The Ben Jennings Papers about Lee Smith contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, articles, event posters and flyers, class room notes, lectures, writings, and audio and visual items related to published author Lee Smith. Materials are dated from 1982 to 2007.
Ben Jennings was associate professor at Virginia Highlands Community College where he taught film appreciation and American literature. He was also served on the Arts Advisory Committee. This committee was charged with advising the vice president of Instruction and Student Services and the dean of the Division of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, regarding matters pertaining to Virginia Highlands Community College's curricular and non-curricular programs and offerings in theater, music, films, literature, dance and visual arts. Jennings was a friend of Southern writer Lee Smith for thirty years, organized events to honor her, and taught a seminar about her writing career.
Ben Jennings was associate professor at Virginia Highlands Community College where he taught film appreciation and American literature. He was also served on the Arts Advisory Committee. This committee was charged with advising the vice president of Instruction and Student Services and the dean of the Division of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences, regarding matters pertaining to Virginia Highlands Community College's curricular and non-curricular programs and offerings in theater, music, films, literature, dance and visual arts. Jennings was a friend of southern writer Lee Smith for thirty years, organized events to honor her, and taught a seminar about her writing career.
Lee Smith was born in Grundy, Virginia. As a college student, she studied in France during her junior year and interned at the Richmond News Leader with chief editorial writer James J. Kilpatrick. Ms. Smith was awarded a Book-of-the Month Club Writing Fellowship in June 1967, immediately following her graduation from Hollins College with a B.A. in English. She continued her writing career as a reporter for the Tuscaloosa News in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1968-1969 and then became the feature writer, film critic, and editor of the newspaper's Sunday magazine. She switched from journalism to teaching English at Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, 1971-1974, and the Carolina Friends School in Durham, North Carolina, 1975-1977. Lee Smith pursued her writing career and was selected as the writer-in-residence at Hollins College during the spring semester of 1976. She continued to teach creative writing as an instructor at Duke University in 1977, a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1978-1981, and the director of a summer writing workshop for the University of Virginia, 1979-1980. In 1981 she took a position at North Carolina State University, where she taught for 19 years. Ms. Smith has given numerous lectures in addition to her extended visits to various schools and conferences teaching writing and conducting workshops. She has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards including two O. Henry Awards, the John Dos Passos Award, the Robert Penn Warren Fiction Prize, and the North Carolina Award for Fiction in 1984.
The Ben Jennings Papers about Lee Smith contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, articles, media posters, class room notes, lectures, writings, and audio and visual items related to published author Lee Smith. Materials are dated from 1982 to 2007.
The collection is organized into four series:
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Ben Jennings Papers about Lee Smith, MC 00484, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Material donated by Ben Jennings, June 2013 (Accession no. 2013.0139)
Processed by: Vivian Phinizy, 2013 July; Finding aid by: Vivian Phinizy, 2013 July
The collection is organized into four principal series:
The Correspondence series contains letters about Lee Smith written to Ben Jennings from Helene Palmer. The series also contains letters about Lee Smith written to Merry Jennings from Ben Jennings and Alan T. Lee. Materials are dated from 1999 to 2007.
The Media Promotion Files contain articles, event posters and flyers,and newspaper clippings related to the readings, speeches, writings and seminars about Lee Smith. Materials are dated from 1982 to 2007.
Materials in this series are arranged by type of material.
The Audiovisual Material contains a slide, photographs, videocassette tapes, and a Christmas ornament of Lee Smith’s childhood home. Materials are dated 1990, 1998 to 1999, and undated.
Materials in this series are arranged by type of material.
The Teaching Files, apparently created by Jennings, contain handwritten notes, lectures, writings, technical notes and brochures related to the writings of Lee Smith. Materials are dated 1989, 1997 to 1999, 2007, and undated.
Materials in this series are arranged by type of material.
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
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[Identification of item], Ben Jennings Papers about Lee Smith, MC 00484, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.