H. Rea (Hannah Rea) Woodman

Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1870, Hannah Rea Woodman moved with her family to Wichita, Kansas, soon after her birth. Sources about her life describe her as an American writer and educator, and note that her family home in early Wichita served as the city's first hotel.

Woodman wrote under the name H. Rea Woodman and produced a wide range of work, including fiction, verse, and children's plays. Her surviving bibliography shows a strong interest in writing for younger audiences, and her name remains closely tied to Wichita's local history as well as to her literary work.

Although she is not widely known today, Woodman left behind a distinctive body of early twentieth-century writing, with many of her works preserved in public-domain collections and library records. That makes her an appealing rediscovery for listeners interested in regional history, forgotten women writers, and vintage storytelling.