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Richard McCann papers

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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

American author Richard McCann is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Richard John McCann was born in 1949 to Richard Joseph McCann (1910-1961) and Marie Dolores McCann Key (née Perazzo, 1913-1998). He attended Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, earned his BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, an MA in Creative Writing and Modern Literature from Hollins College, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Iowa. McCann taught film history, film theory, and American literature for the University of Maryland European Division on U.S. military bases in Spain, Italy, and Germany. In 1982-1983, he was a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in American Studies at Göteborgs universitet in Sweden.

Richard McCann has received grants and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, on whose board of trustees he served from 2000-2008. He serves on the board of directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and is a member of the Corporation of Yaddo.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, McCann devoted himself to creative writing, though he also continued to teach and write reviews. In 1994, he wrote

Ghost Letters , a collection of poems and winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award and Capricorn Poetry Award. In the same year his work Nights of 1990 was published. In 1997, McCann published Things Shaped in Passing: More 'Poets for Life' Writing from the AIDS Pandemic , which gathered the works of poets whose writings have been affected by the AIDS epidemic.

His fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry has appeared in magazines such as

The Atlantic Monthly , Ms. Magazine , Tin House , Ploughshares , The Nation , and Washington Post Magazine , as well as numerous anthologies such as Best American Essays 2000 , The Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories , Contemporary Writers on Childhood , and Worlds of Fiction . This includes the group of interconnected stories that came together to form the 2005 novel, Mother of Sorrows , a work of fiction based partially on his own family life and experiences growing up in 1950s Maryland. "The Resurrectionist," McCann's memoir exploring his 1996 experience as an organ transplant recipient, is a work in progress.

"Richard McCann." http://www.richardmccann.net/about.php (accessed March 25, 2010). Biographical information derived from the collection.

The Richard McCann papers document the personal life and professional career of this American author, poet, and educator. The collection includes McCann's early creative writing; teaching materials; reviews, essays, and critical writing; personal and professional correspondence; and extensive drafts of McCann's poetry and fiction. McCann's fiction has autobiographical roots, often drawn from family relationships and personal experiences, as illustrated in photographs and family memorabilia also included in the collection. Organized in seven series, the collection contains 13.2 linear feet of material, and spans the dates 1920-2008 (bulk dates 1978-2005). Series I. contains material documenting McCann's early (pre-1980) creative writing, poetry, and review work. Included are early works of poetry and short stories written by McCann as well as publications containing these works. Much of the material dates from McCann's undergraduate and graduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia; Hollins College, in Roanoke, Virginia; and the University of Iowa, respectively. The series includes copies of

The Richmond Mercury , for which McCann wrote film and book reviews. Also included are three editions of Quantum , the yearbook of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, which McCann attended, and three diplomas (VCU, Hollins College, and University of Iowa). Other academic materials include student papers written by McCann and several school publications.

Series II. documents McCann's academic career as a literature and creative writing professor and contains lecture notes, syllabi, assignments, and subject files on American authors. There are research notes on the subjects of film theory and American literature, which were taught by McCann while he was with the University of Iowa, the University of Maryland European Division, American University, and while he was the Fulbright Senior Lecturer in American Studies at Göteborgs universitet. The series also features a significant amount of research notes on various American authors, from the 18th century to the present.

Series III. documents Richard McCann's writing career, beginning in 1974, and illustrates his contributions to the field of gay literature and his involvement in the HIV/AIDS awareness movement. Subseries III. A. contains drafts and manuscripts of books written by McCann as well as drafts of the short stories and dissertation (Bordertown) that coalesced into the novel

Mother of Sorrows . The series documents the nearly twenty-year creative process that led to the publication of the book. There are a large number of drafts, excerpts, manuscripts, and proofs of Mother of Sorrows itself, dating from the late 1990s to 2004. Also included are drafts of other fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written by McCann, including unpublished stories, an interview with prominent gay writer Edmund White, and reviews of works on and by other gay writers and activists.

Subseries III.B. features the published works of McCann from 1978-2008, listed in chronological order with bibliographic citations. The subseries includes several anthologies in which McCann's fiction and non-fiction appears, as well as work featured in a wide variety of magazines, literary journals, and newspapers. In addition to poetry and fiction, the subseries includes reviews and essays. The subseries also contains two undated articles written by McCann.

Series IV. consists of material written by others, including fiction and non-fiction, reviews and publicity of McCann's work, and several references to McCann. Subseries IV. A. contains several works written by other authors, including poet Marie Howe, American University professor Kermit Moyer, and the award-wining gay poet Mark Doty. The subseries also includes literature focusing on the AIDS epidemic.

Subseries IV.B. contains reviews of and publicity for various published works by McCann. The material is organized by publishing project, with the majority being reviews and publicity for

Mother of Sorrows . Included are several French and Italian articles about the novel. The third subseries features literature that references McCann, including an article on his organ transplant, an analysis of themes in his poetry, and a unique book of art for which McCann "posed."

Series V. documents other activities McCann participated in during his career, especially through creative communities such as the Fine Arts Works Center in Provincetown or Yaddo. Subseries V. A. contains literature related to awards received by McCann for his work, publishing contracts, editorial correspondence, and grant proposals. Included is a research proposal for his memoir

The Resurrectionist . Subseries V. B. contains material dating from 1985-2008 related to the many writer's workshops and literary conferences attended by McCann. The bulk of the subseries consists of publicity for workshops and conference programs, with many programs being from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Series VI. contains personal correspondence written to McCann between 1976 and 2008. Access to the first twelve folders of material is restricted until 2020. Correspondence in the rest of the series includes letters from the Corporation of Yaddo, e-mail correspondence, and letters from fellow authors, colleagues, and friends. Much of the correspondence is organized alphabetically by the sender. Many of the people listed are also notable writers and poets. The correspondence is of an informal and personal nature and demonstrates McCann's long-standing personal relationships with other American writers such as Karen Kevorkian and Marie Howe.

Series VII. contains material related to McCann's family history and personal life as well as various memorabilia and artifacts. The first subseries contains photographs ranging from early family photos to contemporary. The family photographs and photographs of homes as well as photographs of friends are identified and often dated by McCann, indicating strong personal association of memories with the images.

The second subseries contains a document detailing McCann family history as well as several publications created by family members. Included are an unfinished novel by Richard Joseph McCann, an unpublished memoir by Marie Dolores McCann, and a 1927 newsletter created and printed by the Perazzo (Marie McCann's) family. The final subseries contains calendars and appointment books belonging to McCann, items from his childhood, memorabilia and heirlooms belonging to his mother's family and his father's family, and items relating to his organ transplant. There are also items relating to his career activities and interests. Several of the artifacts, especially those belonging to his mother, are mentioned in McCann's stories.

  1. Boxes 1-12: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons
  2. Box 13: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)
  3. Box 14: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)
  4. Box 15: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (18 inches)
  5. Box 16: Shelved in SPEC VAULT MSS

Purchase, 2008.

Processed and encoded by Evan Echols, January-March 2010.

Publisher
University of Delaware Library Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
Finding Aid Date
2010 March 25
Access Restrictions

The bulk of the collection is open for research. Access to Series VI. Folders 1-12 restricted until 2020.

Use Restrictions

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce isrequired from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Collection Inventory

Quantum, 1964.
Box 1 Folder F1
Quantum, 1965.
Box 1 Folder F2
Quantum, 1966.
Box 1 Folder F3
Sketchbook, 1967.
Box 1 Folder F4
Encounter (college text book), 1968.
Box 1 Folder F5
Poetry notebook, 1968 June-1969 August.
Box 1 Folder F6
Poetry notebook, 1969-1970.
Box 1 Folder F7
Introspect - High school literary magazine, 1967.
Box 1 Folder F8
Unfinished stories: college, undated.
Box 1 Folder F9
Various poems, 1970-1972.
Box 1 Folder F10
Spectrum, 1968, 1969 March, 1969, May.
Box 1 Folder F11
Spectrum, 1970-1971.
Box 1 Folder F12
College Poetry Review, 1969.
Box 1 Folder F13
Foxfire, 1969.
Box 1 Folder F14
"The Sunflower," Volume 1, Number 15, 1968 April 25.
Box 1 Folder F15
"A Dream of the Traveller", 1975.
Box 1 Folder F16
Commonwealth Times-Virginia Commonwealth University, 1971.
Box 1 Folder F17
The Film Journal, 1975.
Box 1 Folder F18
The Film Journal, 1972.
Box 1 Folder F19
Photography class, Hollins College, 1972.
Box 1 Folder F20
Material regarding proposed "Fat Book Anthology", 1971-1973.
Box 1 Folder F21
Proposed Fat anthology: correspondence with Virginia Kidd, 1972-1973.
Box 1 Folder F22
VCU publications and film reviews, 1969-1970.
Box 1 Folder F23
Expenses for "Mom and Me", 1975.
Box 1 Folder F24
List of publications for submission, 1969-1973.
Box 1 Folder F25
Through Parable Streets, 1971.
Box 1 Folder F26
1970s publicity, 1973-1978.
Box 1 Folder F27
"Phoebe: The George Mason Review", 1974.
Box 2 Folder F28
"You Are Born", 1978.
Box 2 Folder F29
"Dreaming of My Mother's Funeral", 1977.
Box 2 Folder F30
Publications, 1968, 1971.
Box 2 Folder F31
Paper: "The Loudest Whispers", 1975.
Box 2 Folder F32
"The Feast of Salt", 1974.
Box 2 Folder F33
Diploma- Virginia Commonwealth University Bachelor of Arts Degree, 1972 June 3.
Box 15 Folder F34
Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS Oversize

Diploma- Hollins College Master of Arts Degree, 1972 May 21.
Box 2 Folder F35
Diploma- University of Iowa Master of Arts Degree, 1979 December 22.
Box 2 Folder F36
University of Maryland publications, 1979, 1982, 1986.
Box 2 Folder F37
McCann papers and publications, undated.
Box 2 Folder F38
Film Columnist: The Richmond Mercury, 1973-1974.
Box 2 Folder F39
Film Columnist: The Richmond Mercury, 1974.
Box 2 Folder F40
Film Columnist: The Richmond Mercury, 1974.
Box 2 Folder F41
"How We Are Redeemed", 1971.
Box 2 Folder F42
Film Theory midterm, 1974.
Box 2 Folder F43
"The Mark of the Devil As…"- Hollins College, 1982.
Box 2 Folder F44
McCann academic papers, 1977-1978.
Box 2 Folder F45

McCann American Studies materials, 1979.
Box 2 Folder F1
University of Iowa Research, circa 1975.
Box 2 Folder F2
Early Explorers class, undated.
Box 2 Folder F3
American literature notes, circa 1977.
Box 2 Folder F4
American literature and culture class, 1978.
Box 2 Folder F5
Literature notes, undated.
Box 2 Folder F6
American poetry class, 1977.
Box 2 Folder F7
Notes on American literature, undated.
Box 2 Folder F8
Notes on American literature, undated.
Box 2 Folder F9
Notes on American authors, undated.
Box 2 Folder F10
Notes on American authors, undated.
Box 2 Folder F11
Crevecoeur, undated.
Box 3 Folder F12
Anne Bradstreet, undated.
Box 3 Folder F13
Johnathan Edwards, undated.
Box 3 Folder F14
Emerson and Thoreau, undated.
Box 3 Folder F15
Walt Whitman, undated.
Box 3 Folder F16
Emily Dickinson, 1986.
Box 3 Folder F17
Hart Crane, undated.
Box 3 Folder F18
Hemmingway, undated.
Box 3 Folder F19
Jean Rhys, undated.
Box 3 Folder F20
Roethke, Beckett, J. Baldwin, undated.
Box 3 Folder F21
Arthur Miller, undated.
Box 3 Folder F22
Allen Ginsberg, undated.
Box 3 Folder F23
Jack Kerouac and F. Scott Fitzgerald, undated.
Box 3 Folder F24
Sylvia Plath and David Ignatow, undated.
Box 3 Folder F25
Flannery O'Connor, undated.
Box 3 Folder F26
Robert Bly, undated.
Box 3 Folder F27
Adrienne Rich, undated.
Box 3 Folder F28
W.S. Merwin, undated.
Box 3 Folder F29
Peter Shaffer and Susan Sontag, undated.
Box 3 Folder F30
Raymond Carver, undated.
Box 3 Folder F31
Peter Handke and Tillie Olsen, undated.
Box 3 Folder F32
Anne Rice, undated.
Box 3 Folder F33
David Leavitt and Louise Gluck, undated.
Box 3 Folder F34
Tennessee Williams, undated.
Box 3 Folder F35
Toni Cade Bambara, 1990.
Box 3 Folder F36
Joan Didon, undated.
Box 3 Folder F37
Paul Monette and Joan Valentine, undated.
Box 3 Folder F38
Adam Mars-Jones and Kermit Moyer, undated.
Box 3 Folder F39
Carolyn Forche, undated.
Box 3 Folder F40
Faye Moskowitz and Jamaica Kincaid, undated.
Box 3 Folder F41
Minnie Bruce Pratt, undated.
Box 3 Folder F42
American literature notes and exams, 1983.
Box 3 Folder F43
Class notes - Goteborgs Universitet, undated.
Box 3 Folder F44
Examination questions, undated.
Box 3 Folder F45
Lecture notes, undated.
Box 3 Folder F46

Drafts of "Nights of 1990" (originally Entanglements), 1991.
Box 3 Folder F1
"Nights of 1990" draft, undated.
Box 3 Folder F2
"Nights of 1990", 1993.
Box 3 Folder F3
"Nights of 1990" proofs, undated.
Box 3 Folder F4
Original "Nights of 1990" covers, undated.
Box 4 Folder F5
Original unused covers "Nights of 1990" by Jack Pierson, 1994 July.
Box 4 Folder F6
List of publishers sent manuscripts of "Nights of 1990", 1993.
Box 4 Folder F7
Fan mail - "Nights of 1990", undated.
Box 4 Folder F8
Final draft of "Ghost Letters", 1994.
Box 4 Folder F9
Ghost Letters press kit, undated.
Box 4 Folder F10
German translations of poems from "Ghost Letters", 2001.
Box 4 Folder F11
Editorial correspondence for "Things Shaped in Passing"- Perseus Books, 1997.
Box 4 Folder F12
Publishing agreement- "More Poets for Life" (later Things Shaped in Passing), 1994.
Box 4 Folder F13
"Things Shaped in Passing", 1997.
Box 4 Folder F14
Excerpt from "Bordertown", undated.
Box 4 Folder F15
Writing notes, undated.
Box 4 Folder F16
Annotated proof of "Bordertown", undated.
Box 4 Folder F17
Annotated drafts and notes of "Bordertown" Chapter Two, undated.
Box 4 Folder F18
Chapter 10: The Time Capsules, undated.
Box 4 Folder F19
Notes- The Time Capsules, undated.
Box 4 Folder F20
Annotated drafts of "Shelters" (Bordertown), undated.
Box 4 Folder F21
Excerpt from "Shelters", undated.
Box 4 Folder F22
"Running Away", undated.
Box 4 Folder F23
Three chapters of "Bordertown" and notes, undated.
Box 4 Folder F24
Drafts of "Bordertown" chapters, undated.
Box 4 Folder F25
"Bordertown" manuscript, undated.
Box 4 Folder F26
Annotated draft of "Bordertown", undated.
Box 4 Folder F27
Poste Resfante notes, undated.
Box 4 Folder F28
PhD dissertation prospectus, 1979.
Box 4 Folder F29
Draft PhD dissertation- University of Iowa, 1984.
Box 4 Folder F30
Draft PhD dissertation- University of Iowa, 1984.
Box 4 Folder F31
Draft PhD dissertation- University of Iowa, 1984.
Box 4 Folder F32
Final copy of "Bordertown" for PhD dissertation (University of Iowa), 1984 December.
Box 4 Folder F33
Final copy of "Bordertown" for PhD dissertation (University of Iowa), 1984 December.
Box 4 Folder F34
"My Mother's Clothes" drafts, undated.
Box 4 Folder F35
Drafts of "My Mother's Clothes: The School of Beauty and Shame", 1985-1986.
Box 4 Folder F36
Excerpt from "The School of Beauty and Shame", 2003.
Box 5 Folder F37
"The School of Beauty and Shame" rough drafts, Before 1991.
Box 5 Folder F38
"The School of Beauty and Shame" rough drafts, Before 1991.
Box 5 Folder F39
"The Diarist"(Mother of Sorrows) annotated draft, undated.
Box 5 Folder F40
Multiple drafts of "The Diarist", 1986-1987, 2003.
Box 5 Folder F41
Drafts of "The Diarist".
Box 5 Folder F42
Page proofs of "The Diarist": Bloom Magazine, 2005.
Box 5 Folder F43
Drafts of "Rabat" (Mother of Sorrows), undated.
Box 5 Folder F44
Copies of "Rabat" (Mother of Sorrows), undated.
Box 5 Folder F45
Multiple drafts of "My Brother in the Basement", circa 2003.
Box 5 Folder F46
Multiple drafts of "My Brother in the Basement", circa 2003.
Box 5 Folder F47
Multiple drafts of "My Brother in the Basement", circa 2003.
Box 5 Folder F48
Drafts of "The Universe, Concealed", 1992-1998.
Box 5 Folder F49
Drafts of "The Universe, Concealed", 1992-1998.
Box 5 Folder F50
Notes and drafts- "Mother of Sorrows", 1987-1991.
Box 5 Folder F51
Selected excerpts from "Mother of Sorrows", 1990.
Box 5 Folder F52
Excerpt from "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 5 Folder F53
Annotated "Mother of Sorrows" drafts, 1986-1988.
Box 5 Folder F54
Annotated "Mother of Sorrows" drafts, 1986-1988.
Box 5 Folder F55
"Mother of Sorrows" drafts, 1986-1988.
Box 5 Folder F56
Chapter two: "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 5 Folder F57
Tenure file version of "Mother of Sorrows", 1994.
Box 6 Folder F58
"Mother of Sorrows" notes, undated.
Box 6 Folder F59
Annotated draft of "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 6 Folder F60
Rough draft of "Mother of Sorrows" with comments by Ellen Geist, 1993.
Box 6 Folder F61
Rough draft of "Mother of Sorrows" with comments by Ellen Geist, 1998.
Box 6 Folder F62
Rough draft of "Mother of Sorrows" with comments by Ellen Geist, 1998.
Box 6 Folder F63
Manuscript of "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 6 Folder F64
Drafts of "Mother of Sorrows" chapters, 2002.
Box 6 Folder F65
Drafts of "Mother of Sorrows" chapters, undated.
Box 6 Folder F66
"Mother of Sorrows" draft, undated.
Box 6 Folder F67
"Mother of Sorrows" drafts, undated.
Box 6 Folder F68
Review and draft of "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 6 Folder F69
"Mother of Sorrows" manuscript, undated.
Box 6 Folder F70
"Mother of Sorrows" draft, 1994.
Box 6 Folder F71
"Mother of Sorrows" draft, 1994.
Box 6 Folder F72
Annotated draft of "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 6 Folder F73
Copy edited version of "Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 6 Folder F74
Copy edited draft of" Mother of Sorrows", undated.
Box 7 Folder F75
"Mother of Sorrows" rough page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F76
"Mother of Sorrows" rough page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F77
"Mother of Sorrows" rough page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F78
"Mother of Sorrows" revised page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F79
"Mother of Sorrows" revised page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F80
"Mother of Sorrows" revised page proof, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F81
"Mother of Sorrows" master set, 2004.
Box 7 Folder F82
Original "Mother of Sorrows" mockup cover, undated.
Box 7 Folder F83
"To Whom It May Concern", undated.
Box 7 Folder F84
"The Howling Wilderness: Crossing the Border", undated.
Box 7 Folder F85
"On the Bridge" Notes and Manuscript, circa 1980.
Box 7 Folder F86
"For Other Worlds", 1986 Jan 2.
Box 7 Folder F87
"The Yellow Wallpaper", 1993.
Box 7 Folder F88
"A Cancelled Appointment" (Unpublished), 1998.
Box 7 Folder F89
Poetry notes and excerpts, undated.
Box 7 Folder F90
Excerpts of various McCann works, undated.
Box 7 Folder F91
Work samples, undated.
Box 7 Folder F92
"Looking Back at Noctures For the King of Naples", undated.
Box 8 Folder F93
"With Edmund White", circa 1988.
Box 8 Folder F94
Writing notes, undated.
Box 8 Folder F95
Poetry manuscripts, circa 1984.
Box 8 Folder F96
Drafts of poems, circa 1975-1985.
Box 8 Folder F97
"The Darker Proof" and "Valley of the Shadow" - review by McCann, circa 1988.
Box 8 Folder F98
"Speaking Out Loud: Grace Paley's Fiction", undated.
Box 8 Folder F99
"Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us" by Kate Bornstein, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F100
"Genet, A Biography" by Edmund White - review, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F102
"The Family Heart" by Robb Forman Dew - review, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F103
"Clear Pictures" by Reynolds Price - review by McCann, undated.
Box 8 Folder F104
"Afterlife" by Paul Monette - review by McCann, undated.
Box 8 Folder F105
Draft Edmund White Interview, 1988.
Box 8 Folder F106
"Jean Rhys: Life and Work" - Draft review, 1991.
Box 8 Folder F107
Draft interviews with Adam Mars-Jones- "Writing AIDS", circa 1992.
Box 8 Folder F108
Postcards featuring book covers, 1997-2005.
Box 8 Folder F109
My Mother's Clothes: The School of Beauty and Shame, 1988.
Box 8 Folder F1
Scope and Contents

Editor's Choice: Best New Short Fiction of 1987 . Ed. George Murphy. New York: Bantam, 1988.
My Mother's Clothes: The School of Beauty and Shame, 1992.
Box 8 Folder F2
Scope and Contents

How We Live Now: Contemporary Multicultural Literature . Ed. John Repp. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1992.
Pornography, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F3
Scope and Contents

In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic . Eds. Marie Howe and Michael Klein. New York: Persea Books, 1994. (Note: This is a photocopy of a typescript of the article, not a copy of the anthology.)
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007, 2007.
Box 8 Folder F4
Scope and Contents

"The Diarist," in

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 . Ed. Laura Furman. New York: Anchor Books, 2007.
"Carnival,"Esquire. Vol. LXXXI, Nr. 6. December, 1974.
Box 8 Folder F5
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Preparing for my Mother's Death,"Iowa Journal of Literary Studies. Vol. 1, Nr. 1., 1977.
Box 8 Folder F6
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"My Mother's Clothes: The School of Beauty and Shame,"The Atlantic Monthly. April, 1986.
Box 8 Folder F7
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"My Mother's Clothes: The School of Beauty and Shame,"Mary Washington College Today. Vol. 11, Nr. 3. Summer, 1987.
Box 8 Folder F8
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"An Interview with Pattiann Rogers,"Iowa Review. Vol. 17, Nr. 2. Spring-Summer, 1987.
Box 8 Folder F9
"A Conversation with Edmund White,"Lambda Book Report. Vol1. 1, Nr. 5. June, 1988.
Box 8 Folder F10
Scope and Contents

Feature.

"Covenants: Scenes from a Novel,"New Virginia Review. Volume 6, Fall, 1988.
Box 8 Folder F11
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"Covenants: Scenes from a Novel,"The George Washington Review. Summer, 1990.
Box 8 Folder F12
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"Shelters,"Ploughshares. Volume 17, Number 4. Winter, 1991-1992.
Box 8 Folder F13
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"Nights of 1990,"Ploughshares. Volume 17, Number 4. Winter, 1991-1992.
Box 8 Folder F13
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Writing AIDS: An Interview with Adam Mars-Jones,"Lambda Book Report. Volume III, Number 5. July/August, 1992.
Box 8 Folder F14
Scope and Contents

Cover story interview.

"Fugitive Light, Old Photos,"American Short Fiction. Issue 8, Winter, 1992-1993.
Box 8 Folder F15
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"Shelters,"Shankpainter. Spring, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F16
Scope and Contents

Reprinted from

Ploughshares . Fiction.
"What He Said, After the Blood Test,"Cosmos. Volume 2, Summer, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F17
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Ghost Letter,"Provincetown Arts. Annual Issue. Volume 9, Summer, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F18
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Provincetown, Late 70s: David Armstrong's Photographs,"Provincetown Arts. Annual Issue. Volume 9, Summer, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F18
Scope and Contents

Co-authored with Jack Pierson. Essay.

"By the Pool, Years Later: Looking Back at Edmund White,"Provincetown Arts. Annual Issue. Volume 9, Summer, 1994.
Box 8 Folder F18
Scope and Contents

Personal essay.

"Banners,"The Harvard Lesbian and Gay Review. Vol. 11, Nr. 2. Spring, 1995.
Box 8 Folder F19
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Night Letter,"Global City Review. Spring, 1995.
Box 8 Folder F20
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"The Resurrectionist,"TinHouse. Premiere issue, May, 1999.
Box 8 Folder F21
Scope and Contents

Memoir

"The Universe, Concealed,"POZMagazine. August, 1999.
Box 9 Folder F22
Scope and Contents

Fiction.

"To Whom It May Concern,"Washington Post Magazine. March 5,, 2000.
Box 9 Folder F23
Scope and Contents

Memoir.

"Sketches for Paintings, Real and Imagined, by Edward Hopper,"Folio: A Literary Journal of American University. Winter, 2000.
Box 9 Folder F24
Scope and Contents

Poem on painting by Edward Hopper.

Richard McCann on "Sketches for Paintings… ,"Folio: A Literary Journal of American University. Winter, 2000.
Box 9 Folder F24
Scope and Contents

Essay on painting by Edward Hopper..

"Thursday On the Mall,"American Magazine, November, 2001.
Box 9 Folder F25
Scope and Contents

Non-fiction.

"Letter From the Ground Floor," " Book of Hours," and "An Email Exchange with Richard McCann,"Blackbird, Vol 1, nr. 2, 2002.
Box 9 Folder F26
Scope and Contents

Poems and an interview.

"Like a Fatherless Child,"Washington Post Magazine. June 15, 2003.
Box 9 Folder F27
Scope and Contents

Memoir.

"Later,"Bellevue Literary Review. Fall, 2003.
Box 9 Folder F28
Scope and Contents

Poem.

"Richard McCann on Edward Cox,"Beltway. Vol. 4, Nr. 4., 2003.
Box 9 Folder F29
"If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now,"American Spirit Magazine. July, 2004.
Box 9 Folder F30
Scope and Contents

Memoir.

"Crepe de Chine,"Ms. Magazine. March, 2005.
Box 9 Folder F31
Scope and Contents

Fiction

"Gay Boys From Harvard,"The Washington Blade. May 14, 1982.
Box 9 Folder F32
Scope and Contents

Review of Toby Marotta's

Sons of Harvard: Gay Men from the Class of 1967 .
The Intimate Cataclysm, 1988.
Box 9 Folder F33
"A 'Room' with a View of the Gay Experience,"USA Today. June 16, 1988.
Box 9 Folder F34
Scope and Contents

Review of Edmund White's

The Beautiful Room Is Empty .
"Price's Warm Tribute to Good Hearts,"USA Today. June 2, 1989.
Box 9 Folder F35
Scope and Contents

Review of Reynolds Price's

Clear Picture: First Loves, First Guides .
"The Pain of AIDS Widowers,"USA Today. April 30, 1990.
Box 9 Folder F36
Scope and Contents

Review of Paul Monette's

Afterlife .
"Jean Rhys': Myopic View of Her Rise from Rage,"USA Today. September 26, 1991.
Box 9 Folder F37
Scope and Contents

Review of Carole Angier's

Jean Rhys: Life and Work .
"A Lofty, Lugubrious 'Runaway Soul',"USA Today. November 20, 1991.
Box 9 Folder F38
Scope and Contents

Review of Harold Brodkey's

The Runaway Soul .
"Lives of Quiet Desperation,"Washington Post Book World. Vol. 22, Nr. 2. January 12, 1992.
Box 9 Folder F39
Scope and Contents

Review of James Purdy's

63: Dream Palace Selected Stories, 1956-1987 .
"Genet's Most Complex Creation: Himself,"USA Today. January 14, 1994.
Box 9 Folder F40
Scope and Contents

Review of Edmund White's

Genet: A Biography and The Selected Writings of Jean Genet .
"Coming Out as a 'Family' Matter,"USA Today. May 20, 1994.
Box 9 Folder F41
Scope and Contents

Review of Robb Forman Dew's

The Family Heart: A Memoir of When Our Son Came Out .
"Self-Made,"The Nation. Vol. 259, Nr. 1. July 4, 1994.
Box 9 Folder F42
Scope and Contents

Review of Kate Bornstein's

Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us .
"Paul Monette,"Out Magazine. March, 1997.
Box 9 Folder F43
Scope and Contents

Review of Paul Monette's

Sanctuary .
"Amy Hoffman,"Out Magazine. May, 1997.
Box 9 Folder F44
Scope and Contents

Brief review of Amy Hoffman's

Hospital Time .
"The Exile's Tale: Out of Africa, But Not Quite into America,"O The Oprah Magazine. March 2007, 2007.
Box 9 Folder F45
Scope and Contents

Brief review of Dinaw Mengestu's

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears .
"Survivor's Tales", 2008.
Box 9 Folder F46
Scope and Contents

Review of Richard M. Cohen's

Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, A Chorus of Hope .
New Voices: Jerod Santek, undated.
Box 9 Folder F47
Memoirs of a Tattooed Man, undated.
Box 9 Folder F48

"Dream Time: Family, Hope, and Longing in the Suburbs" by Joanne Jacobson.
Box 9 Folder F1
"The Chester Stories" by Kermit Moyer.
Box 9 Folder F2
"Firebird" by Mark Doty, 1999.
Box 9 Folder F3
"Firebird" by Mark Doty, 1999.
Box 9 Folder F4
"Body: My House My Horse My Hound", 2002.
Box 9 Folder F5
Misc. literature regarding AIDS, 1988-1992.
Box 9 Folder F6
"What the Living Do" by Marie Howe, undated.
Box 9 Folder F7
"The Extrasensory Hearing Aid" by Deborah Mason, 1988 August 28.
Box 9 Folder F8
Reviews- Anthologies, undated.
Box 9 Folder F9
Reviews- Ghost Letters, 1995.
Box 9 Folder F10
Reviews- Things Shaped in Passing, 1997.
Box 9 Folder F11
Reviews- Other, undated.
Box 9 Folder F12
Mother of Sorrows 1, 2005.
Box 9 Folder F13
Mother of Sorrows 2, 2005.
Box 9 Folder F14
Mother of Sorrows 3, 2005.
Box 10 Folder F15
Mother of Sorrows 4, 2004-2005.
Box 10 Folder F16
Mother of Sorrows 5 - French and Italian Publicity, 2005.
Box 10 Folder F17
"Recurring Themes in the Poetry of Richard J. McCann" by Esther M. Leiper, undated.
Box 10 Folder F18
JAMA article by Joanne Jacobson about R. McCann's organ transplant, 1998.
Box 10 Folder F19
References to Richard McCann, 1988-2005.
Box 10 Folder F20
Gwen Hardie face paintings- featuring McCann, 2005.
Box 10 Folder F21
"Blue Tide" Vol. 2, No. 1, 1994 May.
Box 10 Folder F22
The James White Review, 1996.
Box 10 Folder F23
Assorted publications, 1993, 2007.
Box 10 Folder F24

Letter from Soho Press regarding "Mother of Sorrows" and James Fellowship, 1994 May 2.
Box 10 Folder F25
Ploughshares, Vol 18, No. 2 and 3 (Cohen Awards), 1992.
Box 10 Folder F26
Ploughshares, Vol 31, No. 4 (Zacharis First Book Award), 2005.
Box 10 Folder F27
Appearances in print - Awards, 1994-2005.
Box 10 Folder F28
Sixth annual Lamda Literary Awards program, 1994.
Box 10 Folder F29
Scope and Contents

McCann was a judge for this event

Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers, 1987.
Box 10 Folder F30
Editorial correspondence, 1990-1998.
Box 10 Folder F31
Editorial and agent correspondence related to miscellaneous fiction and non-fiction, 1985-1992.
Box 10 Folder F32
Editorial and publisher correspondence, 1998-2007.
Box 10 Folder F33
From Ithaca House regarding "Dream of the Traveler", 1997.
Box 10 Folder F34
"Ghost Letters" contract, 1994 April.
Box 10 Folder F35
Agreement between Viking Penguin Inc. and Richard McCann, 1986 July 28.
Box 10 Folder F36
National Endowment for the Arts grant application (successful), 1995.
Box 10 Folder F37
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship application for "The Resurrectionist", 2006.
Box 10 Folder F38
Presidential research fellowship proposal: "The Resurrectionist", 2006.
Box 10 Folder F39
McCann grant confirmation, 2005-2006.
Box 10 Folder F40
Recommendation for Richard McCann, 1991 April 4.
Box 10 Folder F41
Letter from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Re: McCann Goldfarb Fellowship, 2006 July 27.
Box 10 Folder F42
Final Report AY 1990-91 University Research Award: Summer 1991 Research Award, 1991 October.
Box 10 Folder F43
American University CAS Award for Outstanding Scholarship, 1995.
Box 10 Folder F44
American University memo regarding McCann tenure, 1995.
Box 10 Folder F45
Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 1985 October.
Box 10 Folder F46
Scope and Contents

Listing of conference panels.

Notes for Program Committee 2007-2008 Reading Series and Gala, 2007.
Box 10 Folder F47
Visiting Writers Series Publications, 1989 2007.
Box 10 Folder F48
Publicity for readings and workshops, circa 1985-2005.
Box 10 Folder F49
Workshop and conference programs, 1997-2000.
Box 11 Folder F50
Workshop and conference programs, 1998-2008.
Box 11 Folder F51
American University MFA Program in Creative Writing Alumni Weekend booklet, 1996.
Box 11 Folder F52

Restricted until 2020, undated.
Box 16 Folder F1-12
Yaddo correspondence, 2007.
Box 11 Folder F13
Miscellaneous correspondence, undated.
Box 11 Folder F14
Miscellaneous correspondence, undated.
Box 11 Folder F15
E-mail correspondence, 2007-2008.
Box 11 Folder F16
Ashbery, John, undated.
Box 11 Folder F17
Badanes, Jerome, undated.
Box 11 Folder F18
Barnett, Allen, 1990-1991.
Box 11 Folder F19
Beard, Jo Ann, 1993.
Box 11 Folder F20
Bergman, David, 1989-2002.
Box 11 Folder F21
Bloom, Amy, 2004.
Box 11 Folder F22
Broumas, Olga, 1991.
Box 11 Folder F23
Cooper, Bernard, undated.
Box 11 Folder F24
Cooper, Jane, 1992-1995.
Box 11 Folder F25
Dahlinger, Nicola, circa 1998-2006.
Box 11 Folder F26
Del Tredici, David, 1988-1998.
Box 11 Folder F27
Doty, Mark, 2000 July 24.
Box 11 Folder F28
Flanagan, Michael, 1998-2003.
Box 11 Folder F29
Flynn, Nick, 1998.
Box 11 Folder F30
Frank, Dan, 1990.
Box 11 Folder F31
Garth, Stanley, 1982-1990.
Box 11 Folder F32
Hankla, Cathryn, 1987.
Box 11 Folder F33
Howe, Marie, 1987, 1989.
Box 11 Folder F34
Kevorkian, Karen, 1981-1984, 1991.
Box 11 Folder F35
Masini, Donna, 2006.
Box 11 Folder F36
Pierson, Jack, 1994-2002.
Box 11 Folder F37
Meijering, Cord, 1992-1993.
Box 11 Folder F38
Rogers, Pattiann, 1984-1987.
Box 11 Folder F39
Sassone, Ralph, 1987-1994.
Box 11 Folder F40
Saucer, Moira, 1976 March 23.
Box 11 Folder F41
Silkin, Jon, undated.
Box 11 Folder F42
Stambolian, George, 1988.
Box 11 Folder F43
Volk, Patricia.
Box 11 Folder F44
Woolford, Linda, 1996.
Box 11 Folder F45

Old family photographs, undated.
Box 11 Folder F1
Family photographs, undated.
Box 11 Folder F2
Childhood photographs, undated.
Box 11 Folder F3
Photographs of family homes, undated.
Box 11 Folder F4
1970s photographs, 1970-1979.
Box 11 Folder F5
1980s photographs, 1980-1989.
Box 11 Folder F6
1990s photographs, 1990-1999.
Box 11 Folder F7
2000s photographs, 2000-2008.
Box 11 Folder F8
Book-related photographs, undated.
Box 11 Folder F9
Undated photographs, undated.
Box 11 Folder F10
Scope and Contents

The majority of photos feature McCann's friends and fellow writers

Oversize photographs, 1929, 1995.
Box 15 Folder F11
Scope and Contents

Includes a portrait of McCann and a photo of his maternal Great-Grandfather

Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS Oversize

McCann family history, 2008.
Box 11 Folder F12
Poem mentioning RM's grandparents, circa 1920s.
Box 11 Folder F13
Unfinished novel by RM's father, Richard Joseph McCann (1910-1961), undated.
Box 11 Folder F14
"Souvenirs from a Personal Journey"- unpublished memoir of Marie Dolories Key (RM's mother), 1977.
Box 11 Folder F15
The Carrol Street News (family publication), 1927.
Box 15 Folder F16
Scope and Contents

Mimeograph publication

Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS Oversize

Miscellaneous family letters, 1968-2003.
Box 11 Folder F17
Scope and Contents

Variety of formats of calendars, appointment books and planners, all but one used to record appointments and activities. Some include contact information and other information. Laid in are a few notes, appointment slips, bills, and other information.

Calendar, 1985.
Box 12 Folder F18
Engagement book, 1986.
Box 12 Folder F19
Engagement calendar, 1988.
Box 12 Folder F20
Appointment book, 1989.
Box 11 Folder F21
Personal planner, 1992.
Box 12 Folder F22
Personally published calendar, 1998.
Box 12 Folder F23
Scope and Contents

An autobiographical calendar created by Richard McCann, includes images of family and friends, plus commentary.

Richard McCann's first communion rosary beads, undated.
Box 14
Scope and Contents

Also includes "I am a Catholic, please call a priest" medal

Richard McCann's 5th grade report card, 1960.
Box 12 Folder F24
First award Science Fair Pin, undated.
Box 14
Locket worn by Marie Dolores McCann, undated.
Box 14
Hand mirror belonging to Marie Dolores McCann, undated.
Box 14
Marie Dolores McCann's "Lucky Blarney Stone Plate", undated.
Box 13
Marie Dolores McCann's medic alert necklace, undated.
Box 14
Marie Dolores McCann funeral card, 1998.
Box 12 Folder F25
Bells of Sharna owned by Richard McCann's maternal grandmother, Marie Elizabeth Perazzo.
Box 12
Lace mantilla worn by Richard McCann's great-grandmother, Katherine Frances Kerwin Perazzo, undated.
Box 14
Scope and Contents

This mantilla is in McCann's story, "My Mother's Clothes."

Maternal grandparents' (David Robert Perazzo and Marie E. Perazzo) funeral holy cards, 1957, 1959.
Box 12 Folder F26
Insignias from Richard Joseph McCann's army uniform, undated.
Box 14
"Presidential pencils" in Bacon Brothers (Cambridge, England, cigar box - gift from father, 1960.
Box 14
Richard Joseph McCann's obituary in the "Evening Star" and funeral holy card, 1961.
Box 12 Folder F27
Railroad spike from line running from Williamsport, PA, to Wellsboro, NY, undated.
Box 14
Scope and Contents

Line on which McCann's paternal grandfather was engineer.

Metal box filled with first lines of poems written by Richard McCann and Henry Sloss while traveling in Spain, 1980-1981.
Box 12
"Dark Angel"- a painting created by Cheryl Doering in response to "Ghost Letters", 1994.
Box 13
Scope and Contents

Inscribed on the back: "For Richard and all our losses, Christmas 95, love Cheryl."

Printed poem - gift from Karen Kevorkian, 2003-2004.
Box 12 Folder F28
Scope and Contents

Also includes two broadside poems, one by Gertrude Stein and the other by Karen Kevorkian, both printed at the Virginia Arts of the Book Center.

Beeper worn by Sarah Pristman while Richard McCann was awaiting organ transplant, 1995-1996.
Box 13
A mini book, "My New Jersey," which McCann worked, 1996.
Box 12 Folder F29
Scope and Contents

Worked on by McCann while recovering from his transplant, but never completed.

Tie tack for service to Virginia Commonwealth University, 1971.
Box 14
HIV/AIDS Awareness Week poster, 1993.
Box 15 Folder F30
Physical Location

Shelved in SPEC MSS Oversize

Yaddo Summer Benefit hand fan, 2007.
Box 12 Folder F31
Warner Bros. visitor guest pass for "State of Mind", 2007.
Box 12 Folder F32
AIDS Quilt panel created by R. McCann and Constance Campbell, 1989.
Box 12 Folder F33
Contents of poetry box, 1980-1981.
Box 12 Folder F34

Print, Suggest