Family Inc. (American public by showcasing the a crowd of over 500 peo- dent Trauth, a special video prepared for the occasion, and a Light showcases photographs never before hung on Wittliff Ranch Co. Cowboy Magazine) wealth of both collections. ple, as I did at our recent brief talk by photographer Keith Carter. Carter later took the walls (see pp. 12-13). Sunny & Shelton Smith Charlene Johnston The library and the univer- Grand Reopening, I see a opportunity to chat with people while signing copies of his Receptions, readings, panel discussions, and other spe- Alan Dreeben Katie Salzmann John Nau / Silver Eagle sity, to their credit and to much different scene than books. Surprise attendees included Sam Shepard and Jerry cial events are now being held in the main gallery. Designed # Sponsor’s Circle Distributors our advantage, were in total I did when I began work- Jeff Walker, both of whom have archives at the Wittliff. to complement the southwestern feeling of the original Maggie Bains Dan Bullock & agreement. ing in a rather quiet corner And now the new gates are swung wide, welcoming vis- rooms, the new space is enhanced by richly stained wood. Jane Hilfer Annette Carlozzi Within months the of the library. I see the itors, classes, tours, and researchers to the greatly expanded Carpet and a coffer-and-slat ceiling manage the fine acousti- Mike & Sallie McKetta Guy Bob & staff grew to include our public scope of the Wittliff public spaces. Over a year in construction, the new photog- cal quality of a built-in audio/visual system. A moveable Bob & Monika Rivard Cindy Buschman first-ever archivist (the Collections at last match- raphy galleries, enlarged reading room, and renovated work wall opens to accommodate events with larger audiences. Jim Studer & I. Craig Hester posi tion now held by Katie ing the great potential of areas are at last complete. The Lonesome Dove Room also received a new wall, to Roseann Mandzuik Susan Longley # Salzmann, since 2004), and the literary archives and The grand foyer features a polychrome carved jackrab- display a grouping of Bill Wittliff’s photographs taken during Friend’s Circle Susan Aspinall Block Judith Aronow two assistant curators: one photographs themselves. bit-and-cactus mahogany panel by sculptor David Everett. the filming of the miniseries. The permanent exhibition of Jan Bullock & Nancy Collins for the Writers Collec tion I see the avant garde of Beneath this, the entrance to a short exhibit hall opens onto props, costumes, script drafts, set designs, and other mak- Robert Green John Dudley (Steve, promoted in 1997), a new main gallery and two smaller ones nested within. ing-of materials from our major Lonesome Dove production Mary Margaret & the twenty-first century Beverly Fondren Ray Farabee and one for the Photog - library: a place where the Exhibition space is nearly tripled—with the two preexisting archive continues to delight fans from far and wide. Carollyn Geldert J. Philip Ferguson & raphy Collection (Carla cultural arts are cele - galleries, now as many as 150 prints can be on view. The Reading Room is now nearly twice as large, to Forest Hill Kathy O’Neil Ellard, 2000). brated, studied, and dis- First to be featured in the new exhibition spaces is work accommodate additional researchers interested in the S. C. Janda Mr. & Mrs. Albert F. As time passed, our staff has continued growing—we cussed, and where students and people of all ages come to be by Keith Carter from his two most recent monographs with Cormac McCarthy Papers. It features stained-wood cabi- Frances Nail “Boo” Hausser added a media relations and pub lications coordi nator in inspired. netry, equipment to provide access to audio/visual materials, Henry & Judy Sauer Alice Lynch 2002 (Michele Miller), and that same year hired a new devel- I retire with my mind at ease, because I know our course and tables handmade from longleaf pine. Reid & Susan Wittliff Barbara Morgan & opment officer (Beverly Fondren). has been set. The Wittliff Collections are thriving and will The newly painted Southwestern Writers Room Bill Wright Jerry Galow We gained another archivist in 2005 (Joel Minor), an continue to do so. It’s been a great and satisfying position, reopened with the Common Experience exhibition, The Dianne & Jim Pape Evan & Julia Smith Marcy Young events assis tant (Amy Cochran, with us since 2006), and, but I came to it somewhat late in life; and in order to enjoy Lightning Field: Mapping the Creative Process (see pp. 4-5). Reid & Susan Wittliff # Supporters this year, an assistant curator for acqui sitions (Shin Yu Pai, the many things I want to do before heading for the last This inspiring space will continue to be the location for [continued on p. 3] Valerie Anderson see p. 12). Add an archives assist ant (Mary E. García, who more intimate readings and events. round up, I figured I’d better start pretty soon. Catherine Jones joined us in 1999), an office manager (now GG Mortenson, Mil gracias, amigos, for your support and encourage- Relocation of the Wittliff Collections office and creation Michelle Peyton ON THE COVER since 2008), and in the Cataloging Department a cataloging ment along the way. I plan to attend many future Wittliff of new work and storage areas complete the expansion and Jerold Rehmar Tom Waits, Northern librarian (Karen Sigler, 2001) and a head cataloging assistant events, so this is not adiós but simply hasta luego. # provide much needed space for continued growth and sup- Karen Sigler California, 2006, Michael O’Brien 2 (Joe Sumbera, 2000)—and that puts our full-time staff at 13, —Connie Todd, Curator, September 1997 – January 2010 port of our mission to instruct, illuminate, and inspire. # 3 Rusty Key CELEBRATING We can never see the flashes afternoon.” Crumley claimed that it took him eight years to ASHES OF WACO ARCHIVES of inspiration that strike writers, but at the Wittliff Collec - write the line, and the manuscript drafts show the ways he ONLINE PROJECT GOES LIVE The Alkek Library’s tions we can map the impressions from such moments by painstakingly worked over the words. fourth annual Archives studying the marks they make in the archival record. Also on display are pivotal documents from the archives We are happy to report Month event was held An odd scrap of paper can hold the key to a classic of Robert Benton, Sarah Bird, Gary Cartwright, Elizabeth that the Ashes of Waco Online Project, which Friday October 23, novel, a journal entry can spark a story, or a letter sent to a Crook, J. Frank Dobie, Robert Flynn, Jovita González, John includes a web site and hosted again in partner- friend can lead a writer down an entirely new path. And then Graves, Stephen Harrigan, William Hauptman, Shelby ship between the digital collection, has writers fan the flames of inspiration the old-fashioned way: Hearon, Jim Hightower, Molly Ivins, Preston Jones, King of Wittliff Collections and been launched. (See the by extensive rewriting and revision. Even Jack Kerouac’s On the Hill, Beverly Lowry, Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, the University Archives. last two Keystone issues The selection of this the Road wasn’t completed on a long scroll of paper, as leg- Angela Shelf Medearis, Celia Morris, Katherine Anne Porter, for details.) The website year’s theme of end has it. Kerouac, like all writers, painstakingly reworked Ron Querry, Ben Rehder, Jan Reid, Rick Riordan, Bud http://ashesofwaco.library “archival spaces” was his material, understanding that only intense rewriting Shrake, Texas Monthly, Tino Villanueva, and Bill Wittliff. .txstate.edu gives back- influenced by the con- could lead him closer to his creative vision. The Lightning Field is presented in conjunction with ground information on struction of the new As Mark Twain noted, “the differ- author Dick J. Reavis, University Archives ence between the almost right word the book, the project, area in the Alkek THE the TSLAC Tex Share and the right word is the difference grant, and the digital Library and by the between the lightning bug and the collection. The site also expansion of the lightning.” The leading writers of the Wittliff Collections. features a transcription Southwest make it their business to be The day’s activities of a recent interview included a panel dis- with Reavis, and serves cussion about archive as a portal to the project LIGHTNING blog and the digital buildings and spaces, and a tour of the mapping the creative process collection. A resources library’s new page offers additional areas. Archives links for further study. Month is a time The digital collection to celebrate the provides a descriptive importance of metadata record for archives and to FIELD every file folder, audio- enhance public cassette and videotape, lightning rods, and the new literary exhibition recognition for and a cross-section of at the Wittliff Collections, The Lightning Field: the programs digitized Bible studies, that are respon- Mapping the Creative Process, utilizes journals, radio shows, negotia- sible for main- letters, and manuscripts to illuminate the how tions (recordings and taining our com- of creation. transcripts), govern- munities’ vital Among the examples visitors will see are the ment reports, personal historical and progressive versions of “Falling Without End,” a Texas State’s 2009-2010 Common Experience text, Daniel correspondence, cultural records. short story composed by Sam Shepard. The Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the religious publications, story began as a handwritten journal entry in Future. The Common Experience initiative brings students and media coverage. We will be adding more February 1990, and Shepard’s sharp-eyed revi- together to read and engage with a single text. A Whole New content to the collec- sions—documented in his archive at the Wittliff Mind examines the creative abilities individuals and organi- tion over time, so be Collections—gradually brought the story into zations must master to succeed in today’s world. For more sure to bookmark the (above) The Marks clearer focus until it was published in his 1996 information, visit http://www.txstate.edu/commonexperience. site or add it to your We Make, 2003, collection, Cruising Paradise. Fine-art prints from the Wittliff's Southwestern & Robert & Shana favorite RSS feed to stay ParkeHarrison Also on view are the different drafts of James Mexican Photography Collection complement the exhibi- up-to-date on what’s (right) Sam Crumley’s first page of The Last Good Kiss, his tion, with portraits of photographers including Keith Carter, available online. Shepard’s “Volador” novel that contains one of the most celebrated Graciela Iturbide (above), Russell Lee, and more. An inter- notebook, dated opening sentences in American literature: active quiz for The Lightning Field offers exploration for 11/3/89 through 1/19/91, contains his “When I finally caught up with Abraham those who wish to continue the journey. original journal Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alco- The Lightning Field: Mapping the Creative Process was entries that evolved holic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ram- curated by Assistant Curator Steve Davis, with assistance into the short stories (above) Edouard Boubat, he published in shackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, from other Wittliff staff. The exhibition opened on October Paris, France, 1998, Cruising Paradise drinking the heart right out of a fine spring 17 and will be on view through March 1, 2010. # 5 Graciela Iturbide (right) J. Frank Dobie: One of Coronado’s the new biography by steven l. davis Children, 1931, oil on 146 canvas by Alexandre WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE ðô`ng (dong) is the value Hogue, University of that Frost Bank has donated to the of the Republic of Viet - Tulsa, McFarlin Library, J. FRANK DOBIE Wittliff’s Southwestern & Mexican nam (South Viet na mese) Special Collections currency held in the (Courtesy of Olivia Photography Collection 32 original A LIBERATED MIND Robert Flynn Papers at Hogue Mariño) tintypes and 12 archival lightjet prints the Wittliff Collections. by the internationally acclaimed pho- Flynn collected the THE FIRST TEXAS-BASED WRITER to gain national atten- tographer ROBB KEN DRICK from money (one 100 dong tion, J. FRANK DOBIE captured the Southwest’s folk her- his series and book titled Revealing bill and several coins) itage in best-selling books such as Tales of Old-Time Texas, Character. as a war correspondent PUBLIC HISTORY Coronado’s Children, and The Longhorns. Dobie brought As Tom Frost states in the intro- in Vietnam in 1970. He STUDENTS WORK scholarship out of the ivory tower and down to earth, where duction to the book, Frost commis- subsequently published WITH ARCHIVES it could be shared among the people. He rebelled against sioned Kendrick in 2004 “to under- a riveting account of his This fall semester, convention and refused to earn a doctoral degree, famously take a Texas expedition to document experiences, A Personal twelve graduate stu- observing, “The average PhD thesis is nothing but a transfer- the character of the land as seen in the War in Vietnam (1989), dents from Texas State’s ence of bones from one graveyard to another.” faces of its truest men and women, as well as a novel set in Public History program Viet nam, The Last Klick Inspiring countless others to realize that authentic University of Texas at Austin, and yet that same university are working to process (1994). Flynn’s archive writing can spring from one’s native soil, Dobie became fired him in 1947. A UT regent opposed to Dobie remarked, the papers of several includes several items known as “Mr. Texas,” and his influence on the state’s cul- “He is beloved by all of us and I don’t know anybody who isn’t authors within the FROST BANK donates ROBB KENDRICK tintypes from the country: pho- South western Writers ture is far-reaching. It is fitting that the Southwestern his friend.” Yet, that same regent added, “I tell you frankly tographs, press cards, a Collection as part of Writers Collec tion was founded with a gift of Dobie papers you can either fire him or keep him, you can’t control him.” ration card, handwrit- the seminar course, from Bill and Sally Wittliff. Dobie’s long-suffering wife, Bertha, often left alone while those we call cowboys.” Kendrick Tintypes were invented in the “This project resonated with our ten notes, dog tags, and “Archival Manage - he set out on adventures, once observed, “I should say that drove 18,000 miles through Texas, mid 1800s, and are made directly on company's deep Texas roots and our his camouflage uniform. ment.” Lead Archivist in Frank pig, charging bull and mule together make a half, visiting 39 ranches and photograph- a thin iron plate that has been coated belief in the importance of character,” Several other writers in Katie Salzmann teaches “At last, after a long wait, we have a and that the other half is humanity at its very finest. ing cowboys and cowgirls, not as with chemicals, exposed in a camera said Dick Evans, Frost’s chairman the Wittliff Collections the class, which is Dobie was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Kendrick says, “to romanticize the while still wet, and developed on the and CEO. “We are happy to be able to share personal connec- designed to introduce crisp, reliable, and thorough biography by Lyndon B. Johnson, but FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover cowboy…but to document those who spot. Robb Kendrick is one of only a share these tintypes with the Wittliff, tions to Vietnam, students to the princi- including Sarah Bird, secretly investigated Dobie as a possible subversive, accord- still carry on the traditions, values, few photographers in the U.S. mak- whose commitment to preserving the ples and theories of of J. Frank Dobie: a colossus who William Broyles, Jr., ing to recently declassified documents uncovered by Davis. and lifestyles that many today would ing tintypes, using this historic wet- Southwest’s cultural arts ensures that archives. Students in Mark Busby, James Dobie singlehandedly integrated the Texas Folklore find isolating, lonely, or simply too plate method. Each tintype he pro- people will enjoy them for years to past classes processed bestrode the Texas literary scene Crumley, and Michael the papers of authors ebulliently for more than three decades. Society in the 1920s (see p. 15) and by the 1940s he was call- hard.” And he documented them the duces is one of a kind, handmade come.” W. Rodriguez. In 2004 including Rick ing for the complete integration of UT-Austin, a courageous old-fashioned way: with tintypes. from start to finish. Frost asked Margaret Blagg, for- the Wittliff mounted a Riordan, Billy Lee Steve Davis gives us a much richer stand that alienated much of his readership. mer executive director of the Old Jail special exhibition titled Brammer, Mary Gray “Dobie gained a reputation as a liberal hero,” Davis said, Art Center, to serve as curator of a Vietnam from a Texas Hughes, and Jim understanding of Dobie than we have “but he didn’t start out that way. He grew up in a time of traveling museum exhibition of the POV. Information about Sanderson. This semes- great prejudice, and those attitudes are clearly expressed in tintypes that toured throughout Texas the exhibit, including a ter’s students are assist- had previously. All in all, a fine effort.” his early work. For that reason he’s castigated today as a for three years, starting in 2005. quiz and bibliography, ing with the archives is available at: http:// of Ron Querry, Robert racist, particularly by Chicano critics. But Dobie never con- Bright Sky Press published the book, —LARRY McMURTRY thewittliffcollections Benton, and Jack sidered himself a finished person. His early devotion to the Reveal ing Character, in 2005. To learn .txstate.edu/swwc/ Jackson. In addition to open range eventually became a belief in an open mind. The more about Kendrick’s work, visit his exhibits/vietnam.html. working hands-on with Steve Davis, assistant curator at the Wittliff Collections, strength of that vision gave him the courage to continually website, http://www.robbkendrick.com. materials in the Wittliff has written the first new biography of Dobie in 30 years, a evolve throughout his lifetime.” Our deepest thanks to Frost Bank Collections, the vibrant reassessment of Dobie’s life and times published in During the McCarthy era Dobie became Texas’s leading for their most generous gift and for (above) Kids, JA Ranch, students explore the October by the University of Texas Press in their Charles N. dissenter, taking on politicians and censors—anyone he saw their role in helping us all celebrate 2004 functions of appraisal, Prothro Texana Series. Davis launched his book tour with a as the enemy of human liberty or freedom of thought. The the cultural heritage of Texas and the (left, l to r) Armstrong acquisition, fund- Texas Book Festival discussion presented by the Texas Ob - epitaph Dobie penned for his own tombstone sums up his South west. And our very special Ranch Group: Eliodoro raising, records man - Paz, Ernesto Jiménez, server, “Two Texas Firebrands,” which also featured Molly life’s journey: “I have come to value liberated minds as the thanks to the extraordinarily talented age ment, and outreach. Romero Medellín Jr., # # The Wittliff’s newly Ivins biographer Bill Minutaglio and moderator Bob Moser. supreme good of life on earth.” Robb Kendrick. Tobin Armstrong, Romero Medellín Sr., renovated reading “Dobie was a complex person,” Davis said. “He was Roberto Fernández, room serves as the hated and loved, sometimes by the same people.” Dobie is Read the Texas Monthly interview with Davis online: Robert Lee Hinojosa and course’s classroom. 6 regarded as one of the greatest professors to ever teach at the http:// www .texasmonthly.com/2009-11-01/bookinterview.php 7 Alfie, 2005 SHOWN HERE IS A souvenir image from a brothel on the Texas- Mexico border made circa 1974 by an itiner- ant photographer who sold it to his client for a couple of dollars. The original was most likely thrown out on the road home, since it was the record of a somewhat shady dalliance—or maybe it was kept as a fond remembrance. This picture was printed from one of 6,416 negatives that comprise the truly astonishing Boystown archive. Pur chased and thus rescued from sure oblivion by Bill Wittliff in the mid ’70s, these ritual photographs, made by a dozen or so anonymous men, achieve what scores of celebrated photographers have tried and mostly failed to do: they successfully reveal the marginalized sub-culture of prostitution. Brassaï, one of the most notable photographers of prostitutes said, “Life cannot be captured by realism or by natural- ism, only by dreams, symbols, or imagina- tion.” The Boystown images are the exception: they capture the life of this community in the simple ritual of taking pictures over and over and over again, until as we look and look and look we begin to know who these people really are, what they’re thinking, how they live. To me, it is the most re markable photographic archive in the Wittliff Collections. —Connie Todd writers on writing JOHN GRAVES new in the book series

(below right) John Graves, JOHN GRAVES, born in 1920, is one collection of essays, John Graves, friends and events that have touched SUSAN WITTIG ALBERT, the popu- (middle) Susan Wittig 1977, Bill Wittliff of Texas’s most revered writers. His Writer, co-edited by Mark Busby and me during a lifetime which has lar author best known for her China Albert, 2008, Susan Hoermann / Evergreen classic work, Goodbye to a River, first Terrell Dixon. Goodbye to a River was stretched out beyond what I ever Bayles mystery series, has written a Studios GOOD-BYE, published in 1960 and never out of the chosen text for Texas State’s thought it would. Perhaps behind this captivating memoir, the newest title in ARLEN, TEXAS print, is considered by many to be the 2007-2008 Common Experience pecking there is a mild hope that one or the Southwestern Writers Collection After thirteen successful finest Texas book ever written. theme, “The Water Planet: A River another of the jottings might lead to Book Series from UT Press. seasons, the series finale The Wittliff Collections began Runs Through Us.” something worth printing, as indeed In Together, Alone: A Memoir of NEW BOOKS: WRITERS for KING OF THE HILL acquiring John Graves’s literary In August 2009, Assistant Curator one passage from 2006 did, turning Marriage and Place, Albert explains aired on FOX this past papers in 1988 through the efforts of Steve Davis sent John Graves a few into a magazine piece and then into a why she abandoned a successful New books (published September, but the his friend Bill Wittliff, and Graves questions by e-mail to ask about his little book entitled My Dogs and Guns. career in academia so that she could January – June, 2009), award-winning ani - has often figured prominently in the creative process. # Where do you write? Can you tell “live in the country, away from cities, by authors with sub- mated sitcom featuring stantial archives in the Wittliff’s activities. In 1996 the first # What can you tell us about your us about your workspace? towns, people.” Albert describes the propane salesman Hank South western Writers book in the newly minted South- writing process? Do you write every I write at my ancient, large, second- day she walked out of the university: Hill and his friends and Collection include: family in the fictional western Writers Collection Book day? Is there a particular time of day hand desk in what used to be the living “I felt astonishingly, astoundingly # Wormwood (China city of Arlen, Texas, will Series, published by the University you prefer to write? room of the little stone house I built in free… and I could sing my own glori- Bayles Mystery #17) by live on in syndication— of Texas Press, was A John Graves Most of these answer/comments will the 1960s, but which became my study ous hurrah. It was only a step, but it Susan Wittig Albert and in the Wittliff Reader, an anthology of Graves’s have to be in more or less past tense, as more construction was added was the first, and it was necessary.” (Berkley) Collections. Since 1999, work that included never before pub- since at a rather beat-up eighty-nine through the years. One large wall of Albert began a new life that con- writer and Executive # lished material. years of age I am doing very little real this room is crammed with books in nected her intimately to a place—a Cooking My Way Producer Jim Dauterive through Life with Kids In 2002 the Wittliff Collections writing. This doesn’t bother me much, alphabetical (by author) order, and patch of land in the Texas Hill has been instrumental and Books by Judy Alter mounted an exhibition, The Writer for I feel that my main literary work damned nearly as many more are Country called Meadow Knoll. It was in arranging for the (State House / McWhiney production records for John Graves, and in 2004 dedicated a has already been done, for better or stacked chaotically in this study and in here, living and working with her new Foundation Press) every season to be bronze statue of Graves created by worse. the newer living room that adjoins it. # Echoes of Glory: A donated to the Collec - artist Pat Oliphant. In 2007, the But I do peck away at a keyboard # Can you describe your revision Novel by Robert Flynn tions. The archive University of Texas Press published a each day, recording memories of past process? (Texas Christian includes scripts, writers’ I can’t stop adding to and subtracting research notes and out- University Press) from and otherwise changing a text lines, photographs and # Vanilla Ride: A Hap until I’m forced to let go of it, and even drawings, inter-office and Leonard Novel by after publication I find words or pas- memos, and animation Joe R. Lansdale (Knopf) guidelines. The collec- sages that I wish I had thus altered. and Sanctified and # tion was processed in Do you discuss your work with Chicken-Fried: The 2007 and is open for others while it is in progress? Who mals while working together and sep- is deeply rooted in our connection to Portable Lansdale research. The complete do you show your work to first? arately on writing projects. Once her the people and the places we love.” (Southwestern Writers finding aid is available I usually show new writing first to my sense of home and partnership was In addition to her acclaimed Collection Book Series, online at http://thewittliff wife Jane, who has a good eye for tex- firmly established, Albert recalls how China Bayles mystery series, Susan UT Press) collections .txstate .edu/ swwc/ archives/ film/ tual matters. And there are old, bright, husband and writing partner, Bill she had to find its counterbalance—a Wittig Albert is the author of numer- # Ten Ingredients for a koth.htm. literate friends like Sam Hynes and Abe Albert, that she began to explore life’s place where she could be alone and ous other books. Find out more about Joyous Life and Peaceful Rothberg (both far away) and Bill deeper questions. explore those parts of the self that her work at http:// www .susan albert Home by Angela Shelf (below) Hank and Bobby Wittliff. Plus others if they have a link “What does it mean to belong to a only emerge in solitude. For her, this .com. In 1997, she founded the Story Medearis (Lake Isle Hill, illustrated by show Press) co-creator Mike Judge to the subject matter. place,” she asks in this beautifully place became Lebh Shomea, a silent Circle Net work, a nonprofit organiza- # Do you have a current writing written memoir, “to be truly rooted monastic retreat in South Texas. In tion for women who want to write # The Last Olympian project that you can talk about? Are and grounded in the place you call writing about her time there, Albert about their lives. She also co-edited (Percy Jackson & the there books remaining that you home?” And how, “in our culture of reveals the deep satisfaction she finds What Wild ness is This: Women Write Olympians, Book 5) by hope to do? casual mobility and easy and frequent in belonging to a community of peo- About the South west, which was pub- Rick Riordan (Disney As the above remarks indicate, I have changes of partners, how do we man- ple who have chosen to be apart and lished in the Southwestern Writers Hyperion). The Texas no current writing projects beyond age to make a marriage? How do I live experience silence and solitude. Book Collection Series in 2007. Book Festival recently honored Riordan with those jottings, nor do I waste much in an intimate partnership with anoth- Wittig notes, “I wrote my memoir Albert celebrated Together, Alone their prestigious Book - time fretting about the world’s current er person and still be who I am, sepa- to help me understand my life. I hope at the Wittliff Collections on October end Award for his pop- directions, unpleasant though many of rate and alone?” it will help you understand yours… 28 in a joint reading and book signing ular young reader’s them may seem to me. Life has been Albert describes how she and Bill I hope it will remind you of something with Susan J. Tweit, author of Walk ing series, of which Book 5 good and I’m glad to have been here came to know their land, and how you already know in your heart—that Nature Home: A Life’s Journey, also is the last installation. 10 when I was. # they raised their own food and ani- the freedom to learn who we truly are published by UT Press. # 11 Congratulations, Rick! (this page) THIS EXHIBITION is a miscellanea of (l to r) Anita Brenner, Contra la pared / Up photographs never before hung in the 1926, Tina Modotti / Against the Wall, 1994, Anita Brenner, ca. 1920s, Marco Antonio Cruz Wittliff Collection galleries, so Carla and Tina Modotti or Edward Weston Calabaza y caracol / Shin Yu and I had an intriguing puzzle to Squash and Snail, 1929, solve selecting and arranging the prints, Head of a Dead Man, Manuel Álvarez Bravo slowly realizing that we would be creating 1990, Joel-Peter Witkin mini-exhibits on each wall for visual conti- NEW BOOKS: nuity and image flow. We wanted to demon- PHOTOGRAPHERS NEW ASSISTANT strate that a sensitive combination of two or # Asor by Graciela CURATOR FOR more great photographs does not diminish Iturbide (Göttingen: ACQUISITIONS their impact but rather amplifies it. Steidl; London: Thames For the first time (excepting of course The Wittliff Collections & Hudson, distributor) are pleased to welcome the Kate Breakey shows) we had a number # Bordertown:The Shin Yu Pai as Assistant of works in color, so we decided to hang Arce—stark and beautiful architectur- exhibit cases in the gallery. Look at the made in the sixteenth-century Odyssey of an American Curator for Acqui si - them all together because they made such a al studies, as bright as when they were two portraits of Brenner (above): the Convent of Tepoztlán and his profane tions, a new position Place by Benjamin wonderful splash and shared the kinship of made over 35 years ago. Completing darker one is definitely attributable to Up Against the Wall taken in a Mexico created by Texas State Heber Johnson (Yale tones—the splashiest being no doubt our the wall are Kate Breakey’s cactus Modotti with her initials on the front, City jailhouse. It’s a perfect combina- to bolster the Wittliff’s University Press) centerpiece on the long wall-—the 42" x studies, Ave Bonar’s Port Aransas but I think the other one is by Weston, tion, and the two smaller photos easily ability to collect major # Changelings by 65" digital print by Fernando Montiel Klint, Trailer Park Sculptures, and Michael simply because of the way the subject hold their own. archives. An excellent Robb Kendrick choice to work in this entitled ¿Queremos pastel? (Do We Want O’Brien’s poignant portrait of Bud is presented. See what you think, and We have a group of three iconic (Cloverleaf Press) exciting area, Shin Yu is Cake?). It’s a funny, chaotic, supersaturated Shrake and Harvey Penick. We turned remember Modotti and Brenner didn’t images by the father of Mexican pho- # Delirious New Or - herself an accomplished the corner with Bill Wittlff’s portrait of really get along too well. tography, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and leans: Manifesto for an artist who has exhibited his dog, Ocho, in softer focus, lending In the center of one prominent with them we placed a fourth image, at several museums, Extraordinary American a bit more action as we left the space. wall we placed Head of a Dead Man by called Icon, by John Lewis that is itself and she is the author of City by Stephen seven books of poetry. Other notable features in this Joel-Peter Witkin, from his Mexico a Bravo homage and very happy in the Verderber (UT Press) exhibition are the images by the fabled hospital morgue series, an excellent, company of its inspiration. She has taught poetry at # Edward Weston: The the university level and team of Tina Modotti and Edward large, strong, and disturbing image. Michael O’Brien’s whimsical por- NUEVA LUZ Flame of Recognition: served as the Program - Weston, small work prints commis- How to flank such a photograph? We trait of Tom Waits shares a corner with His Photographs Accom - ming Director at sioned to illustrate Anita Brenner’s had to find two masterful, dramatic, Lizeth Arauz Velasco’s little bullfighter panied by Excerpts from WordSpace, a literary Mexico book from the 1920s, Idols albeit smaller pictures, so we went to from her series, Mirar hacia arriba the Daybooks & Letters arts nonprofit in Dallas. new piecelight with a social agenda; it features Behind Altars. These are extremely Graciela Iturbide and Marco Antonio (Looking Up), an appropriate duo. edited by Nancy Her education includes the artist’s friends—and dogs—in cos- rare and occupy a short wall and one Cruz, arguably the best photographers There are many other tableaux Newhal (Grossman) a master’s degree in Museology from the tume inhabiting and acting on a “set.” of our “new” antique freestanding in Mexico, and hung her divine Bird created for this extraordinary exhibi- # El impacto de la mod- University of Washing - Created to illustrate the frantic nature tion, with works by Jayne Hinds ernidad: foto grafía crim- ton and an MFA from of modern life and consumption, it Bidaut, Keith Carter, Edward Curtis, inalística en la ciudad de the School of the Art makes its point with edgy and eccen- Faustinus Deraet, Jerónimo Hernán - México by Jesse Lerner Institute of Chicago, tric humor. We surrounded this dez (from the Casasola Archive), David (Turner) with additional gradu- extremely active photograph with Johndrow, Robb Kendrick, O. Rufus # First Photographs: ate study at the Naropa works of brilliant color and absolute Lovett, Robert and Shana Parke - William Henry Fox Institute in Boulder, Talbot and the Birth Colorado. Please join us stillness, creating a wonderful tension Harrison, Sean Perry, Ken Rosenthal, in welcoming this tal- up and down the length of the wall. Rocky Schenck, Antonio Turok, and of Photography ented new addition to Of particular interest are the two vivid Jesús Sánchez Uribe. (powerHouse Books) the Wittliff staff. prints by Graciela Iturbide taken in Please come and look and pay # Into the Sunset: the newly opened room at La Casa particular attention to the grouping of Photography’s Image of Azul, Frida Kahlo’s house in Mexico the photographs—how we combined the American West by City—depictions of Frida’s gutsy them, how we turn the corners in the Eva Respini (MoMA) wooden leg with its bright red em - galleries—how we enhance the expe- # Lee Friedlander, New broi dered shoe and her hospital gown rience of the exhibition through Mexico (Radius Books) smudged with paint that one might insightful placement. I hope you # Lucha Libre, the easily mistake for blood. There are enjoy it, because we had a wonderful Family Portraits by three rare dye-transfer prints from the time putting it together. # Lourdes Grobet 12 1970s by Lázaro Blanco and Enrique —Connie Todd 13 (Editorial RM) recent ACQUISITIONS from the ARCHIVES

Eliza Gilkyson at the San the SOUTHWESTERN the music career of FREDDY POWERS. [Gift of Texas BORN IN 1904 near the Texas-Mexico border in Roma, economic conditions of the THE WITTLIFF Marcos River Pub, 2008, WRITERS COLLECTION State’s Center for Texas Music History] # DICK J. REAV- Texas, JOVITA GONZÁLEZ would become the first Mexi - time. Thanks to efforts by COLLECTIONS Mark Applegate Connie Todd, Curator The Collection currently IS continues to donate materials relating to his prolific can American to serve as President of the Texas Folklore researcher María Eugenia writing career as well as items documenting his research Society. While earning her bachelor of arts degree from Our Cotera, Life Along the Amy Cochran comprises over 6,080 lin- Events Assistant ear feet of materials from on the 1993 siege on the Branch Davidian complex in Lady of the Lake College, she continued to study Spanish at Border: A Landmark Tejana Steve Davis # the region’s authors, play- Waco, Texas. [Gift of Reavis] FBI and Texas Ranger the University of Texas at Austin, and it was there in the Thesis was published in Assistant Curator Writers Collection wrights, screen writers, reports relating to the Branch Davidian siege were added summer of 1925 she met J. Frank Dobie. Not only did they 2006 by Texas A & M to the growing ASHES OF WACO collection of materi- both share a passion for the folklore of Texas, Dobie encour- Press. Edited and with an Carla Ellard and songwriters. Recent Assistant Curator acquisitions listed below als documenting this historic conflict [gift of Matthew aged her to write down the stories she knew. He and his wife introduction by Cotera, Photography Collection represent additions from Wittmer], as were a selection of surveillance and negoti- Bertha helped secure loans for her education and González González’s original thesis titled “Social Life in Webb, Starr, Beverly Fondren January through July ation tapes [gift of Catherine Wessinger]. Both collec- was often invited over for dinners at the Dobie home. and Zapata Counties” appears much as it would have when Development Officer tions of materials support the online digital archive devel- It was Dobie who introduced González to the Texas González turned it in to her advisor, Eugene C. Barker. This Mary García 2009. Not listed are the Archives Assistant, LA III oped by Archivist Joel Minor (see p. 5). # Additions to Folklore Society; at his request she gave the feature presen- is the fourth body of work written by González that has been numerous gifts of books, Michele Miller, Media magazines, films, CDs, the MARC SIMMONS papers pertain to the 400th tation in 1927. She then went on to serve as vice president published posthumously. Relations & Publications and other items that sup- anniversary of the founding of New Mexico. Included are and then as president of the society in the 1930s. This was With Dobie’s help, González’s MA research resulted in a Joel Minor, Archivist plement our primary correspondence, published materials, and newspaper an incredible accomplishment for several reasons—she was Rockefeller grant award in 1934. It is believed that during GG Mortenson # Administrative Asst. II INSTRUCTING source materials. The success of the Southwestern clippings. {Gift of Simmons] Additions to the BILL female, she was young (not yet 30), and she was a Latina. this time she may have started work on her novel Caballero. ILLUMINATING WITTLIFF archive include screenplays, photographs, Jovita González was on her way to becoming a major Further evidence of this is found in the Wittliff Collections Shin Yu Pai, Assistant Writers Collection depends on the generous support of Curator, Acquisitions INSPIRING # exhibit catalogs, correspondence, videotapes, and pub- Texas writer when she married Edward E. Mireles in 1935. holdings: a contract from 1939 signed by Jovita González de our donors. Thank you! Photographer MARK Katie Salzmann Committed to further- APPLEGATE’s images of Texas musicians and music fans lished materials, as well as obituaries and articles, memo- Unlike her friend and mentor, Dobie, González’s new hus- Mireles and Margaret Eimer (Eve Raleigh, pen name) con- Lead Archivist ing the cultural legacy document life on the stage and on the dance floor. rial service programs, and speeches from the funeral of band did not encourage her writing; in fact he dismissed it, cerning the novel All This is Mine (Caballero), “a historical Karen Sigler of the region’s literary # Cataloging Librarian Depicted are artists such as Robert Earl Keen, Roger writer Bud Shrake. [Gift of Bill & Sally Wittliff] and with the exception of several stories in The Southwest novel of the border during the Mexican War.” This original and photographic arts Joe Sumbera Craeger, Bruce Robison, and Eliza Gilkyson performing at Review and Folklore Publications, none of her manuscripts contract (below) was discovered by a researcher who found and to fostering “the Head Cataloging Asst. Gruene Hall, Gordos, and other popular venues. [Gift of were published before her death in 1983. the folded document inside González’s address book. spirit of place” in the the SOUTHWESTERN & MEXICAN Valerie Anderson # During an interview in the 1970s, González was ques- Caballero was eventually published in 1996. Dew on the wider world, the Wittliff Applegate] The notable career of Texas Tornadoes PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION Temp Admin Asst. II drummer ERNIE DURAWA is recognized through pho- New purchases include photographs by KEITH tioned about her unpublished novel and Mireles quickly Thorn was published a year later by Arte Publico Press, and Collec tions welcome TEXAS STATE visitors, tours, and tographs, plaques, certificates, and other awards includ- CARTER and FAUSTINUS DERAET # Color photo- stated that the manuscript had been destroyed; however, The Woman Who Lost Her Soul and Other Stories was pub- # Dr. Denise Trauth classes, host readings, ing the proclamation of “Ernie Durawa Day” in Austin, graph of George Strait by MICHAEL O’BRIEN # His tor - González discreetly indicated to the reporter that Mireles lished in 2000. President lectures, and symposia, Texas, February 5, 2005. [Gift of Durawa] # The research i cal images of Texas and Mexico # Carbon-ink prints was wrong. Researchers Teresa Palomo Acosta and Cynthia Dr. C. Van Wyatt, VP (above) Jovita González, San Antonio, 1931 assist researchers, and from K2 Press of BILL WITTLIFF’s Vaquero: Genesis of Orozco are credited with bringing González’s work to the Information Technology and writing interests of southwestern literature professor Courtesy of the E. E. Mireles and Jovita González Mireles Papers Joan Heath, Asst. VP present major exhibi- and scholar WILSON HUDSON are represented by the the Texas Cowboy traveling exhibition. # New gifts attention of scholars, but it was not until the 1990s that the Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library University Library tions year-round from addition of correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and pub- include photographs by KEITH CARTER [gift of artist] manuscripts were published. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi their archival holdings. lished materials. [Gift of Joe Scruggs] # New LARRY L. # ROBB KENDRICK’s Revealing Character tintypes, see While the majority of González’s papers reside at the Bell BOARD OF REGENTS The Southwestern KING materials include correspondence with friends and p. 7 [gift of Frost Bank] # Silver-gelatin print, Roses San Library of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Jovita González Ron Blatchley, Chairman Writers Collection Bryan / College Station colleagues, primarily discussing King’s health and the Miguel, 2009 by BILL WITTLIFF [gift of artist]. # Mireles Papers at the Wittliff Collections acquires, preserves, and consist of manuscripts, Trisha S. Pollard makes available literary passing of writer and King’s good friend, Bud Shrake [Gift Vice Chairman, Bellaire # correspondence, finan- papers and artifacts of King] The cancellation of KING OF THE HILL (see Charlie Amato from the Southwest’s p. 10) has resulted in an influx of scripts and production cial records, several arti- San Antonio leading writers, film- records to complement the already extensive archive. facts and other docu- Kevin J. Lilly, Houston makers, and musicians. [Gift of Jim Dauterive] # Corres pondence, drafts, photo- ments, photographs, and Ron Mitchell Horseshoe Bay The Southwestern & graphs, and articles by and about GROVER LEWIS doc- material relating to the David Montagne Mexican Photography Spanish teaching career ument Kip Stratton’s work as co-editor of the 2005 Beaumont Collection focuses on Grover Lewis anthology from UT Press, Splendor in the of both her and her hus- Michael Truncale the Southwest and Short Grass. [Gift of Rae Lewis] # The PHYLLIS MOR- band. Of particular inter- Beaumont Mexico, and houses GAN papers document her research and writing of Marc est is the master’s thesis Greg Wilkinson, Dallas one of the largest Simmons of New Mexico: Maverick Historian, a bio-bibliog- she wrote while working Donna N. Williams archives of modern and Arlington raphy of the noted southwestern scholar and writer. [Gift on her MA at UT-Austin. contemporary Mexican William Patterson # Submitted in 1930, the photography in the U.S. of Morgan] CELIA MORRIS continues to gift her Student Regent papers to the Collections. Recent items document her work gives a first-hand look Richardson (right) Viva Mexico, political interests and work on behalf of the Democratic into life on the border, with CHANCELLOR 2004, “Mientras vagaba # insights to the culture, lan- por el DF” series, Party. [Gift of Morris] Album recordings, CDs and Charles R. Matthews Faustinus Deraet 14 videocassettes, posters, magazines, and artifacts celebrate guages, racial relations, and Austin Non-Profit Org The rising STAR of Texas ® U.S. Postage A member of The Texas State University System PAID Austin, TX Permit No. 1149 THEKEYSTONE

THE WITTLIFF COLLECTIONS at the ALKEK LIBRARY Southwestern Writers Collection Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection Texas State University-San Marcos 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666-4604

THE KEYSTONE EDITORS ADMISSION IS FREE Connie Todd exhibitions & events CALENDAR [] Michele Miller DESIGNER Michele Miller exhibitions coming up on the road LOCATION The Wittliff Collections OCT 17 – MAR 1 OCT 10 – JAN 3 are on the 7th floor of THE LIGHTNING FIELD: february Eyes to Fly With: Photographs the Alkek Library at Mapping the Creative Process FRANCINE PROSE by Graciela Iturbide, the exhi- Texas State University 18 The papers of Cormac reads for the English bition based on the Wittliff in San Marcos. McCarthy, Sam Shepard, Department’s TKL/KAP book, is at Beaumont’s Art John Graves, Rick Riordan, Museum of Southeast Texas. E-MAIL Series. Book signing and and many others illustrate a Q&A to follow. 3:30 pm thewittliffcollections variety of authors’ composi- SEPT 19 – JAN 3 Two Deer, 2004, Keith Carter @txstate.edu tional dilemmas and, Sixty of Bill Wittliff’s images from A Book of Photo graphs TOURS & INFO through them, illuminate the OCT 17 – MAR 13 march how of creation. Supporting from Lonesome Dove are at the 512.245.2313 FIREFLIES: Photographs of Witte in San Antonio along Texas State’s 2009-2010 Children by KEITH CARTER 27 MIKE COX talks about EXHIBITION HOURS Common Experience theme, his latest book, Time of the with pieces from the making As does his newest book of the mini series: Gus’s “mor- See the website for “The Whole Mind.” Rangers: The Texas Rangers from UT Press, this exhibi- tal remains” and grave mark- exhibition information (see p. 5) tion showcases the transcen- 1900 to Present. Book signing to follow. 3:00 pm er, his Colt Walker pistol, and viewing hours. dent, lyrical depictions of and the iconic painted dove children Carter has crafted from Pumphrey’s mercantile. RESEARCH HOURS through out his career. Monday through Friday april SEPT 27 – JAN 17 8:30 am to 4:30 pm OCT 17 – MAR 13 CLAUDIA RANKINE Over 70 images from Poet of (Please call ahead to NUEVA LUZ / NEW LIGHT: 8 the Ordi nary: Photographs by verify / Closed during Recent Acquisitions With reads for the English Department’s TKL/KAP Keith Carter are at College of breaks & holidays) over 40 images by Manuel Series. Book signing and Saint Rose’s Esther Massry Álvarez Bravo, Marco Art Gallery in Albany, NY. ADMISSION is free. Antonio Cruz, Graciela Q&A to follow. 3:30 pm THE GIFT SHOP Iturbide, Robb Kendrick, Tina Modotti, Edward special assistance is now open online: Rick Riordan rickriordan.com april Weston, Joel-Peter Witkin, Would you like to schedule www.thewittliffcollec OCT 17 – MAR 13 and a host of other interna- a group or class tour? Call tions. txstate.edu/shop 21 TIM O’BRIEN reads as A CERTAIN ALCHEMY: tionally acclaimed photogra- the English Department’s us at 512.245.2313 or request ONLINE (Directions, Photographs by KEITH phers, this high-impact show University Endowed Chair in a tour online. If you require CARTER Drawing from the parking, archives info, is not to be missed. Creative Writing. Book sign- accommodations due to a animal world, popular cul- etc.) www.thewittliff (see p. 12) ing to follow. 3:30 pm disability, please call ahead ture, folklore, and religion, collections. txstate.edu and we’ll be happy to assist. Carter explores relationships ON PERMANENT DISPLAY that are timeless, enigmatic, LONESOME DOVE Collection also... Watch the web- RECEIVE and mythological. This 60- Costumes, props, set pieces, site for additional events, our gift shop is open! THE KEYSTONE image show celebrates designs, scripts, and other plus news of the next literary We’ve begun to offer our Join the Carter’s latest book in the “making of” materials are exhibition, featuring the JIM literary and photographic mailing list Wittliff’s South western & permanently on view from HIGHTOWER archive, and series books, Encino Press online or call Mexi can Photography the CBS mini series based on two new photography shows, books, posters, and other 512.245.2313 Collection Series with the Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer including BILL WITTLIFF’s items for sale online. See the University of Texas Press. Prize-winning novel. carbon-ink Vaquero prints. website to begin shopping.