Golden Triangle Writers Guild Records

Collection

Identifier: AC-605

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of records and memorabilia from the Golden Triangle Writers Guild dating from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Materials include membership information, annual conference materials, administrative files, financial records, correspondence, newsletters, manuscripts, and other publications related to the activities of the Golden Triangle Writers Guild. There is also a large photograph and negative collection, audio cassette tapes of annual conference presentations, multimedia sources, books and magazines as well as assorted memorabilia. The books in the collection belong to a variety of genres. Some are written and published by Guild members and others are general writing reference guides.

Dates

Creation: 1985 - 2005

Creator

Golden Triangle Writers Guild (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The Tyrrell Historical Library does not hold copyright for most of its collections. The researcher must secure permission to publish. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Tyrrell Historical Library. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with copyright, literary property rights, and libel laws.

Historical note

The Golden Triangle Writers Guild had its origins in the mid-1980s. Kay S. and Darwin J. Resnick were co-founders of the organization. They had formerly managed a family jewelry store business in Wichita, Kansas, before coming to Beaumont in the early 1980s. The couple co-owned and operated the Book Rack bookstore on Calder Avenue in Beaumont from around 1980 to 2000. The bookstore soon served as a central meeting place and headquarters for the Writers Guild and became involved with selling authors books and hosting autograph parties for them.

Shortly after its founding, the Guild quickly evolved into a professional organization that held an annual conference every year in Beaumont for its due paying members. Quite often established authors and publishing house agents would attend the conference to provide expertise and insight into how to get published as a literary author. In addition, unpublished authors entered their literary works into competition categories to be judged, with the best winning an award at the annual conference. Some of the award categories included: romance novel, historical novel, western novel, science fiction and fantasy, horror, screenplay, and synopsis analysis in writing. The conference also offered aspiring authors workshops on how to better improve their basic writing skills. During the conference, authors and members of the Guild offered their books for sale to the attendees. The Guild remained a vibrant professional organization for about sixteen years, until the death of Kay Resnick in 2000. Her death ushered in the rapid demise of the organization.

Extent

28.5 Cubic Feet (28.5 cubic feet boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Golden Triangle Writers Guild had its origins in the mid-1980s. Kay S. and Darwin J. Resnick were co-founders of the organization. The Guild quickly evolved into a professional organization with an annual conference held every year in Beaumont. Speakers came to the conference to help unpublished authors get published, provide workshops to better enable authors to write well, or to sell either their books or Guild authored books. Awards were also given to unpublished authors for best writing in assigned literary categories. The Guild remained active until shortly after the death of Kay Resnick, when it finally went out of existence.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: GTWG Newsletters,1985-2003

Series 2: Correspondence, 1984-2005

Series 3: Conferences, 1985-2001

Series 4: Financial Records, 1990-2002

Series 5: Administrative Records, 1988-2005

Series 6: Unpublished Manuscripts

Series 7: Photographs

Series 8: Negatives

Series 9: Cassettes

Series 10: Multimedia

Series 11: Memorablia

Series 12: Magazines

Series 13: Books

Appraisal

The Golden Triangle Writers Guild had its origins in the mid-1980s. Kay S. and Darwin J. Resnick were co-founders of the organization. The Guild quickly evolved into a professional organization with an annual conference held every year in Beaumont. Speakers came to the conference to help unpublished authors get published, provide workshops to better enable authors to write well, or to sell either their books or Guild authored books. Awards were also given to unpublished authors for best writing in assigned literary categories. The Guild remained active until the death of Kay Resnick, when it finally went out of existence.