Gloria Naylor's Archive Breathes Lifeness Revived
In November 2021, the Gloria Naylor in the Archives Symposium was held at Lehigh University, marking a significant milestone in the exploration of Gloria Naylor's literary works. The event, which welcomed Naylor scholars from across the United States, was a low-cost and accessible gathering that aimed to delve deeper into the world of this renowned 20th-century writer.
The symposium was produced by Melpomene Katakalos, associate professor of theatre, and directed by Kashi Johnson, chair and professor of theatre. The event featured presentations, panel and roundtable discussions, theatrical readings of Naylor's works such as "Candy" and "M'Dear", and a keynote lecture by Maxine Lavon Montgomery of Florida State University.
The Gloria Naylor Archive, which contains over 50 boxes of materials, was donated to Sacred Heart University by Naylor herself in 2009. A portion of this extensive collection was temporarily relocated to Lehigh University in 2019 for processing. An interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and graduate researchers worked tirelessly over two years to process and digitize the materials, making them accessible to researchers, teachers, students, and fans worldwide.
The digitized materials can be found at go.lehigh.edu/naylorarchive. The website and other resources are also available for those interested in or teaching about Naylor. The team produced several public-facing resources, including a finding aid for Naylor scholars, a blog, and a website with abundant information about Naylor and her works.
The project was funded by a $100,000 Accelerator Grant from Lehigh and a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The latter supports the creation of an edited volume based on Naylor's archives. The edited volume will be edited by Professors Suzanne Edwards, Mary Foltz, and Maxine Lavon Montgomery. Research for a second volume is also supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
The Gloria Naylor Archive will remain physically at Lehigh until it returns to Sacred Heart in 2023. The donation attracted Naylor scholars to Sacred Heart's Fairfield, Conn., campus, underscoring the enduring impact of Naylor's work on literary scholarship.
However, while there is a wealth of information available about the Gloria Naylor Archive and its digitized materials, there is no explicit public information on their current status or accessibility. For up-to-date details, it is recommended to consult specialized literary archives, university special collections, or libraries associated with Gloria Naylor’s estate or scholarship. University archives that focus on African American literature or women's studies may hold such collections. Additionally, contacting institutions known to maintain Gloria Naylor’s papers or the publisher's archive could provide more precise information.
- The interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and graduate researchers at Lehigh University have made the digitized materials from the Gloria Naylor Archive accessible to the public, which can be found at go.lehigh.edu/naylorarchive.
- The Gloria Naylor Archive, containing over 50 boxes of materials, was temporarily relocated to Lehigh University in 2019 for processing and digitization by a team of researchers.
- An edited volume based on Gloria Naylor's archives is being created, with Professors Suzanne Edwards, Mary Foltz, and Maxine Lavon Montgomery serving as editors.
- Research for a second volume is also supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and for up-to-date details on the current status and accessibility of the Gloria Naylor Archive, it's recommended to consult specialized literary archives, university special collections, or libraries associated with Gloria Naylor's estate or scholarship.
