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Life histories were written by the staff of the Folklore Project of the Federal Writers' Project for the U. S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration or WPA from 1936 to 1940. The Library of Congress collection includes 2,900 documents representing the work of over 300 writers from 24 states. Typically 2,000 to 15,000 words in length, the documents consist of drafts and revisions, varying in form from narrative to dialogue to report to case history.