James Whitcomb Riley (1849 - 1916)

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American children's poet and writer.

In 1874, Riley began working as a reporter and assistant editor for various publications, writing book reviews, humorous articles, and poems for the Indianapolis Journal newspaper. Riley also lectured from universities to theaters across the country, where he read poetry alongside writer Edgar Wilson (Bill) Nye. He attracted audiences with his oratorical skills and his imitation of the dialects of rural Indiana.

Many of Riley's poems, published in the Indianapolis Journal, were later collected in his first book, The Old Swimmin'-Hole and 'Leven Other Poems, published in 1883. By the 1890s, Riley had achieved commercial success through his writing talents and touring. His book 'Poems of Childhood' became a bestseller and he became known in the community as the 'child poet'.

Riley's poems "Little Orphan Annie" and "The Raggedy Man" served as inspiration for the books and puppets of the Broadway musical "Annie and Raggedy Ann," as well as many other entertaining works. A prolific writer, Riley published more than 50 books during his lifetime, his witty poetry is especially appreciated for its sometimes quirky reflection of small-town America.