Tag: Literature

Photo of Hector Aguayo with Cabeza de Vaca Statue

We Matter, We’ve Always Been Here: How a 500-Year-Old Manuscript Helped Me Find Closure

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This post is by guest researcher and Texas State University Alumni Hector Aguayo. A year ago, I embarked on a long-awaited road trip through Texas, retracing the footsteps of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer whose survival story stands apart from the conventional narratives of European conquest. As a proud graduate of Texas …

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Photo of Portis

Surprise discovery brings “True Grit” Author’s Archive to The Wittliff Collections

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The Wittliff Collections have acquired the archive of literary legend Charles Portis, whose personal papers were discovered in a hidden cache two years after the author’s death. The self-effacing Portis, an Arkansas native who died in 2020 at age 86, avoided publicity and kept a low profile during his lifetime. Yet his five acclaimed novels, …

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Improving Archive Access in a Digital World

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Continuing our series of blog written by our student employees, Alie Dowell writes about her experiences working as a metadata assistant. Alie assisted with The Wittliff’s metadata and archival description initiatives focusing on the migration of Microsoft Word and PDF collection inventories into ArchivesSpace to enhance online discovery and access. The Wittliff’s ArchivesSpace site can …

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Photo of Benjamin in his study

The Wittliff acquires the Archive of Renowned Writer Benjamín Alire Sáenz

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The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University have acquired the complete archive of internationally acclaimed writer Benjamín Alire Sáenz. A major literary voice from the US-Mexico borderlands, Sáenz is the author of nearly 30 books and his works have been published in 25 languages worldwide. Sáenz, who lives and works in El Paso, has said, …

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Celeste Bedford Walker brings “Sassy Mamas” to The Wittliff

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The Wittliff Collections celebrates the brand-new book in its literary series, Sassy Mamas and Other Plays, with a special exhibition highlighting the acclaimed Houston playwright Celeste Bedford Walker. One of Texas’s major literary figures, Walker has authored more than forty stage plays that include bawdy comedies, searing historical dramas, a murder mystery and more. She …

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Cormac McCarthy Speaks: Newly Revealed Audio Interviews Acquired by The Wittliff Collections

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Considered one of the world’s greatest writers, Cormac McCarthy is notoriously publicity shy. Now an extraordinary series of audio interviews with McCarthy has emerged, totaling nearly four hours of conversation. The recordings are from journalist Richard B. Woodward and have been acquired by The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, which holds McCarthy’s complete literary …

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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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A new Wittliff “Bookmark” on the radio

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The Wittliff is excited to announce that you will soon be able to hear in-depth interviews with your favorite Wittliff authors, thanks to a new partnership with “Bookmarked,” the weekly radio program hosted by Priscilla Leder on San Marcos radio station KZSM. “Bookmarked” presents a lively literary discussion led by Leder, who is a Distinguished …

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A Brief History of The Encino Press

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In 1963, shortly after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Bill Wittliff and his wife, Sally, founded the Encino Press on the kitchen table of their Dallas apartment. The press focused on regional material about Texas and the South­west, taking advantage of Bill’s editing, book design, photography, and illustration skills to produce finely …

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Public History Students Gain Hands-on Experience in the Archives

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(by Katie Salzmann) This fall semester, twelve graduate students from Texas State University’s Public History program have been processing several archival collections at the Wittliff as part of the “Archival Management” course.  Lead Archivist Katie Salzmann teaches the seminar class that is designed to introduce students to the principles and theories of archives. In addition …

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