author
Ida Glenwood
1829–1894
A blind 19th-century American poet and novelist, this writer published under the name Ida Glenwood and was remembered in Michigan literary circles as the “Blind Bard of Michigan.” Her work blends sentiment, drama, and the moral seriousness common to popular fiction of her era.
1 Audiobook
Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale
by Ida Glenwood
About the author
Born Cynthia Roberts Gorton in Massachusetts in 1826, she wrote under the pen name Ida Glenwood. She later became known as a blind poet and author, and sources connect her especially with Michigan, where she earned the nickname “Blind Bard of Michigan.”
Her published work included both poetry and fiction. She is associated with titles such as Lily Pearl and the Mistress of Rosedale and The Fatal Secret, and her writing reached readers in the later 19th century through books and periodical contributions.
Some library listings give 1829–1894 under the Ida Glenwood name, while biographical sources identify the author as Cynthia Roberts Gorton (1826–1894). The records agree on her death in 1894, but the differing birth years are worth noting.