Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Lorna Tracy Papers, 1934; 1948-2008
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Lorna Tracy Papers
- Dates
- 1934; 1948-2008 (bulk)19342008
- Quantity
- 1 linear feet, (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- MSS 020
- Summary
- Papers, mostly correspondence, of author and literary editor Lorna Tracy. Tracy was born in 1934 and grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, eventually immigrating to England in 1969. She published Amateur Passions in 1981 and edited Stand Magazine with her husband, poet Jon Silkin. She is the daughter of Idaho author Paul Tracy.
- Repository
-
Boise State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
1910 University Drive
Boise ID
83725
Telephone: 2084263990
archives@boisestate.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is available for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lorna Tracy was born in 1934 in Oregon and grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, received a B.A. from Hastings College in Nebraska in 1956, an M.A. from the University of Denver in 1957, and studied at the University of Iowa from 1967-1969. While in college she played the lead role in several plays, including Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, and studied acting at The Actors' Studio in New York City with Ron Liebman. Ms. Tracy immigrated to England in 1969. She is the daughter of plumber and Idaho writer Paul Tracy (see Paul E. Tracy Papers and published a collection of short stories titled Amateur Passions under England's Virago Press in 1981. Lorna Tracy also worked as an editor of Stand Magazine with her former husband, British poet Jon Silkin and received writer's awards from the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1975 and 1982 and Northern Arts writers' grants in 1981 and 1982.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection includes correspondence that Lorna Tracy wrote to her parents and her brother William from the early 1950s through the late 2000s. Correspondence discusses the time she spent as a student at both Hastings College and the Iowa Writers Workshop, marriage to English poet Jon Silkin, living as an American in England, and worldwide travels, including traveling for bird watching.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
[item description], Lorna Tracy Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
The literary estate of Lorna Tracy is held by the University of Leeds in Britain, alongside that of her late husband Jon Silkin. See also Paul E. Tracy Papers
Acquisition Information
Donated by Lorna Tracy in 1977 and 2010.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
CorrespondenceReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Lorna Tracy to and from parents: Paul and Dorothy (Luck) Tracy
File covers the time that Lorna Tracy spent at Hastings College in Nebraska with letters sent back home to Caldwell, Idaho. Also includes a confidential letter from the Hastings College Dean to Paul Tracy notifying him that Lorna Tracy has been selected one of the Ten "Who's Who" in that year's graduating class.
|
1952-1956 |
| 1 | 2-10 | Lorna Tracy to parents: Paul and Dorothy (Luck) Tracy
This set of correspodence covers her time in New York City when she appeared on two television shows (Password and To Tell The Truth, the second of which she successfully impersonated a Mrs. America pageant contestant), wrote and performed a play about Emily Dickinson, worked as a librarian, studied at the Idaho Writers Workshop, married British poet Jon Silkin, and lived in England. Letters discuss her writing career and also contain some literary criticism of pieces written by her father, Paul Tracy, who was also a writer. The last folder of this set also contains reviews of Lorna Tracy's 1974 inclusion in Introduction 5: Stories by New Writers.
|
1956-1975 |
| 2 | 1-3 | Lorna Tracy to brother William Tracy and his wife Elizabeth |
1971-2008 |
Documents, Photographs and EphemeraReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 4 | Hastings College, Nebraska, play programs, choir programs, newspaper clippings, grade reports, and commencement program
Lorna Tracy performed in theatre and sang in the choir as an alto or mezzo-soprano during her time at Hastings College.
|
1953-1956 |
| 2 | 5 | Photographs of Lorna Tracy, one includes father Paul Tracy |
1956, 1967 |
| 2 | 6 |
Amana Grass, book of poetry by Jon Silkin. Poem on page 16 is dedicated to Paul Tracy |
1971 |
| 2 | 7 | Reviews of the book Amateur Passions by Lorna Tracy |
1981 |
| 2 | 8 | Lorna Tracy documents
Birth certificate, Public School diploma (completion of eighth grade), and High School diploma
|
1934, 1948, 1952 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Authors, American
- Bird watching
- Literature
- Women--Idaho
Personal Names
- Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886
- Silkin, Jon
- Tracy, Paul E. (Paul Eugene), 1889-1976
Kent Randell
2012; updated 2023
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
