Zona Gale

Born in Portage, Wisconsin, in 1874, Zona Gale became known as a novelist, short story writer, and playwright with a gift for capturing the rhythms, hopes, and frustrations of ordinary life. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1895, she worked as a newspaper reporter before turning to freelance writing.

Much of her fiction drew on the world of the American Midwest, especially the small-town setting that inspired her popular Friendship Village stories. Her play Miss Lulu Bett, adapted from her novel, won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making her the first woman to receive that award.

Gale was also active in public life and supported a range of reform causes alongside her literary career. She died in 1938, but her work still stands out for its warmth, realism, and close attention to the inner lives of everyday people.