Jeff Mann Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4524
Papers of Jeff Mann, a West Virginia University alumnus, author, and Virginia Tech (VT) English professor. The collection chronicles Mann's prolific writing of predominantly poetry beginning with early poems from his time at WVU in Morgantown in the 1980s. In addition to over 300 poems, the collection includes working manuscripts of unpublished works, serial publications containing his poetry and other published works including novels, short stories, and essays. Publicity materials are represented by newspaper articles, posters and flyers, book catalogs, and writers' blurbs for his books. Other materials include correspondence and contracts with publishers, some personal correspondence, some Virginia Tech Department of English publications and faculty evaluations of Mann.
Mann’s writing is represented by working manuscripts, topic ideas and background research, rough outlines, publishers’ proofs, edited drafts of all genres of his writing, and final published versions. In addition to a large number of poems, it also includes essays, novels, short stories, and a few speeches, all related to Mann's experience as a gay man in Appalachia.
Most of the poems (boxes 2, 4-5) are typed, but the earlier ones, 1982-1986, are handwritten manuscripts. The typed poems are sorted by Mann alphabetically, primarily into reused individual folders. Some have handwritten edits by Mann, some with comments by others from when the poems were workshopped, and some with edits from friends and family. Some poems also come with rough early ideas; words; and research on the topic, such as the Civil War. The poems often reflect major Appalachian themes such as love of place and the beauty and culture of the mountains. Some are set in West Virginia locales and towns including Morgantown, Beckley, and Hinton. Poems by authors other than Mann include ones written about him and poems by Robin Mullen.
Being a gay man in Appalachia is a major theme in Mann’s essays, short stories, and novels; many are homoerotic. Working manuscripts sometime with handwritten notes include Edge, A History of Barbed Wire, Loving Mountains, Loving Men, Bones Washed in Wine, and others. Mann was also interested in Norse mythology and neopaganism which is reflected in some of his stories and essays.
Scattered throughout the collection are promotional materials for Mann’s verse and prose which include posters for appearances and readings; newspaper and magazine articles about Mann; interviews; book reviews; blurbs in praise of specific books; and catalogs for gay books, such as the insightoutbooks catalog which includes Mann’s books.
The majority of the correspondence in the collection is with publishers (mostly in boxes 2 and 5) and includes contracts and agreements, galley proofs of manuscripts and corrections, author’s blurbs, cover art, and royalty check stubs. Publishers include Gival Press, Haworth Press, L.B. Taurus, Harrington Park Press, Alyson Books, Lethe Press, various university presses including West Virginia University and Ohio University, and more. Other business matters include acceptance and rejection letters for faculty positions at various universities, acceptance and rejection letters for submitted poems, invitations to submit poems, and poetry contest wins and losses. Additional correspondence deals with other business matters including a consulting contract with Edvantia, and requests for other authors’ permissions to use their materials in books.
There is scant personal correspondence which includes letters from his father, Perry; his mother; and his sister, Amy, who provided feedback on poems. There are also some cards and letters from friends and some thank you cards from students and others. Two letters from friends (box 2) recount their coming out as gay experiences. Print emails (box 3) sent to Virginia Tech alumni chapter presidents pertain to a challenge from an alumnus who objected to Mann as an instructor and questions giving to Virginia Tech. In addition to the original email to the alumni, the stream includes correspondence from those supportive and encouraging to Mann.
Other materials from Virginia Tech include comments and formal evaluations on Mann’s performance as an English Department faculty member, his promotion to tenure, and letters of praise for Mann’s teaching (predominantly box 3). The collection also includes other VT publications such as the VT English Department newsletter and others (also predominantly box 3).
There are a few photographs: one of Mann eating a donut while at West Virginia University in the 1980s (box 8), some with friends (box 1), and a formal head shot with a humorous enclosure (box 2).
The Addendum of 2022/09/02 includes both manuscripts of unpublished works as well as pubished poems in serial publications and short stories in anthologies. Significantly, Mann's Masters Degree thesis (1984) and some earlier writings for college course work are included. Conference programs for those Mann regularly attended include the Appalachian Studies Conference and the National Teachers of English conference.
This collection is minimally processed.
Special access restriction applies. Faculty reviews are closed till 2032; the rest of the collection is open for research.
The donor has retained the literary rights to the published and unpublished literary content in this collection; permission to publish or reproduce the literary materials in this collection is required from the copyright holder. The donor of this collection has transferred rights to the intellectual property of the non-literary content to the Center. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Jeffrey A. Mann, poet, memoirist, fiction writer, and creative writing professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech), was born in Clifton Forge, Virginia in 1959 to Perry and Clara Mann. He spent most of his early life in Hinton, West Virginia, where he left in 1977 to attend West Virginia University.
At WVU Mann received a B.A. in English (magna cum laude) and a B.S. in forestry (magna cum laude) in 1981. He received his M.A. in English in 1984 from West Virginia University. Mann’s poems written while at WVU describe his life in Morgantown as a student and a gay man.
After graduation Mann taught briefly at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (1985), but he missed mountain life so returned to WVU to teach English, 1987-1989. In 1989 he was asked to teach Introduction to Appalachian Studies at Virginia Tech where he eventually became a full time tenured faculty member in the English Department.
Mann continues to write, penning 6 books of poetry, three volumes of short fiction, a book of poetry and memoir, and three collections of essays. Through his writing Mann explores the themes of gay sexuality, Appalachia, and the rites of manhood. His most recent project is as co-editor of LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia, 2019. Mann’s poems and novels have received wide acclaim and numerous awards including two Lambda Awards and four National Leather Association-International literary awards.
[Extracted from various sources including Mann's autobiographical work Loving Mountains, Loving Men]
10.54 Linear Feet (7 ft. 2 1/2 in. (7 records cartons, 15 in. each); (4 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 1 1/2 in.) )
English
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift of Jeff Mann, 2021
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository