St. Cloud State University hosted attendees of the Sinclair Lewis Conference on July 18, showcasing University Archives’ collection of materials about the Noble Prize-winning author.
Last week’s gathering was the first in-person Sinclair Lewis Conference since 2017. The 2025 Conference celebrated the 100th anniversary of Lewis’ book “Arrowsmith” being published, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize before Lewis declined the offer.
About 25 people from around the country attended, with most of the conference’s events taking place in Stearns County at Lewis’ hometown of Sauk Centre.
University Archivist Tom Steman presented materials about Lewis that Archives has collected over the years. This included a recording of Lewis’ voice in 1944, material about the play “Jayhawker” that he co-wrote in 1934 and collections of letters he wrote to family and friends throughout his life.
“University Archives has worked hard to digitize materials and make the correspondence that Lewis wrote available for everyone through the Repository @ St. Cloud State,” Steman said.
The visit concluded with a tour of the Lewis House, which contains the offices for Advancement and Alumni Engagement at SCSU. The residential house was built by Lewis’ brother Claude in the late 1920s, and SCSU acquired the home in 1973.
