Wilma Dykeman

University of North Carolina at Asheville D. Hiden Ramsey Library Special Collections Wilma Dykeman (1920-2006) Southern Appalachian Writers Collection M2005.05.02-08

Title	Wilma Dykeman
Creator	Southern Highlands Research Center
Alt. Creator	D. H. Ramsey Library
Identifier	http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/southern_appalachian_writers/dykeman_wilma/dykeman_wilma.htm
Subject Keyword	Wilma Dykeman ; Southern Appalachian Writers ; Appalachia
Subject LCSH	Dykeman, Wilma, 1920 - 2006 American literature -- Appalachian Region, Southern -- History and criticism American literature -- Appalachian Mountains -- History and criticism Appalachians (People) in literature Appalachian Region, Southern -- Description and travel
Description	The collection contains letters of correspondence, ephemera, a photograph, book jacket, a commemorative DVD, and anecdotal information on the writer. These materials were gathered as part of an exhibition of Southern Appalachian Writers held at UNCA in the early 1980's and sponsored by D. H. Ramsey Library and the Southern Highlands Research Center.
Publisher	D. H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804
Contributor	Annette Hatley
Date	2005-08-23
Type	Collection ; text ; photograph ; audio recording
Format	1 folder ; text ; image
Source	M2005.05.04-8
Language	English
Relation	The Heritage of Western North Carolina, D. H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville
Coverage	1900's - present ; North Carolina ;
Rights	Any display, publication, or public use must credit the D. H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Some materials in collections are electronic rights only. Please ask for assistance from Special Collections staff.
Donor	240
Acquisition	2004-03-
Citation	Wilma Dykeman in Southern Appalachian Writers Collection, D. H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804
Processed by	Special Collections staff, 2005
Last update	2008-09-10
Statement on writing	"I believe that much of the world's best literature is regional, in the largest sense of that word. Discovering all that is unique to a place, or a person, and relating that to the universals of human experience may be old-fashioned, but I feel it is one of the challenges of writing. This sounds very earnest (the work to which we devote our lives is a serious matter) but it is also delightful--toilsome and imaginative, heavy with frustration and rewarding with occasional joy.... Because words are tools and jewels that we use every day we tend to forget that they need sharpening and polishing. They cannot accomplish the task we wish them to, they cannot sparkle with maximum brilliance unless we care for them. Lack of respect for language is one of the tragedies of our time."
Biography	Few writers have personified their homeland more fully than Wilma Dykeman. Born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1920, she attended the Biltmore Junior College. After graduating, Dykeman met her husband James Stokely, with whom she would collaborate on a number of books throughout their marriage (he died in 1977). Dykeman maintained homes in both Newport, Tennessee (Stokely’s hometown) and Asheville throughout her long life. Her most noted book, The French Broad, is a feat of regional history, having never gone out of print since its publication in 1955. Dykeman passed away in 2006.
Bibliography	*BOOKS BY*
1955	The French Broad. New York: Rinehart, 1955.
1957	Neither Black Nor White [With James Stokely]. New York: Rinehart, 1957.
1962	Seeds of Southern Change: The Life of Will Alexander [With James Stokely]. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962. The Tall Woman. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962.
1966	The Far Family. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. Prophet of Plenty: The First Ninety Years of W.D. Weatherford. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1966.
1968	Look To This Day. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1968. The Border States: Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Viriginia [With James Stokely]. New York: Time-Life Books, 1968
1973	Return the Innocent Earth. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1973.
1974	Too Many People, Too Little Love: Edna Ranking McKinnon, Pioneer for Birth Control. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974.
1975	Tennessee: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1975.
1978	Highland Homeland: The People of the Great Smokies [With Jim Stokely]. Washington: Division of Publications, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1978. With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780. Washington: Office of Publications, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1978.
1984	Explorations. Newport, TN: Wakestone Books, 1984.
1993	Tennessee Woman: An Infinite Variety. Newport, TN: Wakestone Books, 1993
2001	Roots and Branches. Chapel Hill, NC: North Carolinian Society and North Carolina Collection, 2001.