Acquisition	Purchases and gifts, 1994-1996 (R13123, R13723), 2000-2003 (R14676, G12210)
	Processed by	Jennifer Peters, 1996; Liz Murray, 2000, 2003

Repository:

Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

	Shelby Reed was born in 1931 in Marion, Kentucky, and raised in Kentucky and Texas. She displayed an early talent for writing, winning first place in the Texas Interscholastic League ready-writing contest her senior year in high school. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1953, she married attorney Robert Hearon and turned to raising a family. She was active in the Austin community, serving as president of the PTA, Junior League of Austin, and Planned Parenthood.
	In 1962, Hearon began writing fiction, feeling that she had "no work that grew out of my own personal identity." After five years of rewriting and revision, she sent her first completed novel, Armadillo in the Grass, over the transom to Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., where it was discovered by editor Judith Jones and published in 1968. The story of artist Clara Blue and her emerging artistic sensibility won immediate acclaim. Since then, Hearon has published thirteen novels, a biography of Barbara Jordan, and numerous short stories and articles for magazines, newspapers, and journals, such as Redbook, McCall's, Cosmopolitan, The Writer, Dallas Morning News, Harper's Bazaar, Texas Monthly, Readers Digest, GQ, Family Circle, Southwest Review, and Mississippi Review. After publishing books with Doubleday and Atheneum, Hearon returned to Knopf in 1989 with the publication of Owning Jolene.
	Hearon's writing focuses on women, often from an upper middle-class background, who are searching for their own identity and voice. Most of her novels have some connection to Texas. The ties of family and friends, a focus on appearance versus reality, and an interest in science further enhance Hearon's plots. A meticulous writer, Hearon researched her topics thoroughly and made considerable revisions before submitting a finished manuscript.
	Hearon's skill as a writer were recognized with awards, grants, and teaching opportunities. She was a five-time recipient of the NEA/PEN Syndication short story prize, and twice won the Texas Institute of Letters fiction prize. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction in 1982, a NEA Creative Writing Fellowship in 1983, an Ingram Merrill grant in 1987, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters fiction award in 1990 for Owning Jolene. She won the New York Women in Communications Award in 1984. She taught at a number of colleges, including Bennington College, the University of Houston, the University of California at Irvine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Colgate University, and the University of Miami. She served on the Texas Commission on the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.
	Hearon died on December 10, 2016, in Burlington, Vermont.

The inventory for the Shelby Hearon Papers is a conflation of one finding aid created in 1996 and a preliminary inventory created for minimally processed additions received in 2000 and 2003, as well as unprocessed additions received between 2004 and 2017. The post-2003 additions were appended to the end of the original finding aid. Because both descriptions began the box numbering with Box 1, the post-2003 additions are differentiated by adding the letter "a" to the original box number (e.g., Box 1a, Box 2a, etc.). The inventories were combined in 2025 to comply with a new content management system.

	1994-1996 Acquisitions
	The Shelby Hearon papers contain manuscripts, galley proofs, research materials, notes, correspondence, clippings, photographs, and other printed material, and are arranged in two series: I. Books, 1966-1996 (35 boxes), which contains research notes, manuscripts, and promotional files for all of Hearon's books published between 1968 and 1994; and II. Working Files, 1968-96 (6 boxes), which contains a broad assortment of files pertaining to other aspects of Hearon's writing.
	Hearon's literary career is well documented in this collection. The files trace Hearon's emerging voice as a novelist, beginning with her talks to womens' groups in the late 1960s and early 1970s focusing on the importance of taking time away from family for one's self, and following her growth into a full-time working writer. Besides books, Hearon's short stories, articles, and book reviews are collected, highlighted by two unpublished stories and one unpublished article from 1974. Also of interest are the files devoted to Hearon's single work of non-fiction, a co-authored autobiography of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Non-manuscript material in Series II spotlights Hearon's other literary activities, such as grant requests, lectures, and correspondence pertaining to new editions of her books. Taken as a whole, the collection offers an overview of the career of a late 20th-century midlist writer.
	The collection also reveals Hearon's working patterns, illustrating the attention to detail that characterizes all aspects of her writing, from her earliest research, which includes traveling to the place about which she is writing, collecting newspapers, photographs, conversational tidbits, and history, through her many manuscript revisions, following a manuscript from its outline and early notes to galley proofs. Titles are further enriched by the presence of files documenting the promotion and reception of each title, from clippings, to correspondence with the publisher, to fan mail. The researcher should be aware that the materials in this collection contain only a small amount of personal information, much of which must be inferred from documents pertaining to her professional career.
	The papers contain a mix of original folders and files created from loose materials by the archivist. Folders with titles in single quotes denote Hearon's original files, whereas those without generally contain materials grouped by subject by the cataloger. The original files are marked by a fluidity of title; Hearon often started a folder for one reason and added related materials later. As a result, date ranges in single folders can be very broad. Additionally, related material is often split up. Researchers may want to check a number of different files for materials relating to the same subject.
	Similarly, correspondence can be found throughout the collection, in addition to the files devoted to correspondence in Series II. An index at the end of the finding aid gives the box and folder number for each correspondent; due to its scattered nature, all of Hearon's outgoing correspondence is indexed as well. Of particular note are the files in both series for Hearon's agent Wendy Weil and her editors Judith Jones, Sally Arteseros, and Thomas A. Stewart. Pertaining mainly to the actual publication process, the letters also document the agent's and editor's initial reaction to a new manuscript, and their ideas for marketing and promotion of a title. Additionally, because Hearon developed warm relationships with these figures, their letters exchanged personal as well as professional information. Correspondence with contemporary writers of note such as Allan Gurganus, Sue Kaufman, Reynolds Price, and Anne Tyler is present in this collection, but the letters tend to be single formal exchanges. Far more interesting are the correspondents to whom Hearon wrote while researching her books, such as J. Eddie Weems and Ross Gandy, who give her background information on, respectively, Waco, Texas, and Mexico City after the earthquake.
	Series I. Books, 1966-1996
	This series contains files pertaining to each of Hearon's titles from 1968 to 1994, ending with her book Life Estates. The files have been arranged alphabetically by book title. The amount of material for each title varies considerably; while some titles contain only a few folders, others follow the work from its original idea, through its final publication, to its reception by the public. Titles which are well represented in this series include Hug Dancing, Life Estates, Now and Another Time, Owning Jolene, A Prince of a Fellow, and The Second Dune.
	Under each title, the files are sorted into three categories: the first contains research notes and materials, arranged alphabetically by topic; the second includes manuscript drafts, arranged chronologically; and the last group, also arranged alphabetically, follow the book's publication and promotion. The files pertaining to research comprise a wide assortment of materials, and reveal the considerable effort spent by Hearon on background information. Research files contain clippings and articles on themes and subjects of the book, photographs of locations used in the book, and the earliest plot outlines. Scribbled notes on napkins, envelopes, and other scraps of paper document that inspiration often occurred away from Hearon's typewriter. In a few cases, such as the files for Barbara Jordan and Five Hundred Scorpions, the files document Hearon's earliest arrangement of research materials under chapter headings; these clippings, notes, and background material reveal what Hearon chose to include and what was cut over time.
	Each book is represented by at least a few folders of manuscripts. For a very few titles, such as Armadillo in the Grass and Barbara Jordan, the only manuscript materials present are galleys and printer's copy. The other titles are more complete, and demonstrate amply Hearon's writing practices and style. Her earliest notes and drafts are commonly written on yellow legal pads and, later, on notebook paper. Hearon divides working typescript drafts into small sections and revises them repeatedly, annotating heavily, cutting paragraphs and pages, and adding these cuts to other sections, frequently with tape. As a result, her earliest typescripts may run backward, due to their frequent revision and subsequent disposal. Of particular interest is the dating Hearon used for each section, which are sometimes marked with personal observations and remarks on her biorhythms. Where possible, these drafts have been arranged chronologically. Each title also generally contains a completed typescript (sometimes in decorated typing paper boxes), and galleys and proofs from the publisher.
	Many of Hearon's books went through title changes before their publication, and working titles are documented in this series. The Second Dune was originally titled "Migration of the Snow Queen," and also "Afternoon Sea.". Hannah's House started life as "A Suitable Affection," and Now and Another Time was also known as "Your Father/My Mother,""Little Hills," and "Grace Generation."Five Hundred Scorpions was titled "The Theoretical Man," and "Dos Hombres," and Prince of a Fellow had the titles "The Glass Frog," and "Among the Grandfathers."Group Therapy was once "The Sun Does Not Move," and A Small Town had the original title "The Housewife of Venice." One of Hearon's most recent books, Life Estates, was originally known as "Friends for Life." Hearon's earlier drafts also reveal original character names, and themes later discarded.
	Within the files pertaining to the publication and promotion of a title are clippings; correspondence with publishers, editors, and agents; fan mail; files pertaining to paperback rights; and, in the cases of Owning Jolene and Life Estates, to movie rights as well. Correspondence is scattered throughout these folders, but is more complete in the files for Hearon's agent Wendy Weil and editors Judith Jones, Sally Arteseros, and Thomas A. Stewart.
	Series II. Working Files, 1968-1996
	This series contains working files that follow Hearon's writing career. Arranged alphabetically by subject, the files contain manuscript drafts, correspondence, clippings, forms, financial information, and other printed materials. The collection includes numerous correspondence files, mostly sorted by Hearon, that contain letters from contemporary writers, although they are routine exchanges. Also found is correspondence with former writing students of Hearon's. As in Series I, the bulk of correspondence originates in the offices of Hearon's publishers and her literary agent. Also found in this series are a number of files pertaining to requests for grant funds by Hearon, which are notable because they show works in progress, and offer biographical information. Additionally, the series documents Hearon's many lectures, readings, writing workshops, and other activities within the writing community. All together, these files offer an overview of Hearon's professional activities and her participation in the literary community.
	Of particular importance is the document box of Hearon's short works, including articles, short fiction, and book reviews. While some are only clippings, others are in manuscript form, including two unpublished stories and one unpublished article from 1974. Also of note is an early file labeled "Speaking in 70s," which contains versions of early talks given by Hearon to women's groups, where she describes what circumstances led her to writing, and how she came to create her first fictional character, Clara Blue, in Armadillo in the Grass.
	2000-2003 Acquisitions
	Additional papers for Shelby Hearon include manuscripts and other materials for her most recently published novels, Footprints (1996) and Ella in Bloom (2001), as well as a television movie adaptation of Life Estates, titled Best Friends for Life (1998). Other materials present include articles and a short story, photographs, publicity, reviews, and correspondence from 1996-2003.
	The papers are organized in three series: I. Works, with Subseries A. Novels, and Subseries B. Other Writings; II. Career-Related Materials; and III. Correspondence.

Additional notes, drafts, and clippings relating to Afternoon of a Faun, Five Hundred Scorpions, Group Therapy, Hug Dancing, Life Estates (under title "Friends for Life"), and Owning Jolene are available at the Southwestern Writers Collection at Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

	People
		Arteseros, Sally
		Bacon, Paul, 1923-
		Broyles, William
		Busch, Frederick, 1941-
		Cheever, Benjamin, 1948-
		Davison, Peter
		Eisenhower, Josh S. D., 1922-
		Gandy, Daniel Ross, 1935-
		Geeslin, Campbell
		Graves, John, 1920-
		Hirsch, Edward
		Jones, Judith
		Nicholas, Nancy
		Stewart, Thomas A.
		Weems, J. Eddie, 1924-
		Weil, Wendy
	Organizations
		Pressworks Publishing, Inc. (Dallas, Texas)
	Subjects
		Jordon, Barbara, 1936-
		Authors, American--Texas
		American fiction--20th century
		Women authors
	Document Types
		Book reviews
		Contracts
		First drafts
		Galley proofs
		Maps
		Negatives
		Photographs
		Printer's proofs
		Scripts
		Typescripts