author
Elizabeth Oakes Prince Smith
1806–1893
An early American poet and novelist with a strong public voice, she wrote across six decades and also became a well-known lecturer for women's rights. Her work moves from sentimental poetry and fiction to bold arguments about women's independence and education.
1 Audiobook
The Sagamore of Saco
by Elizabeth Oakes Prince Smith
About the author
Born in North Yarmouth, Maine, in 1806, Elizabeth Oakes Smith built a remarkably wide-ranging literary career that lasted from the 1830s into the 1880s. She wrote poetry, novels, essays, children's literature, and plays, and she also worked as an editor and lecturer. Early in her career she became especially known for poems including The Sinless Child and "A Corpse Going to a Ball."
She was married to journalist and humorist Seba Smith, and for years she assisted in editorial work while continuing to publish under her own name. Over time, she became one of the better-known women on the American lecture circuit, speaking publicly on women's rights and arguing for broader opportunities for women in education, work, and public life.
Today she is remembered not only as a prolific nineteenth-century author, but also as a writer who linked literature with reform. Her career shows how a woman writer of her era could move between popular publishing, journalism, and activism while keeping a distinct voice of her own.