Item Detail
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7725
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0
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0
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English
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Portrait For a Western Album
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American West
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May/June 1978
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15
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30-31
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The family of Josephine Donna Smith (1841-1928) fled from the violence and persecution the Mormons suffered in Nauvoo, Illinois. In her teen years in Los Angeles, California, she became a recognized poet and also experienced a disastrous marriage. She changed her name to Ina Coolbrith and hid the secrets of her Mormon background and unfortunate marriage. She relocated in San Francisco, and her fame spread. Her energies were soon consumed, however, when she accepted full-time employment to support four relatives and friends. Despite decreased literary production, she was honored by California as its poet laureate.