Jessie Belle Rittenhouse
Encyclopedia
Jessie Belle Rittenhouse Scollard (1869–1948) , daughter of John Edward and Mary (MacArthur) Rittenhouse, was a literary critic, compiler of anthologies, and poet. After graduating in 1890 from Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
in Lima, New York
, Rittenhouse taught school in Cairo, Illinois
and Grand Haven, Michigan
. Her literary career began with book reviews in Buffalo and Rochester, New York, and led to a year as a reporter for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
in 1894. In 1899 she moved to Boston to begin her literary career in earnest. From 1905 to 1915 Rittenhouse lived in New York City, where she was poetry reviewer for the New York Times Review of Books
. From 1914 to 1924 she conducted lecture tours. In 1914 Rittenhouse helped to found the Poetry Society of America
, of which she was secretary for 10 yrs.
Rittenhouse married fellow poet Clinton Scollard
in 1924.
In the course of her career, Rittenhouse corresponded with numerous contemporary poets, such as John Myers O'Hara
, Margaret Widdemer
, and Arthur Guiterman
. Her poems were set to music by many composers, including Samuel Barber
, Noble Cain, Alice Reber Fish, Ethel Glenn Hier
, Kirke Mechem
, Frederick W. Vanderpool, Wintter Watts
, and especially David Wendel Guion.
Late in her career, Rittenhouse moved to Winter Haven, Florida
and became associated with Rollins College
, where she was a lecturer in poetry.
The Poetry Society of America presented Rittenhouse the first Robert Frost Medal in 1930.
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was the name of two institutions located on the same site in Lima, New York.The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was founded in 1831 by the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The plan for its establishment dates to 1829 when the Conference...
in Lima, New York
Lima (village), New York
Lima is a village in Livingston County, New York, USA. The population was 2,459 at the 2000 census.The Village of Lima is in the Town of Lima and is nineteen miles south of the city of Rochester, NY.- History :...
, Rittenhouse taught school in Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
and Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
. Her literary career began with book reviews in Buffalo and Rochester, New York, and led to a year as a reporter for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat and Chronicle
The Democrat and Chronicle is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York area. Located at 55 Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is located in the town of...
in 1894. In 1899 she moved to Boston to begin her literary career in earnest. From 1905 to 1915 Rittenhouse lived in New York City, where she was poetry reviewer for the New York Times Review of Books
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
. From 1914 to 1924 she conducted lecture tours. In 1914 Rittenhouse helped to found the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
, of which she was secretary for 10 yrs.
Rittenhouse married fellow poet Clinton Scollard
Clinton Scollard
Clinton Scollard was a prolific American poet and occasional writer of fiction. He was a Professor of English at Hamilton College, and collaborator and husband of Jessie Belle Rittenhouse.- Professional career :...
in 1924.
In the course of her career, Rittenhouse corresponded with numerous contemporary poets, such as John Myers O'Hara
John Myers O'Hara
John Myers O'Hara was an American poet. His poem Atavism is used as the epigram to Jack London's The Call of the Wild:“Old longings nomadic leap, Chafing at custom’s chain; Again from its brumal sleep Wakens the ferine strain.”...
, Margaret Widdemer
Margaret Widdemer
Margaret Widdemer was a U.S. poet and novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1919 for her collection The Old Road to Paradise, sharing the prize with Carl Sandburg, who won for his collection Corn Huskers.-Biography:Margaret Widdemer was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and grew up...
, and Arthur Guiterman
Arthur Guiterman
Arthur Guiterman was an American writer best known for his humorous poems.-Life and career:Guiterman was born of American parents in Vienna, graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1891, and was married in 1909 to Vida Lindo. He was an editor of the Woman's Home Companion and the...
. Her poems were set to music by many composers, including Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
, Noble Cain, Alice Reber Fish, Ethel Glenn Hier
Ethel Glenn Hier
Ethel Glenn Hier was an American composer, teacher and pianist of Scottish ancestry.-Life:Ethel Glenn Hier was born in Madisonville, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. She studied at Ohio Wesleyan University and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in piano in 1908...
, Kirke Mechem
Kirke Mechem
Kirke Mechem is an American composer. His first opera, Tartuffe, with nearly 400 performances in six countries, has become one of the most popular operas written by an American. He has composed more than 250 works in almost every form. In 2002, ASCAP registered performances of his music in 42...
, Frederick W. Vanderpool, Wintter Watts
Wintter Watts
Wintter Watts was an American composer of art songs.-Life and musical career:...
, and especially David Wendel Guion.
Late in her career, Rittenhouse moved to Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 26,487 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 estimates, the city had a population of 32,577, making it the second most populated city in Polk County...
and became associated with Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
, where she was a lecturer in poetry.
The Poetry Society of America presented Rittenhouse the first Robert Frost Medal in 1930.
Anthologies
- The lover's Rubáiyát (1904)
- Little Book of Modern Verse (1913)
- Little Book of American Poets (1915)
- Second Book of Modern Verse (1919)
- Little Book of Modern British Verse (1924)
- Third Book of Modern Verse (1927)
- The Singing Heart (1934) (Selected verses by Clinton Scollard)
Verse
- The Door of Dreams (1918)
- The Lifted Cup (1921)
- The Secret Bird (1930)
- Moving Tide: New and Selected Lyrics (1939)
Edited with Clinton Scollard
- The Bird-Lovers Anthology (1930)
- Patrician Rhymes (1932)