PRELIMINARY FINDING AID
(October 2006)

ACCESSION NUMBER
2006-1

NAME/LOCATION OF REPOSITORY

Name:               Colby College Special Collections, Waterville, Maine

Contact:            Patricia Burdick, Special Collections Librarian

                            paburdic@colby.edu or 207 - 859 - 5151

Hours:               Open year round Monday - Friday, 10am - noon and 1 - 4:30pm

                            Appointments encouraged.

EXTENT OF COLLECTION

Approximately 100 linear feet (core collection) with accruals expected.

NAME OF CREATOR(S)

Primary creator is Wesley McNair. Collection also contains correspondence and creative works by family members, peers and other individuals.

SCOPE/CONTENT NOTE

The core collection, received in March 2006, contains materials dated 1941 - present:

• Scrapbooks, photographs, family letters, clippings and ephemera
• Early writings (elementary through high school)
• Notebooks with graduate school writings, teaching notes and poem drafts
• Manuscript drafts, first appearances and audio/visual recordings
• Extensive correspondence (Maine Times colleagues, Donald Hall, literary peers)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Poet Wesley McNair was born in New Hampshire in 1941. He lives and works in Mercer (central Maine). Click here to read a summary of his life and career.

CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS

“Restricted access” materials require prior permission from Wesley McNair. All requests for access should be directed to Patricia Burdick, Special Collections Librarian. All materials are to be used in Special Collections during regular hours or by appointment. All materials are protected by copyright.

LANGUAGE OF THE MATERIAL

English, with Chile teaching fellowship materials in English and Spanish.

ARRANGEMENT, ACCRUAL AND ACCESS INFORMATION

Click on series title to see content description and container lists.

SERIES A:     EARLY MATERIALS         No accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES B:     PHOTOGRAPHS              Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES C:    MAINE TIMES MATERIALS        No accruals expected. Unrestricted.

SERIES D:    NOTEBOOKS                   Accruals expected. Unrestricted.

SERIES E:     MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS             Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES F:     CORRESPONDENCE – FAMILY     Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES G:    CORRESPONDENCE – DONALD HALL  Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES H:    CORRESPONDENCE – GENERAL          Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES I:      COLLEGE / TEACHING MATERIALS       Accruals expected. Restricted.

SERIES J:      FIRST APPEARANCES             Accruals expected. Unrestricted.

SERIES K:     AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS      Accruals expected. Unrestricted.

Related links:

My Life as a Poet by Wesley McNair (text and images of April 2006 presentation)

My Life as a Poet by Wesley McNair (QuickTime movie of encore presentation, November 2008)

2006 United States Artists Ford Fellowship (search site for McNair to locate all information about his award)

Wes McNair's web site

Online exhibit: Images and Themes from the Wesley McNair Papers, with Accompanying Questions

Online exhibit: Ten Steps for Reading Poetry to an Audience  (in progress)

Listen to selected McNair poems and interviews online

Read selected McNair poems and articles online