Kij Johnson papers
Overview
The Kij Johnson collection contains story drafts, research materials related to published and unpublished works, correspondence, award materials, and audiovisual materials. Johnson is a speculative fiction author, as well as an author of nonfiction and poetry.
Dates
- Creation: 1975 - 2021
Creator
- Johnson, Kij (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of Kij Johnson (1960- )
Kij Johnson was born January 20, 1960, in Harlan, Iowa. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1982 before obtaining her Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing (Fiction) from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2012.
Much of Johnson’s writing has primarily been in fantasy and science fiction. She has authored 11 books across several genres, including The River Bank (2017), The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe (2016), “26 Monkeys! Also, the abyss” (2008) Fudoki (2003), and The Fox Woman (2000). Johnson co-authored Dragon’s Honor (1996) with Greg Cox for the Star Trek: The Next Generation franchise.
She has published poetry, “Common weeds of Elfland” and “Why she howls: A coyote love song,” as well as non-fiction. This collection contains manuscript materials for The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe , Fudoki, The Fox Woman, and several other books written by Johnson.
Johnson has also worked in the publishing field for Dark Horse Comics and Tor, as well as with Microsoft and RealNetworks as a technical writer and with the gaming company Wizards of the Coast. She taught at Louisiana State University and at the Clarion Writer’s Workshop before joining the faculty at the University of Kansas.
Kij Johnson has won three Nebula Awards, three World Fantasy Awards, and a Hugo Award. She has also been awarded the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, the Crawford Award, and the French Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire.
[Information pulled from Kij Johnson’s personal website, Locus magazine’s interview with Johnson, and collection materials.]
Extent
3 Linear Feet (3 boxes + 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder, 10 audiovisual items)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
Spencer Library staff have organized this collection into five different series: Drafts, Writings, Professional papers, Personal papers, and Audiovisual materials. Born digital materials, reflecting similar materials found in these series, remain largely unprocessed.
Two series relate to Johnson's writing efforts. The Drafts series encompasses writings that Johnson did not publish and contain materials related to unpublished writings. The Writings series relates to writings that were published, including materials for Johnson’s novels The Fox Woman, Fudoki, and The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe, the collection At the Mouth of the Rover of Bees: Stories, and other published stories.
The Professional papers series covers materials relating to Johnson’s professional life, such as reviews for published materials and conference materials. The Personal papers series includes materials relating to Johnson’s personal life and her own education, such as yearbooks and schoolwork. The Audiovisual materials series includes all of Johnson’s donated audiovisual materials.
All folder titles were provided by Johnson unless [in brackets], in which case Spencer staff have added titles or clarification to existing titles.
Physical Location
MS 377
Physical Location
MS Qa45
Physical Location
MS S15
Physical Location
SC AV 51
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Kij Johnson, 2021.
Separated Materials
Several books donated by Kij Johnson have been separated to be individually cataloged and can be found using the KU Libraries online catalog.
- Title
- Guide to the Kij Johnson Collection
- Subtitle
- Papers of Kij Johnson
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by mmj, 2022. Finding aid encoded by mmj, 2022. Finding aid revised by mwh, 2023.
- Date
- 2022-12-02
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- https://hdl.handle.net/10407/0285780531
- Preferred citation
-
Kij Johnson papers, MS 377, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository