Writer. Best known for her poem "Spirit of the Mountains," which was first published in 1905 and gives account of the Southern mountain life. Born on October 19, 1879, she was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Bell and Martha Ann Mirick Bell. Her parents were school teachers. When she was nine, her family moved to Red Bank, Tennessee, and then to Walden's Ridge, Tennessee. Because of her artistic talents, she was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, to study art. After two years away, her homesickness made her return home to Walden's Ridge. She fell in love and married George Franklin Miles. They became the parents of five children. Their married life was complicated. She was primarily the bread-winner for the family. She sold short stories, poems, and art. Most of her work reflected life in Appalachia. She gave lectures and was a writer in residence for one year at Lincoln Memorial University. Her life was one of continual poverty and stress. The death from scarlet fever of her youngest child in 1913, caused her health to fail. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1915 and died on March 19, 1919.
Writer. Best known for her poem "Spirit of the Mountains," which was first published in 1905 and gives account of the Southern mountain life. Born on October 19, 1879, she was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Bell and Martha Ann Mirick Bell. Her parents were school teachers. When she was nine, her family moved to Red Bank, Tennessee, and then to Walden's Ridge, Tennessee. Because of her artistic talents, she was sent to St. Louis, Missouri, to study art. After two years away, her homesickness made her return home to Walden's Ridge. She fell in love and married George Franklin Miles. They became the parents of five children. Their married life was complicated. She was primarily the bread-winner for the family. She sold short stories, poems, and art. Most of her work reflected life in Appalachia. She gave lectures and was a writer in residence for one year at Lincoln Memorial University. Her life was one of continual poverty and stress. The death from scarlet fever of her youngest child in 1913, caused her health to fail. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1915 and died on March 19, 1919.
Bio by: md rudder
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