author

Anna Balmer Myers

Best known for fiction and poetry rooted in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, this early 20th-century writer brought the rhythms and traditions of Mennonite and Pennsylvania Dutch life to a wide audience. She balanced her literary work with a long career in education, giving her books a grounded, observant feel.

2 Audiobooks

Amanda: A Daughter of the Mennonites

Amanda: A Daughter of the Mennonites

by Anna Balmer Myers

Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People'

Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People'

by Anna Balmer Myers

About the author

Born in Manheim, Pennsylvania, in 1884, Anna Balmer Myers wrote novels and poems shaped by the people and settings of Lancaster County. She studied at Drexel University and spent more than 35 years teaching at the Widener School for physically disabled children in Philadelphia.

Her best-known books include Patchwork: a Story of the Plain People (1920), Amanda: a Daughter of the Mennonites (1921), and The Madonna of the Curb (1922). Much of her writing focused on the "Plain" communities of southeastern Pennsylvania, and she continued publishing late into life, including the 1968 novel I Lift My Lamp.

She was also known for her interest in local history, especially the glassmaker Henry William Stiegel and the early history of Manheim. Myers died in 1972, leaving behind work that blends regional history, community life, and storytelling.