Clement Wood

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and raised in Birmingham, Clement Wood was an American writer, lawyer, and political activist. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1909 and earned his law degree from Yale in 1911 before turning toward a varied literary career.

Wood wrote far beyond a single genre. Sources describe him primarily as a poet, but also note that he published novels, murder mysteries, spy stories, literary criticism, biography, history, and practical books for beginning poets. He was associated with New York literary circles, remained outspoken in public life, and was identified with Socialist causes.

His reputation has lasted in part through his guidance for writers, especially The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, as well as through poetry collections including The Glory Road. The picture that emerges is of an energetic, prolific author who treated writing as both an art and a craft.