Rosemary Daniell

Last updated
Rosemary Daniell
BornRosemary Hughes
(1935-11-29) November 29, 1935 (age 89)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
OccupationPoet, Author, Teacher
LanguageEnglish
Period1975-present
GenrePoetry, Non-fiction, Fiction
Notable worksA Sexual Tour of the Deep South, Fatal Flowers, Sleeping with Soldiers
Spouse
Laurens Ramos
(m. 1952;div. 1955)

Sidney S. Daniell
(m. 1956;div. 1968)

Jonathan S. Coppelman
(m. 1969;div. 1976)

Timothy Zane Ward
(m. 1987)
Children3 (all deceased)

Rosemary Daniell (born November 29, 1935) is an American second-wave feminist poet and author. She is known for her poetry collection, "A Sexual Tour of the Deep South," that focused on anger and sexuality, as well as her memoirs "Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex, and Suicide in the Deep South" and "Sleeping with Soldiers: In Search of the Macho Man." [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Rosemary Daniell was born Rosemary Hughes in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 29, 1935. Following her family's move to Tucker, Georgia, when she was 16 years old, Daniell dropped out of Tucker High School to marry her first husband, Laurens Ramos. [3]

Career

Daniell has authored ten books of poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction; appeared on various national television and radio shows; and lectured at numerous literary venues. [4] In 1981, Daniell founded a series of creative writing workshops for women in Savannah, Georgia. Speaking of her importance in the Savannah literary scene, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler wrote: “Rosemary Daniell belongs in the Mount Rushmore of Savannah literary figures. And by that, I mean, Flannery O’Connor, Conrad Aiken, Johnny Mercer,” said Feiler, ticking off a list of marquee names to which he will belong one day. “She is right up there in the Top 10 literary figures that have ever come out of Savannah."

Formative experiences and early career

In 1975, Daniell's mother died by suicide and her father died of cancer. That same year, she published her first book of poetry, A Sexual Tour of the Deep South. The book stirred controversy in the Bible Belt but was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best works of feminist literature of the era. [3] [5] Her second poetry collection The Feathered Trees, published the following year, focused mostly on nature, while her third poetry collection Fort Bragg & Other Points South (1988) saw her return to writing about women's sexual experiences. [3] [6]

Her first memoir, Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex, and Suicide in the Deep South (1980), was partially inspired by her mother's unrealised talents as a writer and her subsequent suicide.

Daniell's second memoir, Sleeping with Soldiers (1985), draws from her experience as one of the first women to work on an oil rig. She describes the men she's attracted to as "macho men": physically strong and courageous risk-takers "who communicate viscerally and emotionally rather than intellectually." [3]

Daniell's contributions to second-wave feminism [2] are profiled in the book Feminists Who Changed America,1963–1975 by Barbara J. Love, editor and foreword by Nancy F. Cott.

Daniell's first book about her workshops, The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself: Writing and the Zona Rosa Way, was published by Faber and Faber in 1997; her second book about the writing workshops, Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women's Lives, was published by Henry Holt in 2006.

Daniell was awarded the Governor's Award in the Humanities in 2008 for her contributions to Georgia's literary heritage. [3]

Teaching and the Zona Rosa writing group

In the 1970s, Daniell became involved in activities that encouraged the appreciation of writers and writing. During 1971–72, she served as Director of Poetry in the Schools, a joint program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Georgia State Council for the Arts, a national program that allowed students to work with published poets. During that time, she initiated and led a number of writing workshops in various locations, including the Georgia Correctional Institute for Women, and the Wyoming Women's Centre in Lusk, Wyoming. [3]

Publications

Poetry

Nonfiction

Fiction

Literary and small press – Poetry

Literary and small press – prose

Literary and small press publications – other

Anthologies

Trade/other publications

Book reviews

Grants and awards

Theatre

Television and Movies

Mixed media

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References

  1. Tso, Yi-Hsuan. "Rosemary Daniell". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Love, Barbara J (October 2006). Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 106. ISBN   978-0-252-09747-8 . Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tso, Yi-Hsuan. "Rosemary Daniell". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  4. https://www.savannahnow.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/07/31/a-celebration-of-savannah-literary-legend-rosemary-daniell/74592156007/
  5. Hinzen, Parul (3 April 2014). "'70s era rabble-rouser Rosemary Daniell nurtures new writer". Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  6. Crosby, Gayla. "20 Questions answered by Rosemary Daniell". Wow! Women on Writing. Retrieved 7 April 2021.