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Southwestern Writers Collection Research Topics

A subject guide to The Wittliff's literary collections

We have prepared this guide for beginning researchers of our literary collections, who are often searching for paper topics that may be explored through archival research.

For more insight, read Steve Davis' Texas Literature: The First 470 Years (Give or Take a Few Days), published by Humanities Texas. 


African American studies
Larry L. King
Beverly Lowry (Madame C.J. Walker biography)
Angela Shelf Medearis
Bill Minutaglio
Dick J. Reavis
J. Edwin Smith

Alamo
Stephen Harrigan
Thomas Ricks Lindley

Border Studies
James Crumley
Dagoberto Gilb
Dick J. Reavis
Hart Stilwell
Bill Wittliff

Cartooning
Charles Barsotti,
Robert Calvert (Cartooning in Texas)
Jack Jackson
Pat Oliphant

Chicano Literature
Dagoberto Gilb
Jovita González
Hispanic magazine
Ricardo and Harriett Romo collection
Tino Villanueva
Chicano periodicals collection

Children’s Literature
Judy Alter
Angela Shelf Medearis
Rick Riordan

Civil Rights
Larry L. King
Angela Shelf Medearis
J. Edwin Smith
Dick J. Reavis
Joe Nick Patoski (Voices of Civil Rights project)

Correspondence Treasures
Billy Lee Brammer
J. Frank Dobie
Dagoberto Gilb (correspondence with Texas Monthly)
Larry L. King

Cowboys and Cowgirls
Sarah Bird
J. Frank Dobie
Robert Flynn
Wilson Hudson (Andy Adams biographer)
Tommy Lee Jones (archives relating to Jones' 1995 film adaptation of Elmer Kelton's novel The Good Old Boys.)
Joyce Gibson Roach (author of Cowgirls)
Ron Querry
Lonesome Dove

J. Frank Dobie studies
J. Frank Dobie
Wilson Hudson
Jovita González
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Bill Wittliff

Al Lowman's Dobie Collection

Drama
Paul Baker
Robert Flynn
William Hauptman
Mary Sue Jones
Preston Jones
Larry L. King
Cormac McCarthy
Sam Shepard
R.G. Vliet

Early 20th Century Texas Writers
J. Frank Dobie
Fred Gipson
Jovita González
Wilson Hudson
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Katherine Anne Porter
Winifred Sanford
Hart Stilwell

Editing/Editorship
William Broyles, Jr.
Mark Busby
Robert Calvert
Hispanic magazine
Ron Querry
Texas Monthly

Educators
Paul Baker
Jovita González & E.E. Mireles
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Rick Riordan

Environmental Literature
Susan Wittig Albert
Rick Bass
Dan Flores
John Graves
Susan Hanson
Stephen Harrigan
Joe Nick Patoski
Jan Reid
Hart Stilwell

Folklore
J. Frank Dobie
Jovita González
Wilson Hudson
Rollo Newsom
Joyce Gibson Roach

Football
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Jan Reid
Bud Shrake

Historical Fiction
Cindy Bonner
Elizabeth Crook
Stephen Harrigan
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Bud Shrake

Humor
Neal Barrett, Jr.
Sarah Bird
Robert Flynn
Larry L. King
Joe Lansdale
Ron Querry
Bud Shrake

Lyndon B. Johnson studies
Billy Lee Brammer
Larry L. King
Texas Monthly
Texas State University Archives

Kennedy Assassination
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Bud Shrake

Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove television miniseries archives
Larry McMurtry
Bill Wittliff

Magazine Journalism
Texas Monthly
Hispanic magazine
Billy Lee Brammer
William Broyles, Jr.
Gary Cartwright
Dagoberto Gilb
John Graves
Stephen Harrigan
Grover Lewis
Larry L. King
Joe Nick Patoski
Dick J. Reavis
Jan Reid

Cormac McCarthy studies
Cormac McCarthy
John Emil Sepich's Notes on Blood Meridian
Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy

Larry McMurtry studies
William Broyles, Jr.
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Larry McMurtry
Jan Reid
Bill Wittliff

Memoirs
Susan Wittig Albert
Gary Cartwright
J. Frank Dobie
John Graves
Tom Grimes
Larry L. King
Ron Querry
Jesse Sublett

Mexican American studies
Kay Council (curandera research)
Dagoberto Gilb
Jovita González
Hispanic magazine
Severo Perez
Michael W. Rodriguez
Ricardo and Harriett Romo collection
Santiago Tafolla
Tino Villanueva
Chicano periodicals collection

Mexico
Cabeza de Vaca (La relación y comentarios)
James Crumley
John Graves
Shelby Hearon
Ron Querry
Dick J. Reavis
Sam Shepard
Hart Stilwell
Donley Watt
Bill Wittliff

Music Journalism
Gary Cartwright
Michael Hall
Hispanic magazine
Grover Lewis (Rolling Stone)
Jay Milner
Joe Nick Patoski
Jan Reid
Bud Shrake (Willie Nelson)
Texas Monthly

Mystery/Detective Fiction
Susan Wittig Albert
Neal Barrett, Jr.
James Crumley
Joe Lansdale
Ron Querry
Rick Riordan
Jesse Sublett
on-line bibliography

Native American studies
Jack Jackson
Ron Querry
Bud Shrake

Willie Nelson studies
Gary Cartwright
Willie Nelson
Joe Nick Patoski
Bud Shrake
Bill Wittliff

“New Journalism”
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Grover Lewis
Bud Shrake
Texas Monthly

Oil
Winifred Sanford
Donley Watt

Poetry
Roberto Galvan
Albert Goldbarth
R.S. Gwynn
Dick Heaberlin
Albert Huffstickler
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Roxy Gordon

Frances Nooncaster
Miriam Sagan
Tino Villanueva
R.G. Vliet

Politics
Billy Lee Brammer
Larry L. King
Dick J. Reavis
Texas Monthly

Katherine Anne Porter studies
Roger L. Brooks
Paul Porter
From Texas to the World and Back: Essays on the Journeys of Katherine Anne Porter

Religion
Robert Flynn
Dick J. Reavis
Bud Shrake

Ann Richards Studies
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Jan Reid
Bud Shrake

Rivers of Texas
John Graves
Stephen Harrigan
Joe Nick Patoski
Jan Reid
Texas Monthly

Romance
Sarah Bird
Cindy Bonner
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland

Screenwriting
screenplay collection
Robert Benton
Sarah Bird
William Broyles, Jr.
Gary Cartwright
Fred Gipson
A.C. Greene
Stephen Harrigan
William Hauptman
Tommy Lee Jones
Cormac McCarthy
Sam Shepard
Bud Shrake
C.W. Smith
Bill Wittliff

Sci-Fi/Fantasy literature
Neal Barrett, Jr.
Joe Lansdale

The “Sixties”
Billy Lee Brammer
Gary Cartwright
Larry L. King
Grover Lewis
Jay Milner
Dick J. Reavis

Michael W. Rodriguez
Sam Shepard
Bud Shrake

Storm Chasing
William Hauptman

Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly archives
Billy Lee Brammer
William Broyles, Jr.
Gary Cartwright
Dagoberto Gilb
John Graves
Stephen Harrigan
Larry L. King
Joe Nick Patoski
Dick J. Reavis
Jan Reid

Texas State Alumni
Charles Barsotti
Heloise” (Ian Frazier collection)
Michael W. Rodriguez
J. Edwin Smith
Tino Villanueva
R.G. Vliet

True Crime
Gary Cartwright (Cullen Davis)
Beverly Lowry (Karla Fay Tucker)
Texas Monthly

Vietnam War
William Broyles, Jr.
Mark Busby
James Crumley
Robert Flynn
Michael W. Rodriguez
China Beach television series
Online exhibition bibliography

Women Write the Southwest
Susan Wittig Albert
Judy Alter
Sarah Bird
Cindy Bonner
Elizabeth Crook
Jovita González
Susan Hanson
Shelby Hearon
Mary Gray Hughes
Elithe Hamilton Kirkland
Pat LittleDog
Beverly Lowry
Angela Shelf Medearis
Katherine Anne Porter
Joyce Gibson Roach
Winifred Sanford