Joyce Kilmer

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Joyce Kilmer became one of the most widely read American poets of the early 20th century. He studied at Rutgers and Columbia, worked as a journalist and literary editor, and wrote poetry that was direct, musical, and easy for general readers to love.

Kilmer is most closely associated with "Trees," first published in 1913, a poem whose plainspoken grace made it famous far beyond literary circles. His writing was also shaped by his Roman Catholic faith, which gave many of his poems and essays a warm, devotional spirit.

During World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in France. He was killed in action in 1918 at the age of 31, and he has since been remembered both as a popular poet and as one of the best-known American soldier-writers of his era.