James Whitcomb Riley: The Hoosier Poet

I'm delighted to have selected another poet to continue our Poem-A-Day adventure. After our last fiasco, I decided to pick a "sure thing" in the delight department--James Whitcomb Riley. Besides the fact that I have several very, very old volumes that have been handed down through my family, and besides the fact that he was a local, his poems are very different and charming. The "hick"(for lack of a better term :)) dialect that he uses to engage the reader is fun, rather than annoying (at least so far!) and really shows his individuality.

I haven't found a good, simple biography on him yet, but I'm sure I will. For now, we just went with the most well-known general info and began reading.

I am using my books, and also the collection from Ambleside. I made a picture/poster for our school room and I use a simple biography sheet that I made up. I'll work on making that available to anyone who may want it.

We also have the honor of having both of his homes--both upheld as museums--here in our city, as well as his grave. We are also fortunate to have NOT had to visit the children's hospital named after him--may we never have to. Ah, field trips! Gotta love that!