Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Birk Sproxton fonds
General material designation
- Multiple media
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
10.43 m of textual records
9 photographs
1 videocassette
28 audiocassettes
188 computer discs
5 compact discs
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Birk Sproxton was born in 1943 in Flin Flon, Manitoba. He was educated at United College (now the University of Winnipeg), and then continued at the University of Manitoba where he earned his B.A., M.A., and a Ph.D in Modern Literature. He taught at a number of institutions, including high school in Boissevain, Manitoba, the University of Regina, the University of Winnipeg, and the University of Manitoba. Most notable in his career was his 31 years teaching creative writing at Red Deer College in Alberta.
Sproxton was a prolific and award-winning writer and editor. His book Phantom Lake: North of 54 (University of Alberta Press, 2005) earned the Margaret McWilliams Local History Award for excellence in the study and interpretation of Manitoba history and also the $25,000 Grant MacEwan Alberta Author Award. His novel titled Red Headed Woman with the Black, Black Heart (Turnstone Press, 1997) won an Honorable Mention for Best Historical Fiction from the Manitoba Historical Society.
He edited a number of literature volumes, including: Sounds Assembling: The Poetry of Bertram Brooker (Turnstone Press, 1980); Trace: Prairie Writers on Writing (Turnstone Press, 1986); and Great Stories from the Prairies (Red Deer Press, 2003); and The Winnipeg Connection: Writing Lives at Mid-Century (Prairie Fire Press, 2006).
Sproxton was directly involved in founding The Sphinx: A Magazine of Literature and Society at the University of Saskatchewan. He served as a member of the editorial staff of the journal from its inception in 1974 until the early 1980s.
Soon before his death, Sproxton returned to the University of Manitoba to give the 25th Annual Marjorie Ward Lecture March 8, 2007 at St. John's College. Birk Sproxton passed away in Red Deer on March 14, 2007.
Custodial history
The fonds was donated to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections in 2005 (A2005-079) by Birk Sproxton and in 2010 (A2010-007) and 2011 (A2011-013) by Sproxton's son, Mark Sproxton.
Scope and content
The first accession (A2005-79) consists of two series: research and writings regarding Bertram Brooker; and research materials and notes.
The second accession (A2010-07) consists of correspondence regarding The Sphinx magazine and 16 issues of The Sphinx.
The third accession (A2011-013) accession includes 13 series. They include: biographical information; Masters and Ph.D. material; books written and edited by Sproxton; published articles; manuscript drafts and publicity material; writing journals and day planners; Red Deer College and academic correspondence; writing correspondence; writing notes; teaching notes; photograph collection (PC 315); tape collection (TC 162); and electronic records (EL 32).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
There are no restrictions on this material.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
A finding aid can be downloaded by clicking on the “Download’ link under “Finding Aid” on the right hand side of the screen.
Generated finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected
Alternative identifier(s)
PC
TC
EL
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Draft
Level of detail
Partial
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
A2005-079 and A2010-007 finding aid created and encoded by Andrea Martin (2010). A2011-013 finding aid created and encoded by Lewis St. George Stubbs (2012). Revised by N. Courrier (September 2019).