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Call Number: Mss 141, Pc 147, Tc 93 (A.98-35, A.02-43)
Title: Melinda McCracken fonds.
Dates: 1949-2000.
Extent: 5.84 m of textual records and other material.
Biographical sketch: Melinda McCracken was born on June 1, 1940. She attended Riverview School from 1946 to 1955 and Churchill High from 1955 to 1957. She received a B.A. (Honours) in English from the University of Manitoba in 1961. McCracken attended the Bynam Shaw School of drawing and painting in Paris in 1962-1963. She attended the Hornsey College of Art in London in 1963-1964, where she took silversmithing. McCracken returned to Canada in 1964 and worked as a journalist in Montreal and Toronto. A former Globe and Mail staff writer, she is the author of Memories Are Made of This, published by Lorimer in 1975. Her articles and reviews have appeared in many Canadian newspapers and magazines. She was Manitoba's contributing editor to the NeWest Review and, in 1996, was Carman's Writer-in-Residence. She passed away May 2002.
Custodial history: The fonds was donated by Melinda McCracken and her daughter Molly to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections in 1998 (A.98-35) and in 2002 (A.02-43).
Scope and content: The 1998 accession consists of six series. The first series is correspondence. The second series involves McCracken's literary career. The third series regards the years that McCracken worked at Manitoba Energy and Mines. The fourth series included material from various organizations that she was or is involved with. The fifth series contains material from McCracken's academic career. The final series is miscellaneous material. The 2002 accession includes biographical information, material on her literary career, records pertaining to her involvement in the The Writers' Union of Canada, correspondence, her personal journals, literary works, articles, miscellaneous works and handwritten notes, personal files, and miscellaneous material. The 2002 accession also includes artifacts, books, and 82 computer diskettes. There is also a photograph collection (PC 147) consisting of 199 photographs and 6 video cassettes and a tape collection (TC 93) consisting of 38 audio cassettes and 1 phonograph record.
Source of supplied title: Title based on contents of fonds.
Restrictions: Several confidential folders of personal writings have been restricted. There are also several original letters that are water and mold damaged and are unavailable in their original form to researchers, although photocopies have been made available.
Accruals: Further accruals are expected.
Finding aid: Printed finding aids are available in the Archives reading room and on-line finding aids are available at the links below: