author
Nancy Byrd Turner
1880–1971
Remembered for graceful, accessible verse, this Virginia-born poet also worked as an editor and lecturer, bringing poetry to a wide audience. Her work appeared in major magazines, and she earned recognition from literary groups in her home state.
1 Audiobook
Zodiac Town : the rhymes of Amos and Ann
by Nancy Byrd Turner
About the author
Born in Boydton, Virginia, on July 29, 1880, she grew up in a minister's family and began writing at an early age. After graduating from Hannah More Academy in 1898, she worked as a teacher before building a broader literary career.
She became known as an American poet, editor, and lecturer. Sources available here indicate that her poems were published in national magazines, and that she later joined the editorial staff of The Youth's Companion in Boston.
She received the Golden Rose Award and a poetry prize from the Virginia Writers' Club. She died on September 5, 1971, leaving behind a body of work that helped keep lyric poetry warm, clear, and inviting for general readers.