Archives: Alice Walker
Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library: The Alice Walker Archives
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The papers of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker are now on view and accessible to scholars at Emory's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. This collection allows scholars, students and the community to study the tangible results of literary creativity for years to come.
"I chose Emory to receive my archive because I myself feel at ease and comfortable at Emory," said the Georgia native.
Alice Walker has authored 26 books that span the genres of the novel, the essay and poetry. In 1983 she became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, "The Color Purple," which has been adapted for film and stage.
Alice Walker at Emory
Slideshows and Download Images
Items on Exhibit Walker Previews the Exhibit
April 2009 visit
A keeping of records, April 2009 (full program) / Emory on iTunes U
Alice Walker: Emory on YouTube
- About debut exhibition
- About her website
- Reading: In Support of Vegetarians, "La Vaca (The Cow)"
- Reading: "You Confide in Me"
- Walker and friends sing "Lift Every Voice"
The exhibit, "A Keeping of Records: The Art and Life of Alice Walker" showcases select pieces through September 27, 2009, at Emory's Schatten Gallery. The exhibit provides a historical and cultural framework for understanding Walker's emergence and evolution as writer and activist. Comprising more than 120 boxes, the collection is more than just a snapshot of a prolific career.
"[Walker's] papers give you a sense of the process for creating fiction, and for creating poetry," said Rudolph Byrd, Emory professor and friend of Alice Walker.
In addition to drafts of writings such as "The Color Purple," the collection includes a quilt she made while writing the novel, extensive correspondence, an early treatment of the film script for "The Color Purple," and fan mail.
- Quilt of Many Colors / Emory Magazine, Winter 2008
- Alice Walker: Readings and interviews, 2008 visit / Emory on iTunes U
Friends' Tributes to Alice Walker / YouTube
- Rudolph Byrd, Director, James Weldon Johnson Institute at Emory University
- Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Spelman College classmate
- Gloria Steinem, Journalist and feminist activist
- Howard Zinn, Historian-activist
- Scott Sanders, Broadway producer
African American Literature and History Archives
MARBL: African American Collections
Walker's archives are complemented by Emory's extensive holdings in modern literature and African American literature and history. Emory's MARBL has extensive collections available for research use devoted to African American history and culture, ranging from the modern civil rights movement, to Harlem Renaissance writers to Black print culture.
Emory Magazine
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See the latest additions to the African American Collection, discovered by curator Randall Burkett. |
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See items within the African American Collection, from artifacts of James Weldon Johnson, early civil rights leader, to Alice Walker's quilt as shared by Rudolph Byrd, professor of American and African American studies. |
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Take a video tour of Emory's remarkable African American materials with poet and professor Kevin Young, curator of Emory's literary collections. |
Archives in Action at Emory
The special collections of the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library are a valuable resource for learning and scholarship. Emory's rich research collections are a part of the undergraduate and graduate experience, helping students to connect with history and the creative process in a deep and meaningful way.
