Karle Wilson Baker was the best-known Texas poet of the early 
twentieth century. Yet, while many of her male contemporaries 
remain well known to Texas literature, she does not. Her energy and 
significant role in shaping the literature of Texas equaled those of 
Walter Prescott Webb or J. Frank Dobie, with whom she ranked as 
the first Fellows of the Texas Institute of Letters.

    Although she lived in the small town of Nacogdoches, her modern 
lifestyle as an independent, "new" woman and her active career as a 
writer, teacher, and lecturer placed her among the avant-garde of 
women in the nation. She was a multi-talented writer with a wide 
range of interests, yet she championed Texas and the history and 
natural beauty of East Texas above all else.

    Sarah Ragland Jackson's thoroughly researched biography of 
Karle Wilson Baker introduces her to a new generation. Baker's life 
also opens a window onto the literary times in which she lived and 
the path of a woman making her way in the largely male-dominated 
world of nationally acclaimed writers.

    Beyond the literary insights this book offers, Jackson spotlights 
developments in East Texas such as the discovery of oil and the 
founding of what would become Stephen F. Austin State University 
in Baker's hometown. Extensive work in a number of regional and 
state archives as well as interviews with many who remembered 
Baker allow Jackson to offer an account that is not only thorough but 
also lively and entertaining.

_________________________________________________________

SARAH RAGLAND JACKSON is a retired faculty member of the 
Department of English at Stephen F. Austin State University. A 
graduate of Baylor University, she received a Master's degree from 
Southern Methodist University and has done post-graduate studies 
at the University of North Carolina and Oxford University.


Number Eight: Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life, sponsored by
Texas A&M University–Commerce


What people are saying about this book

"Jackson's biography is meticulously researched, and it benefits 
from numerous oral interviews, as well as the access she gained to 
privately held family papers . . . Jackson's research offers unique 
insights . . ."—Southwestern Historical Quarterly, October 2006

"Learning about Baker's remarkable life and career through 
Jackson's delicate hand is a joy."—Archie McDonald, Regent's 
Professor of History

"I Am Just a Writing Person gives us a charming as well as an 
informative account of the author’s writing career. We are invited to 
enjoy such diverse literary works as The Garden of Plynck: A 
Fantasy for Children, Family Style: A Novel of the East Texas Oil 
Field, and Star of the Wilderness, a novel of early Texas adventure. 
Mrs. Baker’s fame has resulted not only in recognition of her own 
literary achievements but also in her influence in the cultural and 
literary activities of the southwest."—Charlotte Baker Montgomery, 
daughter of Karle Wilson Baker

". . . exceptionally well researched . . . a very useful and interesting 
addition to the history of women writers and to the literary history of 
Texas."—Lou Halsell Rodenberger, co-editor, Let’s Hear It: Stories 
by Texas Women Writers and Texas Women Writers: A Tradition 
of Their Own