Eve Merriam

Eve Merriam (July 19, 1916 – April 11, 1992) was an American poet and writer.

Writing career[]

Merriam's first book was the 1946 Family Circle, which won the Yale Younger Poets Prize.^[1]

Her book, , was described as one of the happiest books of the time.^[2] It inspired a 1971 Broadway musical called , later revived in 1982 under the title Street Dreams.^[2][3][4] In 1956 she published Emma Lazarus: Woman with a Torch.^[5] In 1981 she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.^[2] One of her books for children is Halloween ABC. She published over 30 books,^[6] and taught at both City College and New York University.^[7]

Her play Out of Our Father's House, based on her book Growing Up Female in America, was televised in the Great Performances series in 1978.

Personal life[]

Born as Eve Moskovitz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eve Merriam was one of four children of Russian immigrants Max Moscovitz and Jennie Siegel.^[8] After graduating with an A.B. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937,^[8] Merriam moved to New York to pursue graduate studies at Columbia University. She was married for a time to writer Leonard C. Lewin. She later married screenwriter Waldo Salt and was actress Jennifer Salt's stepmother.

Death[]

Merriam died on April 11, 1992 in Manhattan from liver cancer.

References[]

Core biographical material[]

• "Eve Merriam, Poet and Author Who Wrote for Children, Is Dead," Bruce Lambert, The New York Times, April 13, 1992.
• Heffer, Helen Ruth Julian. A Checklist of Works by and about Eve Merriam. Master's thesis, University of Maryland, 1980. Includes 84-page biographical essay.
• Copeland, J. S., Speaking of Poets: Interviews with Poets Who Write for Children and Young Adults (1993).
• short biography from Wisconsin Writers' Collection at MITH
• Biography at Jewish Women's Archive
• “Eve Merriam.” In Anne Commire, ed., Something About the Author, vol. 40. Detrolt: Gale Research Co., 1985.

In other works[]

• Randy Shilts. The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life & Times of Harvey Milk (New York: St. Martins, 1982).
• Kate Weigand. Red Feminism: American Communism and the Making of Women's Liberation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001).

Archival materials[]

• Finding Aid for holdings related to Eve Merriam in the University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collection
• Papers, 1840-1978 (inclusive), 1930-1978 (bulk): A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
• Additional papers, 1960-1984 (inclusive), 1978-1984 (bulk): A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
• Additional papers of Eve Merriam, ca.1930-1992: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
• Audiovisual collection of Eve Merriam, 1964-1992: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.

Notes[]