This collection contains Lewis’ poetry and essay manuscripts, correspondence, articles, publications, photographs, videos, personal documents and ephemera. The content of this collection concerns the labor and racial problems of southeast Missouri, as well as the political conflicts in the United States during the 1930s through the 1950s. The dated correspondence is arranged chronologically. The undated correspondence is arranged alphabetically by Lewis’ correspondent. The personal documents include financial, educational, and health records. The photographs of Lewis, his home and friends date from the 1920s to the 1980s. Also included are the DVD and VHS copies of an interview with Lewis from 1981. Lewis’ manuscripts are arranged in three groups: manuscripts published in a compilation, manuscripts that were published individually, and unpublished manuscripts. The compilation manuscripts are arranged by the publication date of the compilation, and then by the order the poems appear within that compilation. These are followed by manuscripts of poems and essays published in periodicals or other collections arranged by publication date. The unpublished manuscripts are arranged alphabetically. The publications authored by Lewis are arranged by date; these are followed by publications with similar themes as Lewis’ own writings. The newspaper clippings are arranged by various subjects on labor, southeast Missouri, and politics.