Winifred Margaretta Kirkland

Born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1872, she studied at the Packer Institute, earned her A.B. from Vassar College in 1897, and then did graduate work at Bryn Mawr. Before focusing fully on writing, she taught English at Misses Shipley’s School in Bryn Mawr.

Her early work was known for essays and magazine writing, while later books turned more strongly toward religious subjects. She wrote a substantial body of work across essays, fiction, and books for young readers, and she occasionally used the pen name James Priceman.

She died on May 14, 1943. One of the pieces she is still noted for is the 1918 Atlantic essay "The New Death," which reflected on changing attitudes toward death in the aftermath of World War I.