The Handy Writers' Colony: 1949-1964

"I have always had a saying that I found it peculiar that parents were willing to shell out for seven years or eight for a kid to become a doctor; but they weren't willing to shell out for the same period for a kid to become a writer. And it takes at least as long to become a writer as it does a doctor." --James Jones, in a letter to the father of a young man who wanted to become a writer


Web Site for Handy Writers' Colony Archives at The University of Illinois-Springfield

The Introduction to James Jones in Illinois: A Guide to the Handy Writers' Colony Collection

Handy Writers' Colony Snapshots and Recollections by Former Student Kenny Snedeker (Indiana State University Library)

See Interview with Kenny Snedeker by Journalist Steve Kash.

"Student Continues Writing Long After Last Lesson Handed Out" (An Interview with Former Colony Member Jon Shirota)

Former Handy Student Recalls Colony Days

Student Continues Writing Long After Last Lesson Handed Out (An Interview With Former Colony Member Jon Shirota)

Photographs of the Handy Writers' Colony.

Description of the Handy Colony Collection in the Library Archives at the University of Illinois, Springfield.

James Jones: Reveille to Taps: 1984 television documentary.