The fonds consists mainly of items related to Gaston's writing activities dating from 1981. It includes hand-written and word-processed correspondence between Gaston and friends, editors, publishers, and other writers; galley copies, published copies, manuscripts and drafts of unpublished and published books, articles, short stories, plays, radio plays, reviews, and poems; clippings and photocopies of reviews of Gaston's work; pen and ink drawings by Gaston; author photographs, contact sheets, and negatives; miscellaneous notes by Gaston on his work, thoughts, and readings; notes and memos related to Gaston's work as a teacher; an address book; a VHS video tape; promotional materials for Gaston's books and public appearances at readings and festivals; and ephemera such as tourism brochures.

The materials were received from the creator in two accessions. The first accession consisted of 12 boxes containing records of Gaston's work and writing from 1981 to 2005, including materials relating to all his published works up to Sointula (2004). The second consisted of five boxes containing materials relating mostly to the period from 2006 to 2008, covering the creation and publication of Midnight Hockey (2006), Gargoyles (2006), and The Order of Good Cheer (2008). The creator had arranged the materials in the fonds generally by individual work, and this arrangement has been maintained. Original file titles, where available, have also been retained. The fonds has been divided into 8 series: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2. Writing; Series 3. Promotion, reviews, awards and honours; Series 4. Biographical information and photos; Series 5. Professional activities and teaching; Series 6. Screenplay adaptation of Sointula; Series 7. Ephemera; Series 8. Books

The fonds consists mainly of textual materials, including notes and drafts of Lai’s works, numerous calendars and datebooks, school materials, and material related to her activism and arts involvement. There are also a large number of photocopied reference materials on such subjects as the arts, gay and lesbian issues, racism and feminism, and Chinese culture. There are a small number of photographs and negatives, and a wide variety of audio-visual media such as cassette tapes, Hi8 cassettes, broadcast video cassettes, and various computer media.

Fonds illustrates George Stanley’s work as a poet in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver, and Terrace, spanning from the late 1950s to the present. Fonds also documents Stanley’s interactions with the broader literary scenes, including publishers and other writers. Fonds is divided into seven series: Correspondence (1967-2007), George Stanley poems and other writings (1957-2011), Works of other writers ([ca.1957]-2011), Literary events and publication (1972-2011), Personal documents (1972-1990), Photographs of George Stanley and associates (1964-1983).

Records in the fonds include: correspondence, loose leaf and bound typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks, chapbooks, sound recordings, personal journals, published materials, financial records, and photographs.