Phyllis McGinley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phyllis McGinley
Born	March 21, 1905 Ontario, Oregon
Died	February 22, 1978(1978-02-22) (aged 72) New York City
Nationality	US

Phyllis McGinley (born March 21, 1905 – died February 22, 1978) was an American writer. She wrote books for children and many poems. Her poems were often funny and lighthearted. They focused on humor and the good parts of living in the suburbs. She won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for her poetry.

Phyllis McGinley was very popular during her lifetime. Her work appeared in many newspapers and magazines. These included Ladies' Home Journal and The New Yorker. She also received many special degrees from colleges. Time Magazine even put her on its cover in 1965.

About Her Life

Phyllis McGinley was born on March 21, 1905, in Ontario, Oregon. Her father bought and sold land, and her mother played the piano. When Phyllis was only three months old, her family moved to a ranch in Colorado. She didn't like living on the ranch much. She felt lonely and didn't have many friends.

When she was 12, her father died. Her family then moved to Utah to live with her aunt. Phyllis studied at the University of Southern California. She also studied musical theater at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She finished college in 1927.

After selling some of her poems, she decided to move to New York in 1929. There, she had different jobs. She wrote ads for a company and taught at a junior high school. She also wrote for a magazine called Town and Country.

In 1934, she met Charles L. Hayden. He worked for the Bell Telephone Company and played jazz piano. They got married on June 25, 1937. They moved to Larchmont, New York. The suburban area where they lived became a big part of her writing. Phyllis McGinley had two daughters. One daughter, Julie Hayden, became a writer too.

In 1956, McGinley wrote a rhyming children's story. It was called "The Year Without a Santa Claus." It was first in Good Housekeeping magazine. People liked it so much that it became a book the next year. Later, in 1968, the famous actor Boris Karloff recorded the story. His reading was very warm and lively. It was one of his last performances before he died.

Phyllis McGinley passed away in New York City in 1978. Her writings and personal items are kept at Syracuse University. They show her long career as a humorist and poet.

Her Ideas and Beliefs

Marriage and a stable home were very important to Phyllis McGinley. This was because she moved a lot as a child. She felt she never had a "real home." She married happily at 32 and loved being a homemaker. Her life with her husband was joyful and welcoming. They often had friends over, including famous writers and critics.

Phyllis McGinley was a strong Roman Catholic. She believed in the importance of home and family life. This was at a time when many women were starting to push for different roles. She wrote poems that were light and fun. This was different from the serious poetry that was popular then.

She was sometimes criticized for being a "housewife poet." But McGinley used this label herself. She saw it as an honorable way to describe her identity. She believed that women's power came from building strong families. She defended their right to do so. She knew that being a homemaker could be boring sometimes. But she felt it was important for women to find their unique and special place in life.

One of her children's books is The Plain Princess, published in 1945. It tells the story of Esmeralda, a princess who learns to be kind and humble. It's a modern fairy tale. In the story, Esmeralda learns to solve her own problems. She doesn't rely on a prince or her father. A wise woman named Dame Goodwit helps her. But Dame Goodwit uses her intelligence, not magic. This shows a strong, independent woman.

In the story, Esmeralda moves from her royal life to a suburban setting. This new environment helps her change for the better. She becomes independent and knowledgeable. This matched McGinley's own view. She believed that suburban life could be fulfilling and freeing for women. Even if daily life was sometimes routine, she found joy in it.

Her Writing Style

Phyllis McGinley often wrote in a style called light verse. This type of poetry aims to be humorous and fun. She chose this style for several reasons. One reason was practical: magazines like The New Yorker paid more for "light" poetry.

McGinley explained the difference between light verse and serious poetry. She said that light verse appeals to the mind. Serious poetry, on the other hand, appeals to feelings. She was very good at writing about everyday life in a funny way. This made her very popular. She believed that writers should celebrate good things in a difficult world.

She also felt that writing light verse was like managing a home. Both needed skill, balance, and wit. Being a good hostess and a good poet both required perfect form and a light touch. Through her clever poems, McGinley shared her ideas about society.

Awards and Honors

Phyllis McGinley received many awards for her writing.

• In 1955, she was chosen for the National Academy of Arts and Letters.
• She received several honorary degrees from colleges.
• She won the Catholic Book Club's Campion Award in 1967.
• She also received the Catholic Institute of the Press Award in 1960.
• In 1964, she was given the Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame. This award honors someone who has "enriched the heritage of humanity."
• In 1961, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her book Times Three: Selected Verse from Three Decades with Seventy New Poems. She was the first person to win the poetry prize for a collection of light verse.

Poetry Collections

• On the Contrary (1934)
• One More Manhattan (1937)
• Husbands Are Difficult (1941)
• Stones from Glass Houses (1946)
• A Short Walk from the Station (1951)
• The Love Letters of Phyllis McGinley (1954)
• Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (1958)
• Times Three: Selected Verse from Three Decades (1960) – This book won the Pulitzer Prize.
• Sugar and Spice (1960)
• A Wreath of Christmas Legends (1967)

Children's Books

• The Horse That Lived Upstairs (1944)
• The Plain Princess (1945)
• All Around the Town (1948)
• The Most Wonderful Doll in the World (1950)
• Blunderbus (1951)
• The Make-Believe Twins (1953)
• The Year Without a Santa Claus (1957)
• Boys Are Awful (1962)
• How Mrs. Santa Claus Saved Christmas (1963)

Non-fiction Books

• The Province of the Heart (1959) – Essays where McGinley wrote about suburban life.
• Sixpence in Her Shoe (1963) – This book shared stories from her own life.
• Saint-Watching (1969) – A book about saints.