| Author: | Nealey, Bertha West, 1893-1988 |
| Date Range: | 1922-1982 |
| Extent: | 5 linear ft. |
| Location: | P+5J4 (Library Use Only) |
| Background: | South Carolina poet and short story writer |
| 1893 Oct. 26 | Born Chesterfield County, S.C., daughter of William C. and Harriet Keenan Armstrong West |
| 1916 | Graduated Coker College, Hartsville, S.C. |
| 1917 | Teacher, McBee High School, McBee, S.C. |
| 1918-1922 | Employed in New York as fashion writer, free lance writer, and theater artist |
| 1923 | Editor,Furriers Fashions |
| 1924 Feb. 24 | Married James Barton Nealey |
| 1926 | Published weekly poetry column in Wilton Bulletin, Wilton, Conn. |
| 1932-1934 | Enrolled in writing classes at New York University; courses at Columbia University |
| 1956 | Moved to Columbia, S.C. |
| 1958-1978 | Presented poetry readings at Furman University and Coker College |
| 1978 | PublishedWhite Plum Thickets |
| 1981 | Published Altars to Kuan Yin Goddess of Mercy |
| 1981 | Recipient of Archibald Rutledge Poetry Award for "Lynches River" |
| 1988 Jan. 15 | Died |
Born in Chesterfield County, S.C., on 26 Oct. 1893 to William C. and Harriet Keenan Armstrong West, Bertha was the eldest of two sisters and one brother. After graduating from Coker College in 1916, she taught for one year at McBee High School in McBee, S.C. From 1918 until 1956 she lived in New York City and Connecticut. During these years Nealey wrote poetry, free lance and for a local weekly paper, the Wilton (Conn.) Bulletin; attended creative writing courses at local universities; worked as a copy writer for advertising agencies; studied art and interior decorating with the New York School of Design and Lucy D. Taylor; opened an interior decorating business; and developed "Constant Comment" tea. In 1956, Nealey returned to South Carolina with her husband James Barton Nealey. After his death in 1957, she continued to study art and creative writing in Columbia.
In addition to various drafts of poems from Nealey's two published books, White Plum Thickets (1978) and Altars to Kuan Yin Goddess of Mercy (1981), and poems for two unpublished books, Sea Poems and Unsieved Songs of My Years, the collection includes series of children's poetry, love poems, and poems intended for a second book dedicated to Kuan Yin. These series are arranged alphabetically by title.
Box 1 Folder Number
Biographical information 1
Correspondence
11 Sept. 1922-30 June 1981 2-5
Reviews of poetry 6
Coker College Awards Program, 17 Apr. 1982 7
Poetry reading, Furman University 8
Poetry Societies 9
News articles 10
S.C. Poetry Association, Contest Entries 11
Drawings 12
Miscellaneous 13
Poem titles 14
White Plum Thickets 15
Altars to Kuan Yin Goddess of Mercy 16-25
Sea Poems 26
Unsieved Songs of My Years 27-29
Children's poetry 30-34
Kuan Yin poems, A-R 35-71
Box 2
Kuan Yin poems, S-Y 72-82
Love poems 83-84
Miscellaneous poems, titled
A-O 85-130
Box 3
Miscellaneous poems, titled
P-Z 131-160
Miscellaneous poems, untitled 161-189
Box 4
Miscellaneous poems, untitled 190-203
Short stories, titled 204-216
Short stories, untitled 217-233
Creative writing class, short stories 224-227
Creative writing class, poems by classmates 228-239
Creative writing class, short stories by classmates 240-244