author
Helen Gray Cone
1859–1934
A poet and teacher deeply tied to New York’s Hunter College, she built a life in literature while helping shape generations of students. Her poems range from graceful lyric pieces to historical and dramatic work, giving her a distinct place in American letters at the turn of the twentieth century.
5 Audiobooks
A chant of love for England, and other poems
by Helen Gray Cone
The coat without a seam, and other poems
by Helen Gray Cone
The ride to the lady, and other poems
by Helen Gray Cone
Soldiers of the light
by Helen Gray Cone
Oberon and Puck : Verses grave and gay
by Helen Gray Cone
About the author
Born in New York City on March 8, 1859, Helen Gray Cone studied at the Normal College of the City of New York, the school later known as Hunter College. She graduated in 1876 and went on to spend her entire professional career there, becoming a professor of English literature and a well-known presence in the college’s literary life.
Cone published several books of poetry and was also associated with plays, essays, and speeches. Her writing often drew on literary history and legend, and her long connection with Hunter made her an important figure not only as a poet but also as a teacher and mentor.
She died on January 31, 1934. Although she is less widely read now than some of her contemporaries, her work still offers a glimpse of a writer who balanced scholarship, imagination, and a lifelong commitment to education.