Charlotte Wilder (August 28, 1898 – May 26, 1980) was an American poet and academic who worked in the Federal Writers Project. Wilder published poetry in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' and ''Poetry Magazine''. She also published

poetry collections A poetry collection is often a compilation of several Poetry, poems by one poet to be published in a single Volume (bibliography), volume or chapbook. A collection can include any number of poems, ranging from a few (e.g. the four long poems in ...

in 1936 and 1939.

Life

Thornton Wilder as a child at family vacation cabin Wisconsin 1900

Wilder was the daughter of diplomat Amos Parker Wilder and Isabella Thornton Niven. She was the third child and eldest sister of

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...

, Isabel Wilder, Janet Wilder Dakin, and Amos Wilder. Wilder grew up in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, and graduated from Berkeley High School. In 1919, she received her Bachelor of Arts in English literature, magna cum laude,

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

in 1919. In 1925, Wilder received an M.A. from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

. After graduation from college, Wilder taught at Wheaton College. In 1928, she became an assistant professor of English at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, where she taught until 1931. In 1934, Wilder became a full-time poet. Wilder also worked for the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

'' as a proof reader and for ''

The Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...

''. According to an article in the January 15, 1983, issue of ''The Nation'', ("New Deal New York" by Frederika Randall), Wilder worked on the Federal Writers' Project during the 1930s. Wilder experienced a mental health crisis in 1941, the repercussions of which lasted until her death. She died on May 26, 1980, in a nursing home in Brattleboro.

Select poetry

The following works appeared in ''

'': * ''Loew's Sheridan'', Volume 146, Issue 0025, June 18, 1938 * ''Isolation'', Volume 138, Issue 3594, May 23, 1934 * ''Sculptured'', Volume 138, Issue 3577, January 24, 1934 The following works appeared in ''

Poetry Magazine ''Poetry'' (founded as ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'') has been published in Chicago since 1912. It is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Founded by poet and arts columnist Harriet Monroe, who built it int ...

'': *''The Last Hour'', Volume 24, July 1924, Page 200 *''Of Persons Not Alive'', Volume 39, March 1932, Page 303 *''City Streets'', Volume 47, January 1936, Page 198 *''To Beauty'', Volume 47, January 1936, Page 198 *''Sanctuary'', Volume 52, July 1938, Page 202 * ''Mortal Sequence,'' Volume 55, January 1940, Page 217 (''see'' Daly, James) Two collections of her work were published by Coward-McCann, Inc.: ''Phases of the Moon'' (1936) and ''Mortal Sequence'' (1939).

Awards

* 1937: Wilder shared the

Shelley Memorial Award The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and is ...

for Poetry in 1937 with Ben Belitt

References

External links

Biography from the Thornton Wilder Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilder, Charlotte 1898 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American poets Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni Mount Holyoke College alumni Radcliffe College alumni Works Progress Administration workers American women poets 20th-century American women writers