Description
This collection documents the creation, revision, and publication of a literary novel,
Fellow Traveler, set in the Grateful Dead milieu. It traces the writing process from early notes through final draft, demonstrating how the
Grateful Dead phenomenon informed the novel and helped to define its revision into a final, published book. The collection
provides insights into the challenges of addressing the sprawling complexity of the Deadhead experience in a fictional setting,
and it casts light on a number of issues that defined the last ten years of the Grateful Dead phenomenon, including the problems
caused by the band’s explosive popularity following the 1987 release
In the Dark.
Background
James D. McCallister (1966 - ) has worked as a media archivist, newspaper columnist, freelance journalist, small business
owner, and author. His novels include
King's Highway (Red Letter Press, 2007) and
Fellow Traveler (Muddy Ford Press, 2012), the subject of this collection. A two-time South Carolina Fiction Project awardee as well as a
Faulkner-Wisdom Competition and
Saturday Evening Post short story finalist, McCallister lives in West Columbia, SC, with his wife Jenn.
Extent
0.5 Linear feet
(1) document box
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by James D. McCallister or his designee.
For more information, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Availability
The collection is open for research.