The Larry McMurtry Literary Center (LMLC) is a nonprofit organization that opened just over a year ago in Archer City, Texas. While many know it as the old bookstore McMurtry opened, it’s grown into a hub that inspires creativity in the community and carries on McMurtry’s legacy of the written word through events like their upcoming Lecture Series.

Larry McMurtry was a Texas native author, best known for his series Lonesome Dove. His stories not only excited readers around the world, but also drew a sense of pride and visibility to those familiar with the lifestyle of the American West. McMurtry’s impact didn’t stop at inspiration or entertainment. He often held or attended events around the Texoma community, including even hosting a summer writing series at Midwestern State for a few years. His commitment to his community could be seen through his actions as well as his stories, which is why the Larry McMurtry Literary Center chose to carry the torch once he was gone.

The Literary Center began as an effort to preserve the history and culture of McMurtry’s internationally renowned bookstore in his hometown of Archer City. However, before long, it began hosting workshops and other events to carry on McMurtry’s mission and inspire others to write their stories.

Kathy Floyd, the Managing Director of the Center, said part of the mission of the LMLC is to bring authors and other writers to the area to give talks that the public may not otherwise have the opportunity to hear. This access to experience and knowledge helps to encourage others in the community to write and gives them the tools to improve their craft, without having to spend money on large-scale workshops.

“Part of honoring Larry's legacy would be to inspire writers. We hope hearing firsthand from writers who have found some measure of success would be inspiring to the person in the audience who is afraid, or doesn't think they have it in them to write. And sometimes hearing a speaker of this caliber costs more than the average person could afford,” Floyd said.

November 17 will be the first event of their Larry McMurtry Lecture Series, which Floyd noted has been in the works for a while. The event will take place annually and will feature a different speaker each time that has some connection to writing, McMurtry or book collecting. 

Author Tracy Daugherty will be the speaker this year. Daugherty's Pulitzer-finalist biography of McMurtry was released in 2023 and his newest book, Cormac McCarthy: A Legend Revisited, was released earlier this month. 

The Lecture will take place that Tuesday and will be followed by a free two-hour workshop about writing family histories and life stories on Wednesday. Floyd added that while the workshops weren’t guaranteed after every speaker’s lecture, she hopes that every guest speaker will be able to offer some kind of interactive event along with their talk.

“Each author may have something different that they bring, and a workshop may not always be the best,” Floyd said.

According to the press release, during his lecture, Daugherty will explore how McMurtry’s evolving sense of the past shaped his vision of the American West. The author said he’ll also explore how McMurtry’s work “ushered Texas literature into the future, navigating the turbulence of the 1960s to become, arguably, Texas’s most important novelist.”

The lecture will take place Tuesday, November 17, at the Royal Theater in Archer City. The following workshop will take place Wednesday, from 2-4 p.m. at the Larry McMurtry Literary Center. Both events are completely free and open to the public. Those that are interested in attending do not need to bring anything, other than a pen and paper if they’d like to take notes.

For anyone who can’t attend the lecture or workshop but is interested in attending future events, the LMLC calendar is a great place to start. Floyd did point out that they are having another (Not) The Last Book Sale from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the First Methodist Church in Archer City, next door the LMLC. She noted that the sale is named after the book sale McMurtry held in 2012. The sale will feature an affordable way to show support with $5 hardbacks and $2 paperbacks. Floyd said that with a $30 purchase shoppers can choose between a Pretty Boy Floyd or a Zeke & Ned book written by McMurtry and his writing partner Diana Ossana. 

Those who would like to support the LMLC and its mission of preserving history, craft, and inspiring a community of writers can do so in a couple ways. First, by visiting the LMLC on Saturdays and Sundays, when they’re open and purchasing some books. Additionally, monetary donations can be made through their website.