"These are the best lyricists a songwriter could ever ask for..." Ted Jacobs
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON - born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and inheriting the weak lungs of his mother, was an invalid from birth. His devoted nurse Allison Cunningham "Cummy" read to him and encouraged him at an early age to write his own stories. In 1885 he dedicated A Child's Garden of Verses to her. He was a late reader, learning at age 7 or 8, but even before this he dictated stories to his mother and nurse. Despite a weak constitution and frequent bouts of ill-health throughout his life, Stevenson led a life of adventure and embraced the unconventional. RLS is known especially for his novels, “Treasure Island," and “Kidnapped.” 1850-1894
EMILY DICKINSON - born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Like her poetry, her relationship to the world was intensely reticent. For the last twenty years of her life she rarely left the house. Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems and the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. 1830-1886
EUGENE FIELD - was born September 2, 1850, in Saint Louis, Missouri. Field was one of the few poets who wrote only children's poetry. He was a popular humorist and newspaperman often called the "Poet of Childhood." Throughout his career, Field was well regarded by his fellow journalists, and he had a wide circle of friends. His love of pranks and flippant sense of humor, which caused him trouble in his school days, made him popular as an adult, for the pranks were without intent to harm and were the basis of much fun. 1850 – 1895
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW - was born in the seaport town of Portland, Maine, and studied at Bowdoin College. After spending time in Europe, he became a professor at Bowdoin and later at Harvard College. Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing, living the remainder of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The great American educator and poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride,” “The Song of Hiawatha," and “The Arrow And The Song" became the most popular American poet of his day and also had success overseas. 1807 – 1882
EDGAR ALLAN POE - was born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; his parents died when he was young. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. His work forced him to move among several cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. Four years later at the age of 40, Poe died in Baltimore; the cause of his death is unknown and has been variously attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, or heart disease. 1809–1849
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY - was born in Greenfield, Indiana, surrounded by farmland and primitive forests. The wooden planked National Road, which American pioneers and settlers used to travel to the western half of the nation, ran right through Greenfield. Riley's childhood and home were great influences on him. His most famous poems were about people and situations from his real life. Like many poets, Riley published his first works in newspapers. He often wrote in his own dialect, appealing to the majority of people with his common style and words. 1849 – 1916