Above: The description for this photograph, taken in Spokane, Washington, ca. 1938-1941, reads: "Miss Elizabeth Marion, material clerk in the WPA who through WPA employment was able to continue her studies as a writer. Her first novel, The Shadows Gather 'Round Me, has been accepted by Thomas Y. Crowell Publishing Company. Her second novel still in the writing has already been contracted for by the same company." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.
In addition to The Shadows Gather 'Round Me, Elizabeth Marion (1916-1993) wrote at least three other novels, The Day Will Come (1939), Ellen Spring (1941), and The Keys to the House (1944). These books seem very scarce today, but see reviews for the latter two here and here. It seems Marion eventually grew frustrated at a lack of publishing opportunities and ended up working as the managing editor of the Standard-Register newspaper in Rockford, Washington. She wrote op-eds for the newspaper and also met the man she would marry, Eugene D. Saunders (see "Guide to the Elizabeth Marion Saunders Papers 1933-1989," [which includes local history materials] Washington State University).
Elizabeth Marion was friends with Ruby El Hult, a well-known author, researcher, and local historian in Spokane and other Northwest areas (see, "Ruby McAndrew," Seattle Times, March 1, 2008). They and others formed a friendship based on writing, local history, and a love for books, and probably also progressive-minded politics. In 1980, Marion and El Hult published some of their correspondence in The Cockalorum Chronicles: New Words Between Old Friends (see "Guide to the Ruby El Hult Papers 1899-1994," Washington State University).
The life story of Elizabeth Marion is a great example of how the WPA helped struggling Americans sustain their skills and training, and maintain their hope. Marion was obviously dealing with some degree of financial stress during the '30s, so the WPA gave her a job and a modest income. This helped support her as she honed her writing skills - writing skills that later allowed her to support herself as an author and editor. Other writers-in-need received more direct help, finding jobs in the WPA's Federal Writers' Project (FWP) (it's possible Marion did some work for the FWP too, but I didn't run across any information on that).
The importance of local writers and historians like Marion and El Hult
Above: Napa Valley Chronicles, by California author Lauren Coodley (The History Press, 2013). Local histories catch and recall things that more broad histories do not, such as recollections and photos of long ago businesses, as well as the founders, employees, and customers of those businesses. Napa Valley Chronicles is a great source of information and remembrance for residents of the area - and also a good example for others interested in writing their own local histories. Image scanned from personal copy.
Above: Another great local history is Hidden History of the Outer Banks, by North Carolina author Sarah Downing (another 2013 publication from The History Press). The last section of the book is titled, "Remembering the Laundromats." More general histories are unlikely to cover such a topic and, at first thought, laundromats might not seem interesting enough to write about. However, in the hands of skilled writers like Downing and Coodley, such normal routines of life become interesting recollections and observations on what we do and how we interact with others. Image scanned from personal copy.
Above: An exhibit for the WPA's Federal Writers' Project, Washington, DC, 1938. The WPA published quite a few local histories, for example, Berkeley: The First Seventy-Five Years; Cherokee County History [Iowa]; and Sudbury: A Brief History of the Town [Massachusetts]. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.
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