Karle Wilson Baker
Encyclopedia
Karle Wilson Baker (1878–1960) was an American
poet
and author
, born in Little Rock
, Ark.
to Kate Florence Montgomery Wilson and William Thomas Murphey Wilson. Educated at the University of Chicago
, she studied under poet William Vaughn Moody
and novelist Robert Herrick
, and later went on to write her own poems and novels. In spite of the frequent mordant bits, her poems have visions of real beauty.
of "Charlotte Wilson," she was co-author of Women and Prisons (1912), published in London
by the Fabian Society
. She contributed fiction and poetry to Harper's
, Atlantic Monthly
, Yale Review
, The Century
, etc., and was the author of Blue Smoke, a collection of poetry (1919), The Garden of the Plynck (1920), The Burning Bush (1922), and Old Coins (1923).
In 1900, Baker first visited Nacogdoches, Texas
to see her parents. Later, in 1906, she permanently moved from Little Rock, Arkansas
, where she had been teaching school, to Nacogdoches. There, she fell in love with the beauty of the surrounding nature, which she would later describe in her book, The Birds of Tanglewood. At Nacogdoches, she also met her future husband, Thomas Ellis Baker, and the two married in 1907. Together they had two children: Thomas Wilson Baker (born 1908), who later became a banker, and Charlotte Baker Montgomery (1910), who later wrote and illustrated many of her own children's books, as well as two adult novels.
, Columbia University
, and University of California at Berkeley. Soon known as one of Texas' most talented writers, Baker received the most recognition and honors of any female poet in Texas during the 20th century. As a charter member of the Institute of Letters, the Poetry Society of Texas, and the Philosophical Society of Texas, she was also the first female and third person to be named a Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters. Her accomplishments included having had her first four books published by the Yale University Press, being awarded with an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the Southern Methodist University in 1924, and being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
for her last collection of poetry Dreamers on Horseback in 1931. She was 82 years old when she died on November 8, 1960.
Written by author Sarah Ragland Jackson, this biography describes Karle Wilson Baker's life as a remarkable Texas poet of the 20th century, but whose important contributions to Texas literature have been overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Published in December 2005, this book provides thorough well-researched details on Baker's life and gives readers more of an insight to Karle Wilson Baker's challenge in making her way into the mainly male-dominated literary world of that time.
Link: http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2005/jacksonwoman.htm
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
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...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, born in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, Ark.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
to Kate Florence Montgomery Wilson and William Thomas Murphey Wilson. Educated at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, she studied under poet William Vaughn Moody
William Vaughn Moody
William Vaughn Moody was a United States dramatist and poet. Author of The Great Divide, first presented under the title of The Sabine Woman at the Garrick Theatre in Chicago on April 12, 1906...
and novelist Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick (novelist)
Robert Welch Herrick was a novelist who was part of a new generation of American realists. His novels deal with the turbulence of industrialized society and the turmoil it can create in sensitive, isolated people...
, and later went on to write her own poems and novels. In spite of the frequent mordant bits, her poems have visions of real beauty.
Early Publications
Under the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of "Charlotte Wilson," she was co-author of Women and Prisons (1912), published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by the Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
. She contributed fiction and poetry to Harper's
Harper's Magazine
Harper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
, Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, Yale Review
Yale Review
The Yale Review is the self-proclaimed oldest literary quarterly in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as The Christian Spectator. At its origin it was published to support Evangelicalism, but over time began to publish more on history and...
, The Century
The Century Magazine
The Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribner's Monthly Magazine...
, etc., and was the author of Blue Smoke, a collection of poetry (1919), The Garden of the Plynck (1920), The Burning Bush (1922), and Old Coins (1923).
Early Life in Nacogdoches, Texas
In 1893, Baker decided to add a final "e" to the end of her first name in order to better avoid the gender confusions with her name. Yet, despite this change, her name continued to be mistaken as a man's by fans and reviewers of her writings.Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to see her parents. Later, in 1906, she permanently moved from Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, where she had been teaching school, to Nacogdoches. There, she fell in love with the beauty of the surrounding nature, which she would later describe in her book, The Birds of Tanglewood. At Nacogdoches, she also met her future husband, Thomas Ellis Baker, and the two married in 1907. Together they had two children: Thomas Wilson Baker (born 1908), who later became a banker, and Charlotte Baker Montgomery (1910), who later wrote and illustrated many of her own children's books, as well as two adult novels.
Continuing career
From 1924 to 1934, she became a teacher in Nacogdoches, teaching contemporary poetry at Stephen F. Austin University (SFA). In fact, when her poem titled "The Pine Tree Hymn" was written, it also became adopted as the school song for SFA. During this time, she was also able to publish two children's readers, Texas Flag Primer (1926) and Two Little Texans (1932), one of which became a state textbook for school children from 1926 to 1929. In addition to her teaching career, she also published three more books: The Birds of Tanglewood describing the birds within Nacogdoches, Dreamers on Horseback (her last book of collected poems), Family Style (1937) a novel recounting the occurrence of the East Texan oil boom, and Star of the Wilderness (1942), which became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.Accomplishments
In addition to teaching at Stephen F. Austin University (1924–1934), she also gave lectures at various colleges, women's clubs, and literary groups in Texas. Later on in her life, she also attended University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and University of California at Berkeley. Soon known as one of Texas' most talented writers, Baker received the most recognition and honors of any female poet in Texas during the 20th century. As a charter member of the Institute of Letters, the Poetry Society of Texas, and the Philosophical Society of Texas, she was also the first female and third person to be named a Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters. Her accomplishments included having had her first four books published by the Yale University Press, being awarded with an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the Southern Methodist University in 1924, and being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
The Pulitzer Prize in Poetry has been presented since 1922 for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author. However, special citations for poetry were presented in 1918 and 1919.-Winners:...
for her last collection of poetry Dreamers on Horseback in 1931. She was 82 years old when she died on November 8, 1960.
Poems
- "At the Picture-Show" - http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/at_the_picture_show.html
- "Apple and Rose" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/apple-and-rose/
- "A Clear Night" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-clear-night/
- "Days" - http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/poem1/blp_baker_days.htm
- "Good Company" - http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/poem1/blp_baker_company.htm, http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Home-Book-of-Verse-Volume-31.html
- "I Shall Be Loved As Quiet Things" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-shall-be-loved-as-quiet-things/
- "Let Me Grow Lovely" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/let-me-grow-lovely/
- "Nacogdoches Speaks" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/nacogdoches-speaks/
- "Within the Alamo" - http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/within-the-alamo/
Texas Woman of Letters, Karle Wilson Baker
Link: http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2005/jacksonwoman.htm
External links
- http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/old-WILLA/fall98/jackson.html
- Biography and Poems by Karle Wilson Baker http://www.poemhunter.com/karle-wilson-baker/biography/
- Biography of Karle Wilson Baker http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/fba36.html
- http://libweb.sfasu.edu/proser/etrc/collections/manuscript/personal/bakerkarle/index.html#scope
- SFA's First Star: Karle Wilson Baker as Poet and Teacher http://cets.sfasu.edu/story/founders/Sept6/KWB_Star.html
- http://www.sfasu.edu/pubaffairs/pressreleases/december2007/05-poet.asp
- Karle Wilson Baker Papers http://libweb.sfasu.edu/proser/etrc/collections/manuscript/personal/bakerkarle/index.html
- Article introducing Texas Woman of Letters-Biography of Karle Wilson Baker http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2005/jacksonwoman.htm
- Karle Wilson Baker Marker http://cets.sfasu.edu/story/markers/Baker-marker.html
- Short biography of Karle Wilson Baker http://poetry.poetryx.com/poets/189/bio/
- The Birds of Tanglewood http://www.tamu.edu/upress/BOOKS/2006/baker.htm
- Origins of "The Pine Tree Hymn" http://cets.sfasu.edu/story/founders/Sept6/PineTreeHymn.html
- Charlotte Wilson Baker - as remembered by the Humane Society of the United States http://www.hsus.org/about_us/accomplishments/the_people_who_have_shaped_the_hsus/remembering_charlotte_baker.html