Helen Hunt Jackson

Colorado’s Literary Lady

Helen Hunt Jackson bio by E. E. Duncan
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Great Lives in Colorado Series by E. E. Duncan

  • Ages 8 to 10
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish
  • 69 pages
  • Paperback
  • Publication date: 2010

Quote from book:

“Helen Hunt Jackson is a Colorado hero. She experienced great sadness and could have given up on life. She found a way to overcome her grief. She wrote in a way that touched people’s hearts. She made a difference in the world.”
-from Helen Hunt Jackson: Colorado’s Literary Lady by E. E. Duncan

About the Book:

Helen Hunt Jackson was one of the best-known authors of her time. She wrote poetry, children’s books, travel journals and novels. Helen suffered great sorrow and loss—the deaths of her husband and her two sons. She began writing to ease her pain. Friends published her work and her poetry reached others who had similar losses during the Civil War. Helen moved to Colorado Springs for her health and married William Sharpless Jackson. In Colorado, her health improved and she became passionate about life again. Her huge volume of writing was published in books, magazines and newspapers. Later, she worked for justice for Native Americans through her writing. She is best remembered for her book Ramona and her poetry.

Author’s Note:

This is the first biography that I wrote for the Great Lives in Colorado series. I fell in love with the research process, writing for children and my subject, Helen Hunt Jackson. H. H., as she was known to her readers, was filled with a passion for life that leapt out of the yellowing pages of the research materials. After I was finished with my manuscript, I took a volume of her poetry and hiked to Helen Hunt Jackson Falls in Colorado Springs. There I enjoyed a contemplative afternoon, remembering and appreciating the contributions of “Colorado’s literary lady.”

Press:

Great Lives in Colorado History: What we learned by channeling our inner third-grader
KELSEY WHIPPLE | SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 | WestWord
Denver teachers rewrite history — and their curriculum — with 13 Colorado biographies
KELSEY WHIPPLE | SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 | WestWord

Helen Hunt Jackson at home
This is a picture from a newspaper article about Helen Hunt Jackson at home. She wrote about everything, including interior design. (Picture courtesy of Denver Public Library, Western History Collection)