Handy Writers' Colony

The Handy Writers' Colony, often called simply the Handy Colony or the Colony, was located in Marshall, Illinois. The Handy Colony was founded in 1950 by Lowney Turner Handy and her husband, Harry Handy, along with her student, best-selling novelist James Jones. Lowney Handy was the Colony's quirky teacher and mentor, with financial support coming from her husband and Jones, particularly from the sale of Jones' first novel, "From Here to Eternity". A unique aspect of Handy's approach was to have her students spend many hours simply copying, by hand or typewriter, materials from authors whose work she admired.

Many young writers found support at the Colony. Published writers associated with the Colony included James Jones, John Bowers, Tom T. Chamales, Edwin C. Daly, William Duhart, Jere Peacock, Jon Shirota, Jerry Tschappat (aka Gerald Tesch), and Charles S. Wright. The colony dissolved with the death of Lowney Handy in 1964.

Published novels written at least in part at the Colony or with editorial advice from Lowney Handy include:

James Jones,"From Here to Eternity" (New York: Scribner's, 1951),"Some Came Running" (New York: Scribner's 1958).

Tom T. Chamales,"Never So Few" (New York: Scribner's, 1957),"Go Naked in the World" (New York: Scribner's, 1959).

Edwin C. Daly,"Some Must Watch" (New York: Scribner's, 1956),"A Legacy of Love" (New York: Scribner's 1958).

William Duhart,"The Deadly Pay-Off" (Greenwich, CT: Gold Medal Books, 1958).

Jere Peacock,"Valhalla" (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1961).

Jon Shirota,"Lucky Come Hawaii" (New York: Bantam Books, 1965).

Gerald Tesch,"Never the Same Again" (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1956).

Charles S. Wright,"The Messenger" (New York: Farrar, Straus, 1963).

John Bowers published a slightly fictionalized account of his time at the Colony in his book "The Colony" (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1971).

The archives of the Handy Colony are in Archives/Special Collections in Norris L Brookens Library at the University of Illinois-Springfield. In addition, the Department of Special Collections at Cunningham Memorial Library at Indiana State University holds the Colony's library, including books by Handy's students and the books from which she had them copy.

References

*cite book | author=Wood, Thomas J. and Keating, Meredith | title=James Jones in Illinois: A Guide to the Handy Writers' Colony Collection | location=Springfield, Illinois | publisher=Sangamon State University | year=1989 | id=
*cite book | author=Hendrick, George; Howe, Helen; and Sackrider, Don | title=James Jones and the Handy Writers' Colony | location=Carbondale | publisher=Southern Illinois University Press | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0-8093-2365-6
*cite book | author=Bowers, John | title=The Colony | location=New York | publisher=E. P. Dutton | year=1971 | id=
*cite book | author=Hendrick, George; Howe, Helen; and Sackrider, Don (editors) | title=Writings from the Handy Colony | location=Urbana, Illinois | publisher=Tales Press | year=2002 | id=

External links

* [http://rking.vinu.edu/COLLECT.HTM Handy Writers' Colony] at the [http://rking.vinu.edu James Jones Literary Society]
* [http://www.uis.edu/archives/handy.html Handy Writers' Colony Collection, 1930-1964] at the University of Illinois-Springfield