“Joe Lansdale is a great writer who can kill you not only with words, but with his hands.” So begins this feisty documentary, All Hail the Popcorn King, which celebrates the virtuoso writer from Nacogdoches Texas — a man whose …
Category: News
The Wittliff Acquires Papers of John Rechy, Pioneer of American, LGBT, and Chicano Literature
The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University have acquired the complete archive of internationally acclaimed author John Rechy, praised as “one of the few original American writers of the last century,” by Gore Vidal, and as “one of Mexican‑American literature’s …
In Luck with the Red Headed Stranger
The Wittliff joined Willie Nelson and hundreds of his fans for a screening of a newly restored copy of the 1986 film “Red Headed Stranger” at his Luck ranch outside of Austin. The ranch buildings were constructed for the film, …
Reflections on Bill Wittliff and “The Collections”
I came to The Wittliff in October 2011, and most of my days since that time have begun with a call from Bill Wittliff. After he and Sally received honorary doctorates from Texas State In 2014, I’d always greet him …
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The Wittliff expands its legacy of Native American photography with Will Wilson acquisition.
In 2017, The Wittliff exhibited a selection of images from Edward Curtis The North American Indian. Soon thereafter, we were contacted by Dr. John Mckiernan-Gonzalez, Director of the Center for the Study of the Southwest, who recommended that we look at the …
Naomi Shihab Nye wins Prestigious Literary Award.
The Wittliff is proud to share the news that Naomi Shihab Nye has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Institute of Letters. This is the highest honor given by the TIL, which was established in 1936 to recognize …
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Major Dobie collector’s extraordinary new gift.
Last November at the annual “Dobie Dichos” literary festival in South Texas, I got to meet William Allison, a Houston attorney who specializes in environmental law and who has emerged as one of the great modern collectors of J. Frank …
Texas Historical Foundation announces grant.
The Texas Historical Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant in support of The Wittliff Collections new book project. Rivers of Texas: A Literary Companion will showcase the best writing on Texas rivers and waterways from a number of the state’s …
A new Wittliff “Bookmark” on the radio
The Wittliff is excited to announce that you will soon be able to hear in-depth interviews with your favorite Wittliff authors, thanks to a new partnership with “Bookmarked,” the weekly radio program hosted by Priscilla Leder on San Marcos radio …
The mystery of Texas songwriter Rich Minus
Making sense of the hard luck and career of forgotten “Laredo Rose” songwriter Rich Minus isn’t easy. There are lots of gaps in the story of the enigmatic San Antonio native who for a time ran with hard-scrabble singer-songwriters Townes …
