  I describe the computation of energy widths of nuclear states using an
integral over the interaction region of ab initio variational Monte Carlo wave
functions, and I present calculated widths for many states. I begin by
presenting relations that connect certain short-range integrals to widths. I
then present predicted widths for 5 <= A <= 9 nuclei, and I compare them
against measured widths. They match the data more closely and with less
ambiguity than estimates based on spectroscopic factors. I consider the
consequences of my results for identification of observed states in ^8B, ^9He,
and ^9Li. I also examine failures of the method and conclude that they
generally involve broad states and variational wave functions that are not
strongly peaked in the interaction region. After examining bound-state overlap
functions computed from a similar integral relation, I conclude that overlap
calculations can diagnose cases in which computed widths should not be trusted.
