author
Marguerite Wilkinson
1883–1928
A Canadian-born American poet, editor, and critic, she helped shape early 20th-century literary taste while building a body of lyrical, thoughtful verse of her own. Her career joined creative work with sharp editorial judgment, making her an engaging figure in modern poetry’s early years.
1 Audiobook
The Passing of Mars: A Modern Morality Play
by Marguerite Wilkinson
About the author
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1883, she was raised in Canada and the United States and went on to study at Northwestern University, where she began writing poetry. She later became known not only as a poet but also as a literary editor and reviewer, with work connected to publications such as the Los Angeles Graphic, The New York Times Book Review, and Poetry magazine.
Her books include collections of poems as well as anthologies and critical works on verse, showing how comfortably she moved between writing, editing, and literary criticism. That mix of roles gives her work a distinctive interest: she was part of the conversation shaping modern poetry, not just contributing to it from the sidelines.
She died in New York City in 1928 after a swimming accident, leaving behind a career that was brief but varied and influential. For listeners coming to her today, she offers the pleasure of both a poet’s voice and an editor’s eye.