University of
Minnesota Libraries. Givens Collection of African-American Literature,
Special Collections and Rare Books [scrbg]
Mickelbury, Penny,
1948-
Penny Mickelbury
papers
1997-2000
4 boxes
Includes manuscripts
and galleys for several of Mickelbury's published works, correspondence,
reviews and appearance notices, and two audiotaped interviews.
English
S1
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
Materials are open to research without restriction except for portions
designated as restricted, confidential, or sealed. For the latter material,
prior permission in writing from the author is required.
Permission to examine this collection will be granted to any qualified
researcher upon completion of an application form. The original documents do
not circulate and may only be used in the Reading Room of the Special
Collections and Rare Books Division.
Copyright
Photoreproduction and audio reproduction of any materials in which the
author holds copyright shall be performed only with the written permission of
the author.
Preferred Citation
From the Givens Collection of African American Literature, University
of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis, MN.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Karla Davis and the finding aid
written by Rachel Mordecai in 2004.
Arrangement
The first three boxes are ordered by publication date of the novels to
which they pertain and alphabetically in the case of two novels appearing in
the same year. The fourth box contains correspondence and other materials not
directly related to these novels.
Biographical Note
Penny Mickelbury, a journalist-turned-novelist who thinks of herself
as a playwright, was born in 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1970 she became the
first African-American reporter at the
<emph render="italic">Georgia Banner-Herald</emph> in
Athens. A former reporter for the
<emph render="italic">Washington Post</emph>, Ms.
Mickelbury was a political reporter for the ABC-TV affiliate in Washington,
D.C., and was co-founder and managing director of New York City's Alchemy:
Theater of Change. Mickelbury’s novels include
<emph render="italic">Keeping Secrets</emph> and
<emph render="italic">Night Songs</emph>, featuring
Washington DC detective Gianna Maglione, and four “Carole Ann Gibson” novels:
<emph render="italic">One Must Wait</emph>,
<emph render="italic">Where to Choose</emph>,
<emph render="italic">The Step Between</emph>, and
<emph render="italic">Paradise Interrupted</emph>.
Scope and Content
The collection consists largely of marked manuscripts and galley
proofs of three novels by Penny Mickelbury, with accompanying letters or memos
from Simon and Schuster editorial staff. The novels –
<emph render="italic">One Must Wait </emph>(1998),
<emph render="italic">Where to Choose</emph> (1998), and
<emph render="italic">Paradise Interrupted</emph> (2001) –
are all “Carole Ann Gibson” novels (name of the main character). Also included
are files of correspondence pertaining to Mickelbury’s promotion in 1984 to the
position of assistant news director at WJLA-TV in Washington DC, and clippings,
speeches, reviews and appearance notices pertaining to her literary career.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Mickelbury,
Penny, 1948-
One Must Wait
Paradise Interrupted
Where to Choose
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed list of materials in the
collection.
Novels and Related Correspondence
1
One Must Wait
Letter from Robert Mecoy (Simon and Schuster) to PM,
dated 2/24/1997
Manuscript with markings, corrections
Memo to the editor from Marcia Peterson (Simon and
Schuster),
undated
Galley proofs
2
Where to Choose
Note from Andrea Y. Au (Simon and Schuster) to PM,
undated
Letter from Philip Metcalf (Simon and Schuster) to PM,
8/17/1998
Style sheet
Manuscript with markings, corrections
3
Paradise
Interrupted
Letter from Roz Siegel (Simon and Schuster) to PM,
dated 3/8/2000
Page 2 of letter from Roz Siegel to PM (page 1
missing),
undated
Manuscript pages with corrections
Note from Andrea Y. Au (Simon and Schuster) to PM,
undated
Galley proofs
Speeches, Etc.
4
Audio cassette dated 1/18/1998 from WPLY-Philadelphia,
labeled “Penny Mickelbury, One Must Wait”
4
Audio cassette labeled “Penny Mickelbury”
4
Folder: WJLA-TV/Channel 7/ Washington DC, Promotion
responses
4
Folder: Reviews, Interviews, Appearance
Notices
4
Folder: Speeches
4
Letter from Frances Smith Foster (Emory University) to
PM,
dated ½2/1999
4
July/August 1999 edition of The Commerce Club Connection
(Atlanta, GA), with p.4 advertisement for PM’s appearance on “The Paula Gordon
Show”,
Friday 7/16/1999
4