Ina Coolbrith: Poetry Reborn, Part II
By Mick Storm, Coastal Dunes Branch
…continued from Part I, previous showcase.
Family circumstances forced Ina to become the family’s breadwinner; thus, she moved to Oakland and became the city librarian. Due to her long work hours, which often required her to reside at the library, her production of poetry declined. Nevertheless, she used her position in the library to mentor and encourage young readers such as the aforementioned Jack London and the renowned dancer and choreographer Isadora Duncan. After nearly twenty years of service, the Oakland library reorganized and fired Ina Coolbrith replacing her with the orphaned nephew she helped raise. Feeling betrayed and dejected, Coolbrith moved back to San Francisco.
The return to San Francisco proved fortuitous when Ina Coolbrith was invited to become the librarian for the Bohemian Club, which served as a meeting place for journalists, artists, musicians, and businessmen. She began to write a history of California literature; however, tragedy struck when her home was consumed by fire in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. She lost 3,000 books, personal letters, and a nearly completed manuscript. Coolbrith’s friends from the Bohemian Club came to her rescue and helped her buy a new home through donations and organized fundraisers. During this period, Ina’s literary career again flourished, and she resumed hosting literary salons at her new home.
As her acclaim grew nationally and internationally, Coolbrith traveled regularly to New York City to promote her works. For a while, she considered writing an autobiography but did not follow through with it because writing about her romances with such men as Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and Joaquin Miller was believed to be too controversial.
In 1913, Ina Coolbrith was selected to become an honorary member of the California Writers Club along with her longtime friend Jack London. During the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, a World Congress of Authors was convened. As a result of its recommendation, the California state legislature named Ina Coolbrith as the first poet laureate of California, and she thus became the first poet laureate of any American state.
Ina Coolbrith’s poetry was written during a period in which women were expected to write either melancholic or uplifting poems. Yet, Coolbrith according to literary reviews, exceeded expectations by including a wide variety of themes. She composed sensuous descriptions of natural scenes which foreshadowed the Imagist school and the work of Robert Frost.
During her final years, Ina Coolbrith was crippled by arthritis and was cared for by her niece. Still, she continued to receive visitors, which included the young photographer Ansel Adams who photographed her seated with one of her Persian cats.
The California Writers Club continues to celebrate her life and work by awarding the “Ina Coolbrith Award” to a member in recognition of distinguished service.
This writer believes that Ina Coolbrith is a prime example of an author who could never be tempted by pain or circumstance to put the pen down. She seemed to use the many detours and dead ends of life to strengthen her resolve to pursue her craft and share the words which naturally poured from her heart.
See our next Showcase to learn more
about Ina Coolbrith’s extraordinary life.