[E_Moon]

Texas A&M University (TAMU) has been growing an SF/F research collection (http://cushing.library.tamu.edu/collections/browse-major-collections/the-science-fiction-collection) for the past 25 years, and just opened their first exhibition of rare items from the collection--manuscripts, letters, old rare books and magazines, etc. It's part of the Cushman Research Library (which holds other research materials as well.) They are becoming the repository for papers from a number of SFF writers, including George R.R. Martin and Michael Moorcock. At present, the collection holds almost 28,000 titles, over 46,000 pieces, and around 100 archival collections...only the presence of the curator has kept me from snatching books off the shelves to start reading. (I've been in the stacks two times now. Both times it was hard to leave.)

I was honored to be asked to write an essay for the exhibition catalog and to speak at the opening alongside James Gunn, whom most of you will know is one of SFWA's Grand Masters, founded the SF research collection at the University of Kansas where he is an emeritus professor. He has written SF; he has taught SF; he has taught writing SF, and he's a delightful person to spend some time with.

For anyone with an academic interest in science fiction or fantasy, this is definitely a place to check out...especially in spring or fall when the weather is best. (Ritual disclaimer: I'm not a graduate or faculty member at TAMU or associated with them in any way except...they're taking my stuff away by the boxload. Hurray! And I won't ever be the graduate student who has to figure out which draft of something is which (I don't know, anymore. But Prof. Hall said "Send it all, don't worry..." so...)