Romance Literature and Media

Romance Writers in the Archives

The BPCL's manuscript collections include the papers created/collected by organizations or individuals. They might include drafts of essays or books, letters/emails sent between many different parties, ephemera from conferences and other events, and even journals, artwork, or swag given out at events. They often serve as extremely detailed records of an author's career and in-depth biographies of the person who donated their collections.

The Browne Popular Culture Library is the repository for the RWA's organizational papers (see the Organizations of Romance Writers and Readers tab in this LibGuide for more information), and their collection is still growing. However, the library has many more manuscript collections from prominent romance authors that richly represent the author's writing process, publishing process, engagement with romance organizations, and more.

Explore our romance-related manuscript collections here -- we have over 50!

Here are a few highlights from the archives:

• The Susan Elizabeth Phillips Papers (MS 154). This collection consists of manuscript materials, promotional items, correspondence and fan-created items dating back to the author's earliest published works.
   
• The Gwynne Forster Papers (MS 195). This collection consists of personal papers, manuscripts, and promotional materials from acclaimed African-America romance author Gwynne Forster. The collection dates from approximately 1951-2013.
   
• The Dorothy Daniels Papers (MS 2). This collection consists of manuscript materials for more than 50 books by the author; these materials range in date from 1965 to 1985.
   
• The Sandra Kitt Papers (MS 235). This unique collection consists of manuscripts, promotional materials, correspondence, and photographs from African-American romance author Sandra Kitt; it also includes a remarkable array of materials from Kitt's careers as a librarian and a designer.