Fonds AFC 453 - Isabel Huggan fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Isabel Huggan fonds

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    Title notes

    • Variations in title: File level titles in square brackets have been supplied by the archivist; otherwise file titles have been supplied by the creator.

    Level of description

    Fonds

    Reference code

    CA ON00353 AFC 453

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    Statement of scale (cartographic)

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    Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

    Dates of creation area

    Date(s)

    • 1949-2018 (Creation)
      Creator
      Huggan, Isabel

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    5.8 m of textual records, ca. 350 postcards, 108 photographs : col, 66 photographs : b&w, 36 photographs : reproductions, 35 photographs : b&w negative; 35 mm, 32 drawings : col, 31 drawings : b&w, 12 scrapbooks, 2 computer diskettes ; 9x9 cm, 1 slide

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    Archival description area

    Name of creator

    (1943 -)

    Biographical history

    Isabel Huggan (nee Howey) was born in Kitchener, Ontario on September 21, 1943, to Catherine Innis MacLennan and Cecil Ronald Howey. Huggan was one of two children, including a younger sister, Ruth. Shortly before Isabel was born, her father changed the spelling of the family name from Hooey to Howey. After completing her primary and secondary education in Elmira, Ontario, Huggan studied English and Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965. Following graduation, she moved to Toronto where she worked for the Macmillan Publishing Company, leaving after a year to travel Europe. Returning to Canada in 1967, Huggan began teaching English, Creative Writing and Theatre in Ontario High Schools (Oakville, Timmins, Clarkson, and Scarborough).

    On December 31, 1970, she married journalist Robert David Huggan. In 1972, they moved to Bellville, Ontario, where she worked as a reporter and photographer for the local newspaper for three years. It was after the birth of her daughter, Abbey, in 1977, that Huggan decided focus on her writing career. By this point, she had already published various poems and short stories in Canadian literary magazines, and her short story "Celia Behind Me" won first prize in a National Film Board contest for women scriptwriters in 1976. Following the success of "Celia Behind Me", Huggan wrote more stories about its main character, Elizabeth Kessler. The Elizabeth Stories, published in 1984 by Oberon Press, chronicled the upbringing of Elizabeth over a ten-year period.

    Moving to Ottawa in 1980, Huggan taught for several years at the University of Ottawa and for the Ottawa High School Board until Robert was offered a position in Kenya, which saw them move from Canada in 1987. That position lasted three years and led to postings in France (1990-1993) and the Philippines (1993-1998). The family returned to France in 1998 following the end of Robert's position in the Philippines.

    While living abroad, Huggan held positions as editor, writer, and teacher at a variety of organizations; using her skills for writing in a monthly column for the Ottawa Citizen, facilitating writing workshops, and participating in speaking engagements. In 1993, Huggan published her second collection of stories entitled, "You Never Know". However, it was her third collection that caused the most buzz, with "Belonging: Home Away From Home" (2003), a book Huggan describes as a ‘memoir and fiction,’ winning the Charles Taylor Literary Non-Fiction Prize in 2004.

    Custodial history

    Donated by Isabel Huggan in 2016 and 2018.

    Scope and content

    This fonds consists of records relating to Huggan’s academic, writing, and professional activities, as well as her personal life between 1949-2018. Included are manuscripts and drafts; research materials; notes and correspondence related to her short stories, poems, and workshop participation; records related to her graduate studies at the University of Western Ontario and teaching career; financial records and royalty statements; records relating to her travels throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia; and personal records and correspondence. These records are arranged chronologically.

    Notes area

    Physical condition

    Immediate source of acquisition

    Donated by Isabel Huggan in November 2016 and December 2018.

    Arrangement

    Series 1 Short Stories
    Subseries The Elizabeth Stories
    Subseries You Never Know
    Subseries Belonging: Home Away From Home
    Subseries Other Short Story Works
    Series 2 Newspaper Articles
    Series 3 Correspondence
    Subseries Personal
    Subseries Professional
    Series 4 Teaching Records
    Series 5 Work and Travel Related Records
    Series 6 Personal Records
    Series 7 Publicity, Interviews, and Related Material
    Series 8 Financial Records
    Series 9 Poetry

    Language of material

      Script of material

        Language and script note

        The material is predominantly in English, though some of the newspaper clippings and correspondence is in French and Tagalog. Royalty papers from Huggan's sales in Spain are in Spanish.

        Location of originals

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        Restrictions on access

        Access to certain records is restricted. Requests for access must be made by submitting a Research Access Request.

        Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

        Associated materials

        Related materials

        Accruals

        Further accruals are expected

        General note

        Correspondence from Isabel Huggan can be found in accession A14-010. Bertha Thompson donated records relating to correspondence between herself and Huggan from 1990 until 2013. A third accrual, A19-003 was received January 2019.

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        Description record identifier

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        Western University Archives and Special Collections

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        Level of detail

        Partial

        Dates of creation, revision and deletion

        Created January 26, 2021

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          Script of description

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            Accession area