Edna St. Vincent Millay – Homeschool Oklahoma

Edna St. Vincent Millay, known as Vincent to her family and friends, was born in February 1892 in a small town in Maine. Though her family didn’t have much money, they were rich in love, books, music, and imagination. In spite of the fact that Vincent’s mother worked long hours, Vincent had many close-to-home adventures with her mother and her two sisters. Together, they played games, sang, acted out plays, and enjoyed time with their friends. They were frugal with their food and home expenses so that they would have money for books, magazines, music, and art. They needed to feed and warm their minds along with their bodies.

Vincent wrote her first poem when she was five years old. She kept a journal of poems, decided to her mother, from that young age. When she was old enough, Vincent moved to Greenwich Village in New York City to make her way as an actress and author. Vincent’s great imagination allowed her to write all kind s of poems about the mysteries and wonders of everyday life. She was talented at finding beauty everywhere.

After spending years in New York, on scholarship at Vassar College, and writing on her own, Vincent met Eugen Jan Boissevain at a party. A little while later, she married him. Soon after, she was in great demand as a speaker and poet. In 1923, she won a Pulitzer Prize for her work. Vincent and Boissevian lived the rest of their years together on a farm in New York State, where he made sure that Vincent had time to focus on her work.

You’ll find links to some of Vincent’s poetry below. Enjoy them!