Insights on a Fellowship

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Glastonbury, Conn., English teacher David Polochanin was recently awarded the James Marshall Fellowship, as he pursues to write young adult literature as part of a yearlong sabbatical. During his research, he will write an occasional series of blog posts, based on his observations and insights relating to the contents of the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Connecticut. Polochanin’s work has been widely published in major newspapers in New England, including The Boston Globe, Providence Journal, and Hartford Courant. His education writing has appeared in Education Week and Middle Ground, and his poetry has been included in an anthology by Native West Press, and will be published in the prose poetry journal Sentence.

Archives & Special Collections stacks

Photo in Archives & Special Collections stacks @ David Polochanin 2013

 Blog Post 1: On Production

Combing through the archives of this collection has been fascinating, and an extraordinary opportunity. Since my days as a reporting intern for the Boston Globe nearly 20 years ago, I’ve been interested in authors’ behind-the-scenes writing process – perhaps because the art of creation is typically so mysterious. After all, when authors are interviewed by admirers, one of the first questions they are asked is, “How did you write this?” or “Where did the idea come from?”

I am not so much interested in where ideas come from, but I am intrigued with the process of writing itself.

In a way, I am learning that it is not so complicated.

While I have examined only a fraction of what the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection holds, I am struck by the sheer production of some of these authors, the volume of work they have created, and that, it would seem, an author’s ability and determination to produce such large amounts of work are major factors leading to publication, success, accolades, fame. This drive ultimately distinguishes a recreational writer, I think, from writers who earn a living by writing, particularly as a creative writer, for adults and children alike.

Their success is not reliant upon talent, alone.

It takes tenacity to produce. I am reminded of an interview I read recently with Newbery Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo, posted on the website ReadingRockets.org. She said, “I’ve been in so many writing workshops, writing classes, and to the right of me and to the left of me, there’s always somebody much more talented than I am. And what I figured out is they’re not willing to go through the rejection, which is enormous, and then the compromise that comes with editing your work. I decided a long time ago that I didn’t have to be talented. I just had to be persistent, and that that was something that I could control — the persistence. I’ve always been kind of persistent.”

Again and again in author interviews, this is a common refrain. In order to publish your work, one must work hard. Sounds simple. But the determination involved when there are dozens of things vying for our time, is remarkable. It means casting these distractions – the Internet, TV, the laundry, the long shower – aside to sit somewhere and write for extended periods of time. In today’s society, a place where patience is underrated, this kind of discipline is increasingly difficult.

So when I look through boxes of drafts, notes, and manuscripts by such celebrated children’s authors as Eleanor Estes and Ruth Krauss, whose works are well represented in the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection, seeing the sheer amount of their work stacked in box after box on the shelves in the back room, you begin to get a sense of why these are noteworthy writers and why their work is housed in a university archive.

Writing is a way of life. And you can tell that many of the writers here have dedicated their lives to the craft, to creating stories, poetry, or nonfiction. They have been prolific producers. It’s not unlike any other line of work that requires intense focus and discipline in order to rise to the top of a profession. The best physicians are often board-certified, keep up with current research, and teach young doctors in training; the best NBA players spend hours beyond their usual practice and game time to practice three-pointers and free throws and watch video of their games.

‘Consuming’ is the right word to describe this sort of dedication.

In his book The Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell theorizes that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at a craft, including reaching the highest levels of achievement in business, technology, sports, and music. I’d argue the same goes for writing. Over 10 years, that’s 1,000 hours a year, or 83 hours a month, 19 hours a week, or about three hours a day. Of course, this is provided that you write every day.

Poring through this collection’s files and folders and the sheer volume of production included here makes it clear, at least in my mind: the more a writer produces, the more likely they are to get published, and the more likely one is to eventually publish work of enduring value. Kate DiCamillo has it right: First comes a stubborn persistence, then comes talent.

Caught My Eye Today

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Introducing Caught My Eye Today, a new weekly series in which we will post a photograph of something in the collection that deserves a second look.  In this age of whirling and intangible information and the deafening chatter about all things digital, the artifactual value of physical objects often reaches out, grabs hold and demands our attention.  In this series we will obey the call of the material and quietly look longer, harder and again at what we have collected.  Look for a post this week.

Collections now available

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John P. McDonald Reading Reading Room, Archives & Special Collections

Below is a list of collections that are now open and available for research (links to finding aids provided), arranged by broad collecting area.  Researchers are encouraged to contact the staff with any questions.

Business, Railroad  & Labor Collections:

AFSCME, Local 1303  Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/49

  • Articles related to a strike by employees of the Milford Mental Health Clinic in 1983.

Bartholomew Alpress & Co. Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/123

  • Record books of the saw mill located in Bristol, Connecticut.

Iron Workers Association of Reading, PA  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/924

  • Notebook with handwritten constitution and by-laws of association.

Norwich Typographical Union Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/84

  • Financial records of the Union.

Providence & Worcester Railroad  Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/832

  • Treasurer’s accounts, treasury books, superintendent’s letters, deeds, and other administrative files.

William B. Young Collection of the Connecticut Co. https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/911

  • Correspondence, maps, photographic images, car rosters, administrative reports, and other materials about trolley and street railroad cars and the history of the Connecticut Company.

Children’s Literature Collections:

Martha G. Alexander  Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/851

  • Manuscripts, dummies, and proofs for a significant number of published works by noted children’s author.

Paul W. Catanese  Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/899

  • Manuscripts and correspondence associated with two of Mr. Catanese’s books, “The Brave Apprentice” and “The Thief and the Beanstalk.”

Bonnie Christensen  Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/71

  •  Original illustrations, woodcut blocks, research materials, and manuscript materials associated with the children’s author.

Stephanie Clayton Collection of Little Red Riding Hood https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/914

  • Assorted realia related to, and depicting, the Little Red Riding Hood Fairy Tale. The collection contains stuffed animals, dolls, porcelain figures, and a clock.

Joanna Cole Papers           https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/852

  •  Editorial correspondence, manuscripts and sketches of Cole, author of the Magic School Bus series.

Mary DePalma Papers        https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/873

  • Materials used to create several of Ms. DePalma’s works, such as My Chair,  The Strange Egg,  Many Millions of Leaves,  A Grand Old Tree,  The Perfect Gift, and  The Nutcracker Doll.

Mary Greenwalt Papers      https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/919

  • Illustrations of her works on the lives of famous composers published between 1936 and 1946.

Mary Ann Hoberman Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/115

  • Manuscripts, original artwork, poetry, and various administrative records associated with the work of award winning children’s author.

Nonny Hogrogian  Papers     https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/35

  • Illustrations, drawings, and proofs of works by children’s book author and illustrator.

Kathy Jakobsen Papers      https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/853

  • Artwork, audio visual materials, books, color slides, correspondence, drawings, illustrations, photographs, posters, publications, sketches, and videocassettes documenting the work of one of America’s premier folk artists.

David Katz Papers              https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/896

  • Materials relating to Katz’s publication You can be a woman engineer published in 1995.

Judith Liberman Papers      https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/850

  • Correspondence and original manuscript materials of artist and author.

Arnold Lobel Papers           https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/831

  • Original text and artwork produced by children’s book author and illustrator.

William MacKellar  Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/510

Movable Book Society Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/898

  • Records of the Society.

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (NE) Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/907

  • Records of the Society.

Catherine Stock Papers      https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/849

  • Works of art, dummies, and gallery proofs.

Weston Woods  Records    https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/212

  • 25 animation celluloids used in the creation of children’s filmstrips by the Weston Woods Studio.

Hans Wilhelm Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/112

  •  Dummies, illustrations, books (4), works of art, preliminary sketches, photographs, fliers, posters, ephemera (calendars), and postcards related to Hello Sun!

Human Rights Collections:

Adam Nadel Photography Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/780

  • Large scale photography by Pulitzer Prize nominated photojournalist.

Diana Rios Collection of Ethnic Press Newspapers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/843

  • Ethnic newspapers from across the United States that are made available for teaching purposes.

World Education Fellowship Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/39

  • Administrative records, correspondence, fliers, notes, and transcripts from 1969-1992.

A. B. Xuma Papers             https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/170

  •  Microfilm version of papers of anti-apartheid activist A. B. Xuma.

Literary Collections:

Merrill Gillespie Papers       https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/396

  • Correspondence from Michael Rumaker to Merrill Gillespie.

Oliver Jensen Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/830

  • Personal and professional papers of Oliver Ormerod Jensen, writer, editor, self-taught historian, and railroad enthusiast.

Harriet Slavitz Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/119

  • Manuscripts, journals, notebooks correspondence and audio recordings of poet, essayist, freelance writer, book editor, and instructor.

Photograph Collections:

Mary Lou Estabrook Photographs  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/876

  • Documents the photographic work of Mary Lou Estabrook in her capacity as Associate Editor and Chief Photographer of the Lakeville Journal, 1971-1986.

Political & Public Polling Collections, Personal papers:

Alumni Legislators Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/85

  • Ephemera, fliers, photographs, postcards, publications, and realia related to Connecticut State Legislators who were graduates of the University of Connecticut.

Arthur W. Fanta Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/920

  • Reflects his work at the Nuremberg War Trials from 1945-1948.

Camille Forman Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/153

  • Administrative records, clippings, correspondence, ephemera, galley proofs, and financial records of local author.

Sam Gejdenson Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/889

  • Congressional records of Sam Gejdenson, U.S. Representative from Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional district, 1981-2000.

Paul K. Perry Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/205

  • Correspondence, reports, studies, polls and similar materials related to the personal and professional interests of noted Gallup organization employee.

John Rowland Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/66

  • Congressional records from 1985 to 1991 from Connecticut’s fifth district, including constituent correspondence from 1985 to 1990, campaign and congressional newsletters, press releases, and legislative profiles.

Charles Towne Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/78

  • Note cards, indexed alphabetically, and by subject of city editor of the Hartford Courant for 47 years.

Dexter Wilcomb Papers (Connecticut Soldiers Collection) https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/6

  • World War II memorabilia donated by Technician Third Grade, Dexter Wilcomb.

Jerry Wagner Political Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/98

  •  Materials from the political campaigns of Emilio Daddario and Hubert Humphrey and aspects of the political career of Toby Moffet

University Archives:

4-H Clubs of CT Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/859

  • Numerous club publications, photographs, scrapbooks, slides, film, and administrative records of the 4-H Clubs of Connecticut which originated in 1913 with the establishment of the first club in Mansfield, Connecticut.

Accreditation Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/95

  • Administrative records pertaining to the University’s accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Floyd Bass Collection of John E. Rogers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/48

  • Clippings, sound recordings, books, an honorary degree, and research posters relating to Dr. John E. Rogers collected by Dr. Bass.

Norman Bender Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/917

  • Correspondence, notes, articles and publications created or collected by Mr. Bender during his tenure in the University of Connecticut, Cooperative Extension Service.

Richard D. Brown Papers https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/211

  • Course materials, student records and recommendations, papers and presentations, professional associations, and grant applications of UConn History professor Richard D. Brown.

Cell Stress Society International Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/213

  • Records documenting the establishment, management, development and growth of the Cell Stress Society International and its associated journal publication on the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut from 1995 to the present.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/179

  • Records of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Computing Committee Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/57

  • Correspondence, clippings, administrative reporting, committe proceedings, notes, fliers (handouts), and publications related to the Computing Committee and their involvement in UCINFO.

Office of Institutional Research Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/869

  • Administrative records, reports and clippings.

Ombudsman’s Office records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/182

  • Administrative records, fliers, news clippings, and legal documents from the period the office existed at the University.

Poetic Journeys Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/104

  • Posters from the Poetic Journeys Galleries from 2000-2004.

Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Institute Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/901

  • Correspondence, minutes, printed materials, and financial records of the Institute.

Carl W. Rettenmeyer Papers  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/208

  • Correspondence and field notes of noted biologist.

Cynthia Reeves Snow Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/148

  • Diploma, report card, dance program and publications from one of the early female graduates of the University.

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station Records https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/40

  • Administrative records of one of the oldest agricultural experiment and research stations in the United States.

Storrs Draft Information Committee Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/64

  • Administrative records, correspondence, legal documents, fliers, notes, and publications of the committee.

University Communications Office Records  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/113

  • Files of the Office.

University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association (UCPEA) Collection https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/174

  • Administrative records, correspondence, legal documents, financial records, publications, and fliers (pamphlets, handouts, announcements), related to the Association.

University Poster Collection  https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/138

  • Posters documenting University events, particularly athletic activities, from 1969-2012.

ALA Awards go to several CT Children’s Book Fair folks and one NCLC donor!

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Congratulations to several of our CT Children’s Book Fair folks for their prestigious awards at ALA this morning!
E. B. Lewis, Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Each Kindness and Bryan Collier, Coretta Scott King Illustrator for I, Too, am America;
Sonia Manzano, Pura Belpre Honor Book for The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano;
Mo Willems, NCLC donor, Geisel Honor for Let’s Go for a Drive ;
and Leslea Newman, Stonewall Honor Book for October Mourning.

Katie Davis exhibit

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[slideshow_deploy id=’730′]The Katie Davis exhibit in the Dodd Research Center Gallery will be coming down on February 22, 2013, in the early morning.  So if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll want to come in soon.  It’s a wonderful exhibit documenting Katie’s creative process.  And, trust me, is she ever creative.

Martin Luther King Jr. and “Why I Oppose the War In Vietnam”

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“There comes a time when silence is betrayal,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) said from the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on April 16, 1967, “I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettoes without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.”

“Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam” – Dr. Martin Luther King jr. Dodd Center, Archives & Special Collections LP’s.

This edition of Martin Luther King Jr. day means many things this year.  A significant day to reflect on historical achievements in the United States for African Americans and people of color regarding civil rights and segregation,  and as a nation, its first African American Commander in Chief takes office today.  Though the Archives & Special Collections at the University of Connecticut may not contain Lincoln’s bible which will be used today in the swearing in of President Obama for his second term, we do have important materials that help contextualize why the issues of human rights for people of color in the United States and around the world matter now as ever.

A linkage between the US government’s role in violence in the third world during the War in Vietnam and the violence against people of color at home was a major topic of King’s speeches in the last year of his life.  Other important figures like Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois,  Malcolm X and Angela Davis have also taken the stance on racism and human rights abuse to the internationalist position that a violence against people of color around the world is a violence to all.  On this inaugural day of the President of the United States, taking the steps of the building which he will stand upon, built by African Americans enslaved 150 years ago, will symbolize an overwhelming achievement in a nation’s history.  For the role of African Americans in the making of this country that has systematically seen its power turned to their oppression, the event symbolizes an equally outstanding time in history which lays deep within the meaning making of the citizen, the culture, and the class.  The struggles of African American draftees, Medgar Evers of the NAACP, Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, Freedom Riders from North to South and The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts all became witness to the atrocity and injustice brought to their people.  The contextual archive, such as Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam, also bears witness to those injustices which continue on to lay the groundwork for the now, the tomorrow and thereafter.

“We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values, we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing oriented society to a person oriented society, when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies…true compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar, it comes to see that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring.” – Martin Luther King Jr., April 4, 1967.

Materials on Civil Rights and Human Rights can be found at the Dodd Center’s Archives & Special Collections such as the LP Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam.  For access to other radical LP’s from our Alternative Press Collection, please contact the Curator.

Susan Raab’s latest artstomarket blog on digital technology

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Check out Susan’s blog about the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project report on the impact digital technology and social media have on the arts in America.  Over 1200 NEA grantees participated in an online survey.  The report investigates the many uses of technology in the arts world and identifies challenges organizations face in difficult economic times.

Gerald McDermott

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The world of children’s literature has lost another star. Gerald McDermott died on December 26, 2012, at the age of 71. Mr. McDermott created folklore films and wrote and illustrated picture books, including Anansi the Spider: A Tale from Ashanti (1972) and Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest (1993), both of which received Caldecott Honors. He received the 1975 Caldecott Medal for Arrow to the Sun: A Tale from the Pueblo. For more information on his amazing life and work, see his site at http://www.geraldmcdermott.com/. Mr. McDermott was a student at Pratt and studied with our own Roger Crossgrove. Our condolences to his family and friends.

 

A Historical Comic Book of the Southern New England Telephone Company

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[slideshow_deploy id=’3338′]

In January 1878 George Coy founded the District Telephone Company of New Haven, Connecticut, less than one year after telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated his invention at Skiff’s Opera House in that city.  Coy’s new company was the first commercial telephone company in the world.

Seventy-five years later, in 1953, the company now known as the Southern New England Telphone Company produced a charming comic book — Pioneering the Telephone in Connecticut — to celebrate its history.  In 1998 the company records were donated to Archives & Special Collections, and the comic book was among the materials.

Here are just a few cells of the comic book, a captivating way to learn about this important company’s history.

Grants for Research: Apply Now For Spring/Summer Travel

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Scholars and graduate students whose research requires use of the collections held by Archives and Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center are invited to apply for travel grants.  Applications must be received by January 30, 2013 for travel to the University of Connecticut between March and August 2013.  Grants up to $500 are made to graduate students and post-doctoral students, and established scholars are eligible for awards of up to $1,500.  Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to cover travel and accommodations expenses.  Details and application instructions can be found on the Strochlitz Travel Grant page online.

Criteria for selection include the scope and significance of the individual’s research project relative to the subject strengths of the repository collections, his or her scholarly research credentials, and letters of support.  We particularly seek applications from individuals whose research relates to the following fields of inquiry: Alternative and Underground Press in America, American Literature and Poetics, American Political History, Blues and African American Vernacular Music, Latin American and Caribbean Culture and History, Human Rights, Labor History, Public Polling History, and Connecticut and Railroad History, among others.  Contact Greg Colati, Director, with any questions.

Tomie dePaola featured in latest Kearsarge magazine

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[slideshow_deploy id=’705′]One of our favorite NCLC donors, Tomie dePaola, is the cover guy for the winter 2012/2013 Kearsarge magazine, with a great article inside written by John Walters accompanied by lovely photography by Tom McNeill.  Now 78 years old, Tomie has published something like 250 books.  His newest book, The birds of Bethlehem, is a retelling of the Nativity story from a bird’s perspective.  John Walters interviewed Tomie about his life and love of reading and art, his teaching career, and his outlook on the many awards he has received.  His favorite, Walters reports, is that his hometown of Meriden, Connecticut, named its children’s library after him.

The Angel for Tomie’s 2012 Christmas card is a “re-imagining” of one of his designs for a hand-screened greeting card business in Vermont in the late 1950’s.  Tomie has changed the background, added color and lettering, and reports, “It’s an interesting thing to take an image that is fifty-plus years old and re-visiting it.”

Tomie’s house is full of ornaments he has designed himself, in addition to a large collection of folk art from around the world.  And, Walters reports, “plenty of poinsettias.”