Connie Willis, a native Coloradoan, graduated from UNC in 1967 with degrees in English and in Elementary Education. She has gone on to be the most awarded science fiction writer ever having to date, won eight Nebula, twelve Hugo, and fourteen Locus awards. She has also won in all Nebula categories: short story, novelette, novella, and novel. In 2012, Willis was presented with the Damon Knight Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction Writers of America joining the likes of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.
In February of 2010, Willis donated her collection spanning four decades to UNC. The collection is comprised of research, handwritten manuscripts, speeches, essays, correspondence, galley proofs, and published works. In addition to these paper-based materials, the collection includes other formats such as VHS tapes, audio cassette tapes, photographs, awards, and a variety of gifts given to Willis by fans.