Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2013 by Sue Freeman Culverhouse
All rights reserved
First published 2013
e-book edition 2013
Manufactured in the United States
ISBN 978.1.62584.022.6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Culverhouse, Sue Freeman.
Tennessee Literary Luminaries : from Cormac McCarthy to Robert Penn Warren / Sue Freeman Culverhouse.
pages cm
print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-830-6 (pbk.)
1. Authors, American--Homes and haunts--Tennessee. 2. American literature--Tennessee--History and criticism. I. Title.
PS266.T2C85 2013
810.99768--dc23
2013032981
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PREFACE
I wrote this book out of love of reading and the insane idea that I could study and learn enough about at least ten Tennessee writers in a year to create a worthwhile book. After reading scores of books, articles and websites, plus talking to numerous people, Im certain what results occurred were possible only through the help of a great many other people.
Ive been a freelance writer since 1976. I decided in January of that year that if I could sell an article within that calendar year, Id begin writing as often as I could. I sold my first article, The Truth about Orchids, to Flower and Garden magazine in February and never looked back. Ive written for numerous magazines, several newspapers (even won a couple of Virginia Press Awards during the year when I wrote for the daily, Waynesboro News-Virginian) and have published a self-help book, Seven Keys to a Successful Life. Ive taught writing not only in public schools but also to teachers and in colleges. My students created a literary magazine that featured all-student writing and illustrationssomeone even listed one of the copies on Amazon.
In addition, I have met a number of these people about whom I have written. Of course, I never met Robert Penn Red Warren, Cormac McCarthy (who doesnt like to talk to other writers), Alex Haley or Eleanor Ross Taylor. Warren and Haley were dead before I ever dreamed of this book. I included Cormac McCarthy not only for his brilliant writing but also because he was kind to William Gay and helped William on his path to publication. I did meet Peter Taylor when I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he used to go to Sunday afternoons at the home of Eddy von Selzam on Wayside Place; Peter and Eleanor lived across the street from Eddy at one time. However, I never met Eleanor during those years because that sort of gathering was not something she attended.
I was able to meet William Gay, Alice Randall, A. Scott Pearson, Amy Greene and Marshall Chapmanall beautiful people in addition to having contributed literature not to be missed. I met Bud Willis after having read and reviewed Marble Mountain; Bud had a book signing in Clarksville, after which his lovely wife, Lee, and he became my friends.
I chose all of these people because their books are meaningful to me. When I was a sixth grader at Moore Elementary School in Clarksville and spent as much time in the school library as possible, I decided that the only road to immortality was becoming an author. Books live long after those who write them and mark history as nothing else does.
One of the joys of writing this book has been learning of the historical events that influenced several of these writers. For instance, the Night Riders are featured in the work of at least four of these people. The influence of one writer on another was also a revelation to me. The longer one lives, the more often one sees that events are like ripples in the water that eventually touch others in unexpected ways.
Every year, I attend the Clarksville Writers Conference at Austin Peay University (APSU) in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 2012, I listened to remarks by Keven McQueen, during which he told his listeners that if they ever considered writing a nonfiction book, they should get in contact with The History Press in Charleston, South Carolina. He said that they are wonderful people with whom to work.
A few weeks after this conference, I did just that. Fortunately for me, I reached Banks Smither and the rest is history. Banks has been terrific in helping me through this project, as has his assistant, Alyssa Pierce. Their suggestions improved this manuscript immeasurably. It has been my great fortune to have Julia Turner as editor for this manuscript; she has translated what I attempted to say into what I meant to say, and I am eternally grateful for her efforts in my behalf.
I am also deeply indebted to Bill Larson and Mark Haynes of Clarksville Online. Bills photographs are an integral part of this book. The technical assistance of both Bill and Mark has been critical to the manuscript and photographs being transmitted in a readable fashion. They created my website to showcase Tennessee Literary Luminaries and have been supportive with all my endeavors. I have been writing for Clarksville Online for several years and have found both these young men to be exceptional in their dedication to journalism and the visual arts..
Every writer knows that librarians are writers friends. Scott Shumate in the Special Collections of the Felix G. Woodward Library at APSU has gone above and beyond in helping locate information on Robert Penn Warren. Mary Ann Meyers and everyone in the Reference Department of the Montgomery County Public Library in Clarksville were also extremely helpful. Amy Lewellen of the Customs House Museum was gracious in attempting to locate information for me at the museum. Teresa Gray, public services archivist for Special Collections and University Archives at Vanderbilt University, went to extensive research to locate letters from Peter Taylor and Eleanor Ross Taylor in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Kyle Hovious of Special Collections in the Hodges Library at the University of Tennessee worked diligently with me so that I could have pictures of Cormac McCarthy and Alex Haley. Jocelyn Triplett of the Digitization Services Department at the University of Virginia Library assisted in making available pictures of Peter Taylor. Sandra Stacey of the Montgomery County Archives (Department of Preservation and Records) was also instrumental in locating information on Warren and those involved with him at Clarksville High School.
Special appreciation goes to Paula Boger, director, and Beverly Johnson, program coordinator, of the Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center in Henning, Tennessee as well as to Magnolia Murray Johnson for sharing information on the life of Alex Haley.
J.M. (Michael) White, a close friend of William Gay and publisher at Wild Dog Press, generously allowed me to use his pictures not only of William and his artwork but also of the homes of Cormac McCarthy in Knoxville. Shelia Kennedy, who is typing up the difficult-to-read unpublished manuscripts of William Gay, has been a true friend and most helpful during this entire project. Williams sons, Chris and William, have also been kind in assisting me with information and memories of their father. Others who have shared memories include Sonny Brewer, Tom Franklin and Marshall Chapmanthanks to all!
