Josephine Preston Peabody was an accomplished author noted for her plays and poetry. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to 26 King Street in Dorchester to live with her maternal grandmother after her father’s death. She attended the Harris School and Girls’ Latin School and was accepted to Radcliffe College as a special student. The Woman’s Journal published a poem that she wrote at the age of fourteen, while some of her other early pieces appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and Scribner’s Magazine. She taught literature from 1901 – 03 at Wellesley College. Her verse drama, The Piper (1909), was awarded the Stratford Prize and was staged in London and New York. Her collection of poetry, The Singing Man (1911), reflected her commitment to social justice. She moved to Cambridge, MA, traveled extensively in Europe, and married Harvard professor Lionel Marks. His support made it possible for her to focus on her writing, much of which was published by Houghton Mifflin. She was also the mother of two children.
