The Handy Writers' Colony, often called simply the Handy Colony or The Colony, was a writers' colony located in
Marshall, Illinois, which operated from 1950–1964. The Handy Colony was founded in 1950 by Lowney Turner Handy and her husband, Harry Handy, along with Lowney's student (and then-lover), best-selling novelist
James Jones. Lowney Handy was the Colony's quirky teacher and mentor, with financial support coming from her husband and Jones, particularly after the sale of Jones' first novel, ''
From Here to Eternity''. A unique aspect of Handy's approach was to have her students spend many hours simply copying, by hand or typewriter, materials from authors whose work she admired.
Handy was vehemently opposed to
homosexual writers,
often making
homophobic and derogatory remarks about artists such as
Walt Whitman,
Marcel Proust, and
Hart Crane, as well as
D. H. Lawrence and
T. S. Eliot, which she had banned her students from reading (along with the works of
Wallace Stevens,
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...
, and
Dylan Thomas, among others), even going so far as to tear up books and physically assault students.
Originally conceived as a
Utopian commune where budding artists could focus exclusively on their writing projects, the colony dissolved largely because of Handy's own erratic behavior and Jones' focus on his own novels. Jones' editor and mentor, Burroughs Mitchell, said of Handy:
Despite Handy's policy prohibiting outsiders from entering the colony, certain visitors were allowed, including Burroughs Mitchell,
Norman Mailer
Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
, and actor
Montgomery Clift.
Many young writers found support at the Colony. Published writers associated with the Colony included James Jones,
John Bowers, Tom T. Chamales, Edwin C. Daly, William Duhart, Jere Peacock, Jon Shirota, Jerry Tschappat (a.k.a. Gerald Tesch), and Charles S. Wright. The colony dissolved with the death of Lowney Handy in 1964.
Novels associated with the Colony
Published novels written at least in part at the Colony or with editorial advice from Lowney Handy include:
*
John Bowers:
** ''The Colony'' (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1971) — slightly fictionalized account of Bowers' time at the Colony
*
Tom T. Chamales:
** ''
Never So Few'' (New York: Scribner's, 1957)
** ''
Go Naked in the World'' (New York: Scribner's, 1959)
* Edwin C. Daly:
** ''Some Must Watch'' (New York: Scribner's, 1956)
** ''A Legacy of Love'' (New York: Scribner's 1958)
* William Duhart:
** ''The Deadly Pay-Off'' (Greenwich, CT: Gold Medal Books, 1958)
*
James Jones:
** ''
From Here to Eternity'' (New York: Scribner's, 1951)
** ''
Some Came Running'' (New York: Scribner's 1958)
* Jere Peacock:
** ''Valhalla'' (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1961)
* Jon Shirota:
** ''Lucky Come Hawaii'' (New York: Bantam Books, 1965)
* Gerald Tesch:
** ''
Never the Same Again'' (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1956)
*
Charles Wright:
** ''The Messenger'' (New York: Farrar, Straus, 1963)
Archives
The archives of the Handy Colony are in Archives/Special Collections in Norris L. Brookens Library at the
University of Illinois Springfield. In addition, the Department of Special Collections at Cunningham Memorial Library at
Indiana State University holds the Colony's library, including books by Handy's students and the books from which she had them copy.
Notes
References
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External links
Handy Writers' Colonyat th
James Jones Literary Society
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119213203/http://library.uis.edu/archives/collections/handy/index.html , date=2015-11-19 at the University of Illinois Springfield
Inside The Handy Writers' Colony
PBS program page; premiered on PBS 2008-10-23; story text summary; video trailer available for QuickTime and Windows Media Players.
Inside The Handy Writers' Colony
Official Documentary Site; Woodlawn Avenue Productions; directed by Dawn Sinclair Shapiro; access requires Flash media player.
Clark County, Illinois
Writing circles
Populated places established in 1950
1950 establishments in Illinois
1964 disestablishments in Illinois