Above: Meeting in Rancho Mirage, Cherry Williams and I reviewed the inventory of files that had overtaken my kitchen during recent weeks.

Below: The archive of my author’s papers is now housed at the Tomás Rivera Library on the Riverside campus of the University of California.

IN LATE AUGUST 2017, I was surprised and flattered to get an email from Cherry Williams, Director of Distinctive Collections at the University of California, Riverside, asking if I would consider donating my author’s archives, to be housed and cataloged among UCR’s “special collections.” I replied with an enthusiastic yes, and the process began. October 19, Cherry drove to Rancho Mirage, and we loaded up her SUV.

The cataloging process took several months, and now the comprehensive archive of my manuscripts, working notes, correspondence, memorabilia, and other relevant documents, along with every edition of my completed works, is available for both scholarly research and public enjoyment. To visit the online catalog of the physical archive, click here.

I feel truly honored to join the company of noted authors whose professional papers are archived in the University of California’s library system.

— Michael Craft

Above: By signing the “deed of gift,” I transferred ownership of my physical archives to the University of California, Riverside.