Hildegarde Flanner
Encyclopedia
Hildegarde Flanner was an American poet, essayist, playwright and conservationist.
, Indiana, to Frank Flanner and Mary Ellen Hockett Buchanan. She had two older sisters, noted journalist Janet Flanner
and Marie Flanner, a musician and composer. Frank Flanner was Indiana's first licensed embalmer and in 1881 he founded a company that is still in business as Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers. In 1898, Frank Flanner founded the Flanner Guild, a not-for-profit community service center for African-Americans in Indianapolis, now called Flanner House.
and was on the literary staff of The Occident. Flanner was honored with the Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in 1920 for her poem Young Girl.
Along with her mother, Flanner lost her home and most of her possessions in the Berkeley Fire of 1923, prompting them to move to southern California. On June 29, 1926, Flanner married architect and artist Frederick Monhoff
and lived in Altadena with their child, John, born in 1941.
Hildegarde Flanner continued to write under her maiden name, chronicling events in her life as well as the changing landscape of California in the twentieth century. Flanner's contributions were published in The Nation
, The New Republic
and Poetry
. She was named the New Directions Poet of the Month in 1942. One of their neighbors in Altadena was Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen
and in 1977 Flanner's elegy on Nielsen was included in The Unknown Paintings of Kay Nielsen.
Flanner and Monhoff spent their later years on their property in Calistoga
, Napa Valley, California. Flanner was an avid gardener, with particular interests in ornamental grasses and bamboo
. It was thought that Flanner had the largest collection of bamboo varieties in California.
Early years
June Hildegarde Flanner Monhoff was born in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana, to Frank Flanner and Mary Ellen Hockett Buchanan. She had two older sisters, noted journalist Janet Flanner
Janet Flanner
Janet Flanner was an American writer and journalist who served as the Paris correspondent of The New Yorker magazine from 1925 until she retired in 1975. She wrote under the pen name "Genêt"...
and Marie Flanner, a musician and composer. Frank Flanner was Indiana's first licensed embalmer and in 1881 he founded a company that is still in business as Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers. In 1898, Frank Flanner founded the Flanner Guild, a not-for-profit community service center for African-Americans in Indianapolis, now called Flanner House.
Later life
Hildegarde Flanner attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia before moving to California in 1919 to attend the University of California, Berkeley. At the university, she studied poetry with Witter BynnerWitter Bynner
Harold Witter Bynner was an American poet, writer and scholar, known for his long residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at what is now the Inn of the Turquoise Bear.-Early life:...
and was on the literary staff of The Occident. Flanner was honored with the Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in 1920 for her poem Young Girl.
Along with her mother, Flanner lost her home and most of her possessions in the Berkeley Fire of 1923, prompting them to move to southern California. On June 29, 1926, Flanner married architect and artist Frederick Monhoff
Frederick Monhoff
Frederick Monhoff was an American architect, artist, and illustrator. His architectural style ranged from art deco to mid-century modern, while his etchings of the 1920s-30s documented scenes of Native American and Mexican life in the American Southwest.-Early life and Family:Frederick Monhoff was...
and lived in Altadena with their child, John, born in 1941.
Hildegarde Flanner continued to write under her maiden name, chronicling events in her life as well as the changing landscape of California in the twentieth century. Flanner's contributions were published in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. She was named the New Directions Poet of the Month in 1942. One of their neighbors in Altadena was Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen
Kay Nielsen
Kay Rasmus Nielsen was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration" which lasted from when Daniel Vierge and other pioneers developed printing technology to the point that drawings and paintings could be reproduced with reasonable facility...
and in 1977 Flanner's elegy on Nielsen was included in The Unknown Paintings of Kay Nielsen.
Flanner and Monhoff spent their later years on their property in Calistoga
Calistoga
Calistoga may refer to:* Calistoga, California* Calistoga AVA, an American Viticultural Area that partly overlaps the town of Calistoga* Calistoga Water Company, bottled water brand sourced in Calistoga, California...
, Napa Valley, California. Flanner was an avid gardener, with particular interests in ornamental grasses and bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
. It was thought that Flanner had the largest collection of bamboo varieties in California.
Poetry
- Young Girl and Other Poems (1920)
- This Morning (1921)
- A Tree in Bloom and Other Verses (1924)
- Time's Profile (1929)
- Valley Quail (1929)
- If There Is Time (The Poet Of The Month Series) (1942)
- In Native Light (1970)
- The Hearkening Eye (Modern and Contemporary Poetry of the West) (1979)
- X (1983)
- At the Gentle Mercy of Plants: Essays and Poems (1986)
Essays
- A Vanishing Land (1980)
- Brief Cherishing: A Napa Valley Harvest (1985)
- Different Images: Portraits of Remembered People (1987)
External links
- Hildegarde Flanner Papers, 1924-1984 at the University of California, Berkeley
- Hildegarde Flanner Papers, 1923-1983, bulk 1923-1953 at the Huntingdon Library
- Hildegarde Flanner Papers, 1920–1977 at the Indiana Historical Society
- Short radio episode "The Spell Cast" from A Vanishing Land at California Legacy ProjectCalifornia Legacy ProjectThe California Legacy Project began in 2000 as a project at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA and later partnered with Heyday Books in Berkeley, CA. The project uses a research team of SCU interns to create radio scripts for the radio anthology "Your California Legacy" on KAZU 90.3 FM,...
- "Hildegarde Flanner and the Great Berkeley Fire of 1923" Berkeley Daily Planet (June 26, 2007)