Dorset author's archives to be catalogued for public access

Dorset Archives Trust has launched a fundraiser to catalogue the archives of writer Sylvia Townsend Warner and place them in the public domain; the campaign seeks up to £25,000 by June 30 toward a total target of £48,000.

A fundraiser has been launched to secure the archives of Dorset writer Sylvia Townsend Warner and create a full catalogue so the material can be more widely accessed. Dorset Archives Trust is leading the campaign and says making the collection discoverable online will open new lines of research. Warner is described in the project materials as an important writer and an LGBTQ+ pioneer. The trust aims to raise up to £25,000 by June 30 and will seek other funding toward a total target of £48,000. Key details: - The project is led by Dorset Archives Trust and focuses on the papers of writer Sylvia Townsend Warner. - The aim is to create a full catalogue and place the material in the public domain so it can be discovered and searched online. - The campaign is seeking up to £25,000 by June 30 as part of a wider £48,000 funding target. - Sylvia Townsend Warner wrote seven novels and produced poems and short stories; she lived for much of her life in Dorset with her partner Valentine Ackland. - Warner and Ackland are buried in Chaldon Herring, and a statue of Warner was unveiled in Dorchester after a campaign by the charity Visible Women. Summary: The campaign is intended to preserve and increase access to a local literary archive and to encourage research and public awareness of Sylvia Townsend Warner's work. The immediate next step reported is the fundraising drive running toward the June 30 milestone for the initial £25,000, with additional funding sources to be pursued to reach the full £48,000 target.