author

Edwin Carty Ranck

b. 1879

Best remembered as a witty poet and journalist, this Kentucky-born writer moved through newspaper rooms, theater circles, and literary magazines in the early 20th century. His work blends humor, polish, and a newspaperman’s eye for sharp detail.

1 Audiobook

Poems for Pale People A Volume of Verse

Poems for Pale People A Volume of Verse

by Edwin Carty Ranck

About the author

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1879, Edwin Carty Ranck was educated at private schools and later attended Harvard. He began newspaper work in 1898 and built a career in journalism that took him through papers in Lexington and Covington, Kentucky, before later editorial work in larger city newsrooms.

Ranck served as dramatic editor for the Cincinnati Post and the St. Louis Star, and later worked for the Brooklyn Eagle. He was also connected with the literary community at MacDowell, where records show multiple residencies across the 1910s, 1920s, and early 1930s.

Alongside journalism, he wrote poetry, fiction, and plays. He is especially associated with Poems for Pale People, a collection known for its light, playful tone and satirical edge. Archival records and memorial listings place his life from July 18, 1879, to February 12, 1957.