author
Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis
1872–1940
A writer of fanciful children's stories, she also played a visible part in the American suffrage movement and later civic life. Her small body of published fiction is best known for its imaginative, fairy-tale style.
1 Audiobook
Six giants and a griffin, and other stories
by Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis
About the author
Born in Bellport, Long Island, on June 25, 1872, Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis later became known as Birdsall Otis Edey after her marriage. She is remembered as an American author and suffragist, with surviving records connecting her both to literary work and to organized activism for women's voting rights.
Her best-known book is Six Giants and a Griffin, and Other Stories (1903), a collection of whimsical tales for children. The stories lean into fantasy and adventure, giving her a place among early 20th-century writers of imaginative juvenile fiction.
Beyond her writing, she was active in suffrage organizations in New York and remained involved in public life after women won the vote. She died in 1940, leaving behind a profile that combines literary creativity with reform-minded energy.