Fonds MG L 34 - Michael Nowlan

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Michael Nowlan

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  • Textual record
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Fonds

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CA UNB MG L 34

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1.8 m of textual records
ca. 20 photographs

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Biographical history

Educator and writer Michael Nowlan has sought to improve the teaching of English in schools and has promoted Canadian literature, especially that of Atlantic Canada. Born in Chatham, New Brunswick, on 1 September 1937, Nowlan earned a B.A. from St. Thomas University and a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the University of New Brunswick in 1959, 1964 and 1986 respectively. He taught English in provincial schools from 1961 to 1988, spending the years between 1964 and 1988 at Oromocto High School where he served as vice-principal and head of the English Department. In 1988 he was seconded to the Department of Education as a consultant for English language arts, later serving as assistant director in the Curriculum Development Branch from 1989 until his retirement in 1994.

In the early 1970s, Nowlan began to write for publication. He published several book reviews and articles for "The Daily Gleaner" and "The Oromocto Post" as well as commentaries and book reviews for CBC radio in Fredericton. Over the years, he has written for other periodicals including "New Brunswick", "The Atlantic Advocate", and "The Canadian Review". His poetry has been published in several magazines and journals. To date he has produced four collections of poetry: "So Still Houses" (1985), "Godes Rice: A Poem Sequence" (1988), "Without Introductions" (1989), and "The Other Side" (1997).

Nowlan has several other publications to his credit. In 1977 he compiled "Literary Map of New Brunswick", and he produced two children’s books: "Absolutely Absalom" (1981) and "Yellow Boots for Bobby" (1984). He has also co-authored two books: "Newfoundland Fish Boxes: A Chronicle of the Fishery" (1982) and "Creating an Enterprise Culture" (1995) and produced a Christmas volume, "The Last Bell: Memories of New Brunswick Christmas" (1992). Between 1975 and 1990 he edited five anthologies including "The Maritime Experience" (1975), "A Land, A People" (1986), and "Michael Whelan: Folk Poet of Renous River" (1990).

Michael Nowlan has been an active member of professional and community organizations including the Canadian Council of Teachers of English and the Oromocto and Area United Way. In 1998 he resides in Oromocto, NB.

Custodial history

Information about the custody of these records prior to acquisition is incomplete.

Scope and content

This fonds documents the writing career of Michael O. Nowlan, as well as much of his work as a teacher of English and advocate of Canadian literature. The fonds consists largely of correspondence to and from Nowlan, and drafts and notes for articles and books. Also included are committee minutes, newspaper clippings, and a few photographs. Despite the existence of separate "Correspondence" files, almost every file in the fonds contains correspondence, usually associated with the material in the file.

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Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The fonds was deposited with Harriet Irving Library, Archives & Special Collections by Michael Nowlan on February 25, 1997.

Arrangement

Original file titles have been retained, including Nowlan's notes. The archivist sometimes annotated file titles with the addition of dates or explanatory notes.

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  • English

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