author
Shirley Barker
1911–1965
A New Hampshire writer, poet, and librarian, she built her fiction from early American history and the lives of New England settlers. Her novels are known for bringing colonial and Revolutionary-era worlds to life with warmth and detail.
1 Audiobook
The Road to Bunker Hill
by Shirley Barker
About the author
Born in Farmington, New Hampshire, in 1911, Shirley Frances Barker was an American writer, poet, and librarian. She studied at the University of New Hampshire, where she graduated in 1934, and later earned advanced degrees in English and library science.
Barker wrote poetry, essays, short stories, and novels, but she is especially remembered for historical fiction set in colonial and early New England. Her family background as a descendant of some of Massachusetts's early settlers helped shape the settings and themes of her work.
Alongside her writing, she worked in literary and library circles, including at the Towle Writers Conference at the University of New Hampshire. She died in 1965, leaving behind a body of work that blends careful research with a strong sense of place.