Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1919-2020 (Creation)
Extent
55.0 Linear feet (55 record boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Kathleen Norris was born July 27, 1947 to John Heyword Norris and Lois Totten Norris. She graduated from Punahou Preparatory School, Hawaii in 1965, and from Bennington College in Vermont in 1969. After college Norris worked as arts administrator for Betty Kray, Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, who became her good friend and mentor.
"Falling Off" Kathleen Norris' first book of poetry, was published in 1971 and won the Big Table Younger Poets Award that same year. Soon after, she settled down in her maternal grandparents' home in Lemmon, South Dakota, where she lived with her husband, the poet David Dwyer, for over twenty-five years. Since the death of her husband in 2003, she has transferred her place of residence to Hawaii.
The move to Lemmon was the inspiration for the first of her nonfiction books, the award-winning bestseller "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography." It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and was selected as one of the best books of the year by Library Journal.
In 1986 Norris became an oblate, or associate, of a Benedictine monastery, Assumption Abbey in North Dakota and spent extended periods at Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota.
For many years Kathleen Norris was the poetry editor of Spirituality & Health magazine. She continues to make numerous appearances, including lectures, symposia, workshops, and retreats. Norris was the Randall Distinguished Professor of Christian Culture at Providence, Rhode Island from 2014 to 2015, and is currently the nonfiction editor of the Saint Katherine Review. She also serves as an editorial advisor to Give Us This Day.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The collection is composed of manuscripts, correspondence, galley proofs, research, books and publications related to her published works of fiction and nonfiction.
The general material is composed of Norris' juvenilia from Bennington College, instructors' mid-term and final reports of her course work from college, and biographies and interviews of Norris conducted by various media organizations. Also included is a collection of notebooks from the early 1970's to 2009. These notebooks are spiral bound and appear to be daily journals with notes and drafts of poems and essays. They also contain postcards, clippings, business cards, prayer cards, photographs, recipes, etc. Of note is the manuscript for Elizabeth Krays Letters, Memos, and Notes to Marie Bullock: Two Great Ladies of American Poetry. A 1937 edition of Conversation at Midnight by Edna St. Vincent Millay and signed by John H. Norris is also included.
Poetry is composed of Norris' poetry in anthologies, books, catalogs, chapbooks, contributions, and periodicals. These publications all include Norris' poetry, and some also include works by her husband, David Dwyer, (this will be noted on the front of the folder).
Nonfiction books consist of draft and annotated manuscript pages, galley proofs, cover art and typeface layout, book jackets, book notes, correspondence, research, reviews, audio books, international editions, promotional material, book tour information, advance proofs, hard cover and paperback books. Material varies with each book title. This material is arranged alphabetically by publication title.
Other writings consist mainly of essays, reviews, and sermons published in journals, anthologies, books, textbooks, etc. Also included are scripture reflections for daily devotions, Afterword, Forewords, Introductions, Prefaces, and Symposia to which Norris has contributed.
Works mentioning Norris are also included. They are composed of publications with articles mention Kathleen Norris.
The papers document the development of Norris’s literary career and her contributions to contemporary American poetry and spiritual nonfiction. They provide insight into her writing process, intellectual influences, and the relationship between literature, spirituality, and regional identity in the northern Great Plains.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use. .sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/researcher-registration-form)
The collection is open for research, but please note that the materials in the Archives do not circulate and can only be used In the SDSU Archives and Special Collections Reading Room.
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In most cases, the materials in this collection have not been digitized and are not available online.
South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections supports access to the materials in its collections. However, access to some items may be restricted due to their fragile condition, donor agreements, or other considerations.
If you would like to know more about the contents of the collection, please contact the SDSU Archives at: Telephone: 605-688-5094 Email: arcrefs@sdstate.edu
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
- Permission: Written permission must be obtained from the SDSU Archives for any reproduction, publication, or quotation of materials.
- Copyright: Users are responsible for complying with copyright laws and securing any necessary permissions from copyright holders.
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Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Norris, Kathleen. Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008.
Norris, Kathleen. Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.
Norris, Kathleen. Awake in the Night. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996.
Norris, Kathleen. Becoming Bread: Embracing the Spiritual in the Everyday. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
Norris, Kathleen. Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Norris, Kathleen. Falling Off. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1979.
Norris, Kathleen. The Cloister Walk. New York: Riverhead Books, 1996.
Norris, Kathleen. The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and “Women’s Work”. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.
Norris, Kathleen. The Virgin of Bennington. New York: Riverhead Books, 2001.
Norris, Kathleen (Thompson). The Lucky Lawrences. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1930.
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Norris, Kathleen, 1947- (Subject)