Center for Southwest Research Acquires John Nichols' Papers
John Treadwell Nichols (Taos, NM). August 2008
Over the next several years, the University of New Mexico Libraries Center for Southwest Research is acquiring the papers of author and activist, John Treadwell Nichols. Nichols moved to Taos, New Mexico from New York City in 1969. He has spent the last four decades in Taos, advocating for human and environmental justice, while continuing to write incessantly.
Nichols' collection documents a wide range of history and culture and personal connections in New Mexico (and elsewhere) over the last 40 years. Nichols stands out as a New Mexican writer with a national reputation. His works provide insight into contemporary and historical political and social issues. Nichols first published novel was The Sterile Cuckoo (1965), though he is probably best known for his New Mexico Trilogy: The Milagro Beanfield War (1974) The Magic Journey (1978), and Nirvana Blues (1981). His works of non-fiction include If Mountains Die (1979), Last Beautiful Days of Autumn (1982), A Fragile Beauty (1987).
Nichols' manuscript collection is perhaps one of the most complete literary collections in existence. Nichols has retained every draft of every manuscript he has written and every piece of correspondence that he has sent and received since the 1960s. He has kept his journals, slides, artwork, and first editions of his publications. His collection not only documents the creation and evolution of his literary works, but precisely documents the literary process. His correspondence, speeches, and artwork chronicle contemporary political and social issues and shed light not only on John Nichols, but also illuminate the perspectives of a large array of contemporary literary, political, and everyday figures and issues in New Mexico and around the globe.
The initial acquisition of manuscripts, screenplays, and activity files will be available for research this fall, via the Rocky Mountain Online Archive: http://rmoa.unm.edu/