Joyce Sweeney Papers

The Joyce Sweeney Papers fall into five series: (1) School Papers; (2) Manuscripts; (3) Published Short Stories and Poetry; (4) Scrapbooks; and (5) Miscellaneous Information.

Series 1 contains Joyce Sweeney’s school papers. These papers were written for classes she took at Wright State University and Ohio University. The papers date from approximately 1973 to 1979. Many of these school papers are undated, so educated guesses, often going by class numbers, were used to fit them in as close to chronological order as possible.

Series 2 holds Joyce Sweeney’s manuscripts. Those manuscripts which are dated, and many were not, were written between 1978 and 2006. Sweeney handwrites all of her first drafts on spiral-bound notebooks, most of which are included here, as well as some original handwritten short stories. In addition, typewritten manuscripts and notes about these novels are filed in the manuscript series, from her first published novel, Center Line, to her most recently published, The Guardian. In this section, there are multiple copies of some of her novels, showing the progress from handwritten first draft through copyediting and proofing. Publisher’s typesetting printouts and correspondence from them is also included for several novels. Some of the typed manuscripts have been divided into two parts for archival storage purposes because they are too voluminous to fit into a single file folder; Sweeney herself did not assign these divisions. Because many of the manuscripts are undated, it was difficult to arrange them chronologically. Therefore, the undated manuscripts are arranged in approximate chronological order based on the publication dates of the novels. All manuscripts are included in this series except for the typewritten short story “Where Do You Belong in the Jungle?” This work is filed with Scrapbook #1 inbox number 5, file number 2. It is filed with this scrapbook in accordance with respect for original order since that is where Mrs. Sweeney placed it.

Here is a list of Joyce Sweeney’s current publications, with the year each work was published:

Center Line, 1985 Right Behind the Rain, 1987 The Dream Collector, 1989 Face the Dragon, 1990 Tiger Orchard, 1993 Piano Man, 1994 Shadow, 1994 Free Fall, 1996 The Spirit Window, 1998 Players, 2000 Takedown, 2004 Waiting for June, 2006 Headlock, 2006 The Guardian, 2009

Series 3 consists of copies of Mrs. Sweeney’s short stories published in New Writers, Nexus, Playgirl, Green’s, and Co-Ed Magazines; these were published from 1974 to 1983. The series also includes an issue of the periodical Blue Violin, in which Sweeney’s poem “Meditation” appears. There are also two chapbooks of poetry, published in 2008 and 2017. The full date span of this series is 1974 to 2017.

Series 4 includes the contents of seven scrapbooks. Many of the papers in these scrapbooks were being discolored and deteriorated by the adhesive which held them in place. To prevent further decay, these papers were separated from their scrapbooks and placed in acid-free file folders. The scrapbooks are arranged approximately in chronological order. They date from 1974 through 1992. The subject matter of these scrapbooks varies. Some papers relate to legal matters involved with publishing; others are mail from adoring fans. The correspondence between the young Joyce Sweeney and her agent is interesting. Mrs. Sweeney’s enthusiasm and delight at getting her work published is evident in her letters. Contents also include birthday cards, letters, notes and newspaper articles about Mrs. Sweeney and her books.

Series 5 is labeled “Miscellaneous Scrapbook Information.” The materials contained in this series are similar to many of the materials found in the scrapbooks in Series 4. However, because Mrs. Sweeney had not arranged or labeled them as scrapbooks, they could not be filed with the scrapbook materials. Series 5 contains materials and correspondence from the conferences and workshops in which Mrs. Sweeney participated. Correspondence from students, fans, and publishers are also included here. It appears that Mrs. Sweeney visits public schools in her area with regularity to discuss her career. There are many touching letters exchanged between Mrs. Sweeney and these children, as well as an oversized thank you letter from 1995. This Series also includes varied information such as advertisements, articles, and press releases concerning Mrs. Sweeney and her published works. Some of these items are oversized and stored as such. These items are listed at the end of the workshop/conference materials in this series. There are some audiovisual materials located at the end of this series. These are VHS tapes and 2 mini cassettes. Materials in Series 5 date from 1976 to 2011, with some undated.