Houston’s glorious R&B past has a home at The Wittliff Collections.

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The recent acquisition of the archives of Austin record collector/photographer/indie music newspaper publisher Doug Hanners, means the deep dives are beginning at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University into one of the most important and fascinating aspects of the collection – the personal papers, ephemera and rare photos amassed by notorious Houston record producers …

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All Hail the Popcorn King

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“Joe Lansdale is a great writer who can kill you not only with words, but with his hands.” So begins this feisty documentary, All Hail the Popcorn King, which celebrates the virtuoso writer from Nacogdoches Texas — a man whose vision is so original he even developed his own brand of martial arts. Although I’m …

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The Wittliff Acquires Papers of John Rechy, Pioneer of American, LGBT, and Chicano Literature

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The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University have acquired the complete archive of internationally acclaimed author John Rechy, praised as “one of the few original American writers of the last century,” by Gore Vidal, and as “one of Mexican‑American literature’s founding authors” by critic Héctor Calderón. Rechy’s first novel, City of Night, was published in …

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In Luck with the Red Headed Stranger

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The Wittliff joined Willie Nelson and hundreds of his fans for a screening of a newly restored copy of the 1986 film “Red Headed Stranger” at his Luck ranch outside of Austin. The ranch buildings were constructed for the film, and many of the old-west style buldings are still standing today. The Wittliff helped add …

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Reflections on Bill Wittliff and “The Collections”

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I came to The Wittliff in October 2011, and most of my days since that time have begun with a call from Bill Wittliff. After he and Sally received honorary doctorates from Texas State In 2014, I’d always greet him with “Doctor, good morning,” and he’d reply in kind. Bill loved to check in and …

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Susannah Broyles discusses “The Ramón Hernández Tejano Music Collection.”

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The Wittliff has recently acquired the extensive Tejano music archive of Ramón Hernández, a San Antonio publicist, journalist, and photographer. The collection includes music memorabilia consisting of various artist’s costumes, records, original marketing posters, handwritten sheets of music, personal photographs, and more, and will soon be available for research at The Wittliff. This accumulation is …

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The Wittliff expands its legacy of Native American photography with Will Wilson acquisition.

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In 2017, The Wittliff exhibited a selection of images from Edward Curtis The North American Indian. Soon thereafter, we were contacted by Dr. John Mckiernan-Gonzalez, Director of the Center for the Study of the Southwest, who recommended that we look at the photographs of Will Wilson, a Native American photographer. We are excited to share the news …

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Naomi Shihab Nye wins Prestigious Literary Award.

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The Wittliff is proud to share the news that Naomi Shihab Nye has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Institute of Letters. This is the highest honor given by the TIL, which was established in 1936 to recognize and celebrate the state’s literary artists. The award will be presented to Nye at the …

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Major Dobie collector’s extraordinary new gift.

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Last November at the annual “Dobie Dichos” literary festival in South Texas, I got to meet William Allison, a Houston attorney who specializes in environmental law and who has emerged as one of the great modern collectors of J. Frank Dobie material. Bill told me that his grandfather introduced him to Dobie, which set him …

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“Recuerdos” And Souvenir Postcards From Mexico

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In 2013, Susan Toomey Frost donated her collection of Mexican Border Town postcards representing 22 Mexican cities and towns along the 1,969-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. The collection consists of 3,857 images, including real photo postcards and printed postcards. Many are identified by photographer, including such notable names as W.H. Horne and Robert …

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