Walldog Murals

Artist: Anat Ronen, Texas.

The Handy Writers' Colony operated from 1950–1964. It was founded in 1950 by Lowney Turner Handy and her husband, Harry Handy, along with Lowney's student, best-selling novelist James Jones. Lowney Handy was the Colony's quirky teacher and mentor. Financial support came from her husband and Jones, particularly after the sale of Jones' first novel, From Here to Eternity. A unique aspect of Handy's approach was to have her students spend many hours simply copying, by hand or typewriter, materials from authors whose work she admired. Originally conceived as a Utopian commune where budding artists could focus exclusively on their writing projects.James Jones (1921-1977), one of the major novelists of his generation, is known primarily as the author of fiction that probes the effects of World War II on the individual soldier. Born in Robinson, Illinois, Jones entered the U.S. Army and had the distinction of being the only individual who would become a major writer to witness the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. Many young writers found support at the Colony. Published writers associated with the Colony included James Jones, John Bowers, Tom T. Chamales, Edwin C. Daly, William Duhart, Jere Peacock, Jon Shirota, Jerry Tschappat (a.k.a. Gerald Tesch), and Charles S. Wright. The colony dissolved with the death of Lowney Handy in 1964.Type your paragraph here.

Mural Location: Family Restraurant (701 Archer Ave)
Hidden Item: Triangle with "85"


Sponsors:

• James Jones Literary Society
• Ruth Vaughn Jaenike Access of the Arts Outreach Program of the Arts & Humanity, EIU