John A. Williams Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Williams, John Alfred, 1925-
Title:	John A. Williams Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1960-1968
Quantity:	3.0 linear ft.
Abstract:	Papers of the African-American author, novelist, poet, and short story writer. Collection includes correspondence (1960-1968), typescript novels, poems, and short stories; and memorabilia, including clippings and photographs.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 http://scrc.syr.edu

Biographical History

John Alfred Williams, African-American author, journalist and academic, was born December 5, 1925, in Jackson, Mississippi. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserves as a pharmacist’s mate in the Pacific from 1943-1946, and earned degrees in English and journalism from Syracuse University. In 1960 he published his first novel, The Angry Ones; this and subsequent novels including the best-selling The Man Who Cried I Am, explore the experiences of being a black man in America.

Over his career Williams worked as a journalist for CBS, Ebony, Jet, and Newsweek, among others. He taught at many colleges and universities, including the College of the Virgin Islands, City University of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, University of California at Santa Barbara, La Guardia Community College, the University of Hawaii, Boston University, and Rutgers University, where in 1990 he was named the Paul Robeson Professor of English. He is a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.

In 1970 Williams received the Syracuse University Centennial Medal for Outstanding Achievement, and in 1998 his Safari West won the American Book Award. He retired from Rutgers in 1994.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John A. Williams Papers consist of correspondence, clippings, memorabilia, writings, and published material.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Writings are arranged alphabetically by title.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on this material

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Books by Williams have been transferred to Rare Books for separate cataloging. Please refer to SUMMIT, our main catalog for a complete listing.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John A. Williams Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library

Acquisition Information

Gift of John A. Williams.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: -
Date: circa 1970
Revision history: 18 Feb 2008 - converted to EAD (MRC)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		1960
Box 1		1961
Box 1		1662
Box 1		1963 (2 folders)
Box 1		1964 (3 folders)
Box 1		1965
Box 1		1967 (4 folders)
Box 1		1968 (2 folders)
Box 1		Undated
Box 1		Rejections

	Clippings
Box 1		Miscellaneous (3 folders)

	Memorabilia
Box 1		Photographs
Box 1		Tapes circa 1962

	Writings
Box 2		After me, you
Box 2		Aggie jive
Box 2		[American Negro in Africa]
		Angry Ones (original title: One for New York)
Box 2			Draft (2 folders)
Box 2			2d draft (4 folders)
Box 2			5th draft
Box 2		Another possibility
Box 2		Audio poetry
Box 2		[Big Ralph]
Box 3		Bird
Box 3		Cool one (2 folders)
Box 3		Day of the dead cat
Box 3		Eager warriors
Box 3		Flutter of a hawk
Box 3		Kelley
Box 3		Last flight of dreams (5 folders)
Box 3		Man who cried I am (3 folders)
Box 4		Man who cried I am
Box 4		[Martin Luther King] (2 folders)
Box 4		Month in the country: a diary
Box 4		Moody's squad
Box 4		Most native of sons: a biography of Richard Wright
Box 4		NAACP convention 1959 - four reports for WOV
Box 4		Negroes in Pennsylvania - 1-page list
Box 4		Party
Box 4		[poetry]
Box 4		Portrait of a city: Syracuse, the old home town
Box 4		Prisoner
Box 4		Prix de Rome 1962
Box 4		Protectors (3 folders)
Box 5		Sissie (3 folders)
Box 5		Spring song
Box 5		Syracuse: a city in transition
		This is my country too
Box 5			Edited typescript (2 folders)
Box 5			Setting copy
Box 5			Mail
Box 5		Two by John: angry office
Box 6		Two by John: Only an afternoon
Box 6		Why don't you go back where you came from?
Box 6		With regrets

	Published material
Box 6		By Williams - articles
Box 6		By others

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