Z 2072.000
EAST (CHARLES E.) COLLECTION


Biography/History:

Charles Elmo East, son of Elmo Montan and Mabel Grandolph East, was born in Shelby, Bolivar County, Mississippi, on December 11, 1924. He graduated from Cleveland High School in Bolivar County in 1942. East attended Louisiana State University where he earned a bachelor of arts degree. He married Sarah Simmons on September 30, 1948. Their son, Charles Elmo East, Jr., was born on December 5, 1949. East worked for Colliers Magazine in New York City before returning to Baton Rouge to work for the Morning Advocate and the State-Times. He earned a master of arts degree from Louisiana State University in 1962, and he joined the staff of the Louisiana State University Press. While serving as an editor at the press, East published a book of short stories entitled Where the Music Was in 1965. East served as director of the Louisiana State University Press from 1975 until 1980, when he accepted a position as assistant director and editor of the University of Georgia Press. While working at the press, East helped to establish the Flannery OConnor award. He also served as editor of the published short stories that won the Flannery OConnor award. East returned to Baton Rouge in 1983, and he remains active in the literary community. He has continued to work freelance, editing several other books, including Sarah Morgan: The Civil War Diary of a Southern Woman, as well as publishing another collection of short stories entitled Distant Friends and Intimate Strangers.

Scope and Content:

This series consists of the personal files, photographs, postcards, and stereoscope cards of Charles E. East. The personal files contain Easts correspondence with authors or editors, including Richard Ford, Joanne Prichard (Morris), and George Marion ODonnell. They also contain reviews of Easts published works and photographs taken by early Mississippi photographers. Rough drafts of some of Easts works, notes and slides presented at the Cleveland High School Class of 1942 reunion, and publicity photographs of East are also included. Of particular interest are two typescripts of Easts memoirs, one a revised version, and genealogical material on the East, Maxwell, and Woodward families.

Series Identification:

  1. Personal Files. ca. 1850s-1990s. 2 boxes.

    2. Box 1, folders 1-89
    Box 2, folders 1-9
    See Appendix 1: Folder-Level Inventory

  2. Postcards. 1903-1912; n.d. 2 folders.

    3. Box 1, folder 1

  3. Stereoscope Cards. n.d. 1 box.

    4. Box 3, folders 1 and 2

Appendix 1: Folder-Level Inventory

Charles E. East established the folder titles in this inventory. Some folder titles have been added for conservation reasons, and those titles are in brackets.

  1. Approaching the Magic Hour (Walter Anderson memoir)
  2. Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, Illinois)
  3. Bellaman award
  4. Blacks (Mississippi)
  5. Camp Shelby (World War II)
  6. Truman Capote
  7. Centreville, Mississippi
  8. Churches
  9. Cleveland High School Class of 1942 reunion (1992)
  10. [Cleveland High School Class of 1942 reunion color slides with notes]
  11. The Delta
  12. "The Delta: An Affectionate Memoir"
  13. Delta (literary magazine edited by Charles East)
  14. Delta Review
  15. Distant Friends and Intimate Strangers (review)
  16. Charles East (clippings)
  17. "Memoir" of Charles East
  18. Diary of Charles East and his grandmother
  19. Charles East (photographs)
  20. "The Easts: A Family Narrative"
  21. "Evensong and Requiem" (revised version, 1995)
  22. Jim Faulkner
  23. William Faulkner
  24. [Negatives from William Faulkner file]
  25. William Ferris
  26. Shelby Foote
  27. Richard Ford
  28. [Richard Ford, Nashvilles Book Talk]
  29. Funeral notice
  30. Dave Gardner
  31. Effie Glassco
  32. Campground, Gloster, Mississippi
  33. Greenville, Mississippi (newspaper supplement)
  34. Greenville, Mississippi (postcards)
  35. Gulf Coast Junior College creative writing workshops
  36. Gulf Park College writers conference
  37. Dave Harris (Booga Bottom)
  38. [Newspaper from Dave Harris (Booga Bottom) file]
  39. Elmo Howell
  40. Don Lee Keith
  41. Charles O. Linstrom
  42. Louisiana State University Press
  43. Maxwell family Bible records
  44. Meridian, Mississippi
  45. Mississippi Arts Festival (1966)
  46. Mississippi photographers
  47. [Photographs by Mississippi photographers]
  48. Mississippi Writers Anthology (edited by Dottie Abbott)
  49. Sarah Morgan Civil War Diary
  50. Sarah Morgan Civil War Diary (reviews)
  51. Mound Bayou, Mississippi
  52. "My Mothers Family"
  53. Nettles family
  54. The New Writers of the South
  55. Lewis Nordan
  56. George Marion ODonnell (1)
  57. George Marion ODonnell (2)
  58. George Marion ODonnell (3)
  59. George Marion ODonnell (4)
  60. Gorge Ohr and Biloxi Art Pottery
  61. Michael Pearson
  62. Noel Polk
  63. Picture-postcards article by Charles East
  64. Port Gibson, Mississippi
  65. James Prewitt
  66. William McNeil Reed (Mac Reed)
  67. Report cards (Charles East, Shelby, Mississippi)
  68. School for girls (probably Central Female Institute, Clinton, Mississippi)
  69. "The Second World War: A Memoir by Charles East"
  70. Shelby, Mississippi, kindergarten reunion (1998)
  71. [Color negative from Shelby, Mississippi, kindergarten reunion (1998) file]
  72. Shelby, Mississippi, photographs
  73. [Color negatives from Shelby, Mississippi, photographs file]
  74. Judge Hansford Simmons
  75. Frank Smith
  76. Southern Literary Festival
  77. "The Gift of Names" (written for Southern Living)
  78. The Steadman family
  79. Emily Stone
  80. [Manuscript from Emily Stone file]
  81. Philip Alston Stone
  82. "Under the Blue Cup"
  83. [Item from "Under the Blue Cup" file]
  84. Unfinished and untitled play by Charles East
  85. Ben Wasson
  86. Where the Music Was
  87. Wirt Williams
  88. Woodville, Mississippi
  89. Woodward family (includes Dunn marriages)