"A Purple Lollipop In Hand" John Fitch IV Column
In this John Fitch IV column, Cormier talks about visiting various places with his daughter. Their divergent observations, preferences, and feelings about the stops - libraries, cemeteries, ponds, etc. - again reveal her innocence and his age. He recognizes the opportunities children provide to their parents by giving them access to places and excursions that would appear bizarre for an adult to frequent alone.
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<em>Fitchburg Sentinel</em>
Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
10 May 1977
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5x14
English
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"Anniversary"<em> The Sign<br /></em>
This story's protagonist is not a youth, but a 43-year-old librarian celebrating 25 years at her post. An old lover chooses this day, of all days, to resurface in her life, causing her to consider the role her life has played in the community and what role a man should have in her life.
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<em>The Sign: National Catholic Magazine</em>
Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
September 1954
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5 x 11 magazine paper
English
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"My First Negro" <em>The Sign</em>
This story, set in Frenchtown, recounts the protagonist's brief friendship with an African American kid from the disadvantaged neighborhood, Alphabet Soup. The story deals with issues of race and poverty (including blackface and government assistance), but also has moments of human tenderness. The protagonist struggles with his complicity in a wayward attempt to share food stolen from the "rich" to give to the poor.
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<em>The Sign</em>
Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
March 1969
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5x11
English
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"One Could Do Worse Than Be a Househusband" <em>St. Anthony's Messenger</em> column, 1177 Main St. USA
In this column, Cormier describes his daily routine as a househusband. He writes at home, does the shopping, cooks dinner, get his daughter off of the bus, cleans house, and meets with friends and neighbors at lunch. He states that none of these activities challenge his manhood.
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<em>St. Anthony's Messenger</em>
Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
May 1981
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5 x 11 magazine page
English
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"The Impossible Thank-You Note"
In this column Cormier writes on the impossibility of writing a simple thank you note to a mother. He writes of the great encouragement and warmth his mother offered him as a budding writer. He recounted movie plots with her on the weekends and shared his riskiest pieces with her. Included with the column is a photograph of Cormier's mother, Irma Cormier.
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<em>St. Anthony's Messenger</em>
Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
October 1977
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5 x 11 magazine page
English
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<em>Heroes</em> marked typescript
In these eight typewritten pages of a <em>Heroes</em> draft, Cormier has added handwritten notes for revision. Scenes of Francis crushing on Nicole (called Dominique Cavalier in this draft) feature heavily as do the nuns and Catholic school. Also included are brief mentions of boyhood, French Canadian migration to New England, and the Wreck Center.
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Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
Annamary L. Consalvo Katharine Covino Elise Takehana
<a href="https://robertcormiertwistedintimacy.omeka.net/items/show/109" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heroes handwritten notes</a><br /><a href="https://robertcormiertwistedintimacy.omeka.net/items/show/111" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heroes marked typescript miscellaneous pages</a><br /><a href="https://robertcormiertwistedintimacy.omeka.net/items/show/112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heroes cut and pasted typescript pieces</a>
JPG, 8.5x11
English
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Beverly Horowitz's letter to Robert Cormier 26 March 1998
This one-page typed letter, with <em>Tenderness</em> handwritten and underlined near the top, is from the vice president of Bantam Doubleday Dell congratulating Cormier on his inclusion on the New York Public Library's "Books for the Teen Age" reading list.
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Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
26 March 1998
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8.5x11
English
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Kellee Rich's letter to Robert Cormier 14 July 1994
This three-page typed letter was sent to Cormier by Kellee Rich, a sixteen-year-old student in England. After recounting her horrible experience with Thomas Hardy's <em>The Return of the Native</em>, she thanks Cormier for inspiring her to write and tells the story of discovering his novel <em>I Am the Cheese</em>. She talks about the emotional investment and response she had to his work.
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Robert E. Cormier Collection at Fitchburg State University's Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library
14 July 1994
AnnaMary L. Consalvo
Katharine Covino
Elise Takehana
JPG, 8 1/4 x 5 13/16
English
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