The South Carolina Poetry Archives at Furman University is the largest collection of South Carolina poets and poetry. The collection contains the personal papers of over twenty poets and the published works of over one hundred authors, from the 18th through the 21st centuries.
The SC Poetry Archives includes works of all South Carolina poets laureate, literary fellows selected by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, Pushcart Prize winners, South Carolina Fiction Prize winners, Piccolo Spoleto Fiction prize winners, and recipients of many other significant awards.
Cover of Archives: South Carolina Poetry Since 2005, by Gilbert Allen, Jeffrey Makala, and William Elford Rogers, 2018
About the Archives
Begun in 2005, the South Carolina Poetry Archives has expanded each year. Among the most extensively collected authors are Gilbert Allen, Claire Bateman, Phebe Davidson, Kurtis Lamkin, Ronald Moran, and Marjory Wentworth. Many poets' published works can be found in the Special Collections and Archives reading room, while manuscript material can be viewed upon request.
Beyond serving as a repository for an important and ever-expanding part of Southern literature, the SCPA also provides a gateway for university students. Furman professors draw on the resources made available in Special Collections to integrate South Carolina poetry into the curriculum. The collection acquaints students with what lies behind the published work of a poet: the manuscripts, correspondence, and ephemeral materials collected in the SCPA offer a glimpse into the construction and publication of poetry, not simply the finished poem.