Rodney Nelson Papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 294

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Rodney Nelson Papers is comprised of four series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, Poetry, and Subject Files. The Correspondence Series has been separated into incoming, outgoing, and topical subseries and are arranged alphabetically. It contains letters to and from Rodney’s mother, a former wife, and several friends, all written between 1957 and 2000, as well as work-related correspondence from the 1990s. There is only one letter in this series from Rodney’s mother, Eva Nelson. Additional correspondence relating to Rodney may be found in the Dakota Arts Quarterly Records, 1978–1984, processed as Institute Mss 152, the Rodney Nelson Papers, 1971–1990, processed as Institute Mss 229, and the Eva L. Nelson Papers, 1909–1998, processed as Institute Mss 293. The Manuscripts Series is arranged alphabetically by title and includes handwritten and typed manuscripts of Rodney’s plays and short stories. The Lost Profile was Rodney’s first serious work, written in 1966. ―Kloshe‖ is a tribute to one of Rodney’s publishers, Gary Elder (1939–2000). This file includes correspondence from his widow and friends as well as early letters and cards from Gary to Rodney. The Institute for Regional Studies owns the copyright to Rain Burial and Other Stories, a compilation of regional work that focuses on Scandinavian-American heritage. Also included is the manuscript version of one of his five published novels, Villy Sadness, which appeared in 1987. The Poetry Series includes published and unpublished versions of Rodney’s poetry written in the late 1960s through 1980. North Farm, The Pentacle, and The Maiden Year are compilations of published and unpublished poetry. X Etudes is a compilation of unpublished poetry and includes some revisions to the typed passages. The Subject Files Series is arranged alphabetically by topic. It includes copies of editorial letters and other journalistic submissions and material regarding a projected translation of the work of KN, a North Dakota poet writing in Icelandic. There is a spiral-bound notebook containing inspirational notes, poems, and prose, and a folder titled ―Whistleblower Report,‖ which contains several documents pertaining to a dispute between Rodney and Northern Arizona University regarding his duties in the university’s publications department.

Dates

1957-2001.

Creator

Nelson, Rodney. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

The Institute does not hold the copyright to this collection, except he donated his copyright to Rain Burial and Other Stories manuscript.

Biography

Rodney Allen Nelson was born on November 13, 1941, to Rudolph A. Nelson and Eva L. (Gunderson) Nelson in Fargo, North Dakota. His mother's parents were lifelong residents of Christine, North Dakota.

Nelson grew up in Fargo and Christine. After graduating from Fargo Central High, he attended several colleges without taking a degree. He served in the U.S. Navy in the early sixties as a musician. After his military service he lived in San Francisco, where he was involved in antiwar protests. Nelson traveled extensively over the next few years, stopping in Germany, Mexico, Seattle, and the Twin Cities. He began having poetry, articles, plays, and fiction published in 1970. He received the Georgia Prize in poetry in 1973. He lived in Sonoma County, California, in 1975–1978 and received an A.A. degree in psychiatric technology from Santa Rosa Junior College in 1977. In 1978 he moved back to Fargo and became managing editor of the literary journal, Free Passage. Nelson served as editor of another journal, Dakota Arts Quarterly, during 1979–1984. One of his several novels, Villy Sadness, was published in 1987. This received the Lake Agassiz Publication Award of the Red River Valley Heritage Society in 1989. After living in northern Arizona during 1985–1987, he returned to North Dakota to become editor of Lone Butte Press. He lived again in Arizona in 1988–1998, working at Northern Arizona University as a copy editor. Nelson was listed in the fifty-fourth edition of Who's Who in America.

Rodney Nelson died on April 12, 2021 in Fargo, N.D.