Charles W. Chesnutt to Joyce H. Caldwell, 5 January 1931
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January 5, 1931
Joyce H. Caldwell,
President, Literary Club,
Institute West Virginia.1
Dear Sir (or Madam):
Replying to your letter of December 23rd, I can be with you January 23rd, as suggested, on the terms suggested, namely, that you pay my expenses. If I was selling a great number of books, I could perhaps afford to come for the advertising, but such is not the case. I hope, however, that I can bring you an encouraging message, and I certainly appreciate your appreciation of, and interest in, my writings.2
If you should change your mind, or change your date, kindly let me know, and oblige.
Yours cordially, CWC: MKCorrespondent: Joyce H. Caldwell (b. 1910), the student president of the Literary Club at West Virginia State College (later University), graduated in May of 1931 and returned to her home state of North Carolina to become a schoolteacher.
1. West Virginia State College (now University) is a historically Black land-grant university founded in 1891 in Institute, West Virginia, as the West Virginia Colored Institute. Initially focused on teacher preparation and vocational training, it began to offer college degrees in 1915. [back]
2. In late 1930, Chesnutt agreed to give a reading to the Literary Club of West Virginia State College, a student organization. In 1930 and 1931, the club discussed nine Black authors and their works. Upon Chesnutt's request, they offered to pay his travel expenses. After initial confusion about the date, the visit was planned for January 30, 1931, but Chesnutt suddenly became ill; on January 31, 1931, Chesnutt's daughter Helen informed the Club's president, Joyce Caldwell, about the last-minute cancellation. An attempt to reschedule the reading for April 1931 came to nothing. [back]
