Tulane University's
Louisiana Research Collection

We have so many things to celebrate in New Orleans! The Saints Super Bowl victory was savored yesterday in the form of an elaborate and phenomenal heroes’ parade, the first of its kind, being called “Lombardi Gras” and “Dat Tuesday.” We’re happy to note another award—Filmmaker Joe Sanford’s documentary, John Kennedy Toole: the Omega Point , recently won the Rising Star Award for Excellence in Film at the 2010 Canada International Film Festival. See the blog post dated Feb. 9, 2010, in Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Brilliant and Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole , with further details and accolades. Congratulations to Joe Sanford and his associates in the process of creating this documentary, especially our friends Cory MacLauchlin, and Joel Fletcher, both featured in interviews in the film. We look forward to a local screening before long. Posted by Susanna Powers

Tulane University’s Louisiana Research Collection is pleased to announce that the Joel Fletcher papers are now open to the public. Joel Fletcher, author of the book Ken and Thelma , donated his papers to Tulane University in 2006. Joel Fletcher was a friend of John Kennedy Toole, author of A Confederacy of Dunces and Thelma Ducoing Toole, John’s mother. The papers consist of Joel Fletcher’s research files for Ken and Thelma , a book about his friendship with Ken and Thelma Toole, and how A Confederacy of Dunces came to be published. The collection contains correspondence, drafts, reviews, and supporting materials. The collection contains criticism on previous biographies of John Kennedy Toole, and Fletcher’s letters with Thelma Ducoing Toole, New Orleans author Poppy Z. Brite, University of New Orleans professor Kenneth Holditch, and friends of the Toole family. The Louisiana Research Collection at Tulane University’s Special Collections Library also has the papers o...

John Kennedy Toole—the Omega Point is a documentary film in production by writer/director Joe Sanford. Collaborators on the project include two Toole scholars who have worked extensively with our Manuscripts Collection 740, Joel Fletcher (author of Ken & Thelma ) , and Toole biographer Cory MacLauchlin (see Eira Tansey interview posted here Feb. 16, 2009). The film features conversations with Joel Fletcher and Cory MacLauchlin, as well as Dr. Kenneth Holditch (UNO), Dr. Pat Rickels (University of Louisiana Lafayette), Dr. Jane H. Bethune (Salve Regina University), Dr. Billy Merck (Washington State University), and others. Shooting of the documentary should be finished by July. A colorful four-minute video preview of the documentary is viewable on the film’s web site. Posted by Susanna Powers