Wyoming author C.J. Box
Matt Francis' good idea has turned into a good amount of work.
The American Heritage Center's specialist on the papers of authors and journalists,
Francis first approached best-selling Wyoming author C.J. Box in April and encouraged
him to donate his papers -- including writing drafts, research files, clippings, interviews
and other correspondence -- to the University of Wyoming. The conversation restarted
in September when Box toured the AHC and began researching some of the center's digital
collections.
A few weeks later, Box showed up with the first seven boxes of his personal archives.
"We have established building our collections of Wyoming authors and significant Western
fiction and poetry as one of our priorities, and C.J. certainly fits those criteria,"
says Francis, an archivist at the AHC, the university's manuscript repository, university
archives and rare books library. "Additionally, the quality of C.J.'s work, as seen
through the accolades that he has received, along with his high productivity, makes
his papers a very valuable addition to our current holdings."
A Wyoming native and best-selling author, Box rose to prominence with the first of
his Joe Pickett mysteries, "Open Season," which was included on the New York Times'
"Notable Books" list in 2001. He has since written 11 more novels -- including "Blue
Heaven," which won an Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel of 2008 -- and his works
are now published in 25 different languages.
"I was honored to be asked by Matt to contribute my papers to the AHC," says Box,
who lives near Cheyenne. "I'm a little embarrassed not to have known that such a terrific
and professional facility was located at the University of Wyoming. It's an amazing
complex."
In addition to donating his papers, Box has recently examined some of the center's
other collections, including the sizeable photographic collection of Charles Belden,
and says "writers and researchers will be impressed to find what's available at the
AHC. I know I was."
One of the largest non-governmental archival institutions in the United States, the
AHC won the Society of American Archivists' (SAA) Distinguished Service Award this
year. It is the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed on an institution by the
nation's primary organization dedicated to ensuring the identification, preservation
and use of records of historical value.
The AHC's collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West and nationally
on the topics of environment and conservation, the mining and petroleum industries,
air and rail transportation, the performing arts (particularly radio, television,
film, and popular music), journalism, U.S. military history and book history.
To learn more about the AHC, go to the official Web site at http://ahc.uwyo.edu.
