Before Elmore Leonard died in 2013 he decided that he wanted his archives to live at The Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina.

This fall, the first Elmore Leonard Exhibit opened and we got to meet two of the people responsible for preserving the archives, Michael Weisenburg and Elizabeth Sudduth. Michael is the current director of the Collection and oversaw the exhibit, and Elizabeth was the director when Elmore decided that he wanted his papers, notes, and letters to be preserved alongside those of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Hammett, and George V. Higgins.

We spoke with Elizabeth and Michael about what made Elmore choose the University of South Carolina, how the Collection will continue to evolve, and about the value of crime fiction.

Learn more about the exhibit by clicking on the link below. It runs until mid-January 2026.

Special Thanks to: Elizabeth Sudduth, Michael Weisenburg, Jeffrey Makkala, and Matt Hodge.

https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/exhibits_events_news/news/2025/100_years_of_elmore_leonard.php

Hosted By: Judd Rubin and Alex Leonard

Music by: Greg Ahee

Produced and Edited by: Judd Rubin

Executive Producer: Peter Leonard

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