Meridel Le Sueur

Meridel Le Sueur (February 22, 1900-November 14, 1996) grew up in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Minnesota as a child. Her family were activists, supporting labor groups such as the Populists and the Farmers’ Alliance. Le Sueur herself joined the Communist Party and became an advocate for the working class and underprivileged minorities. For a time, she worked as a silent film actress in Hollywood. Le Sueur is also cited as a proto-feminist; her work “Women on the Breadlines,” depicting the Depression-era struggles of women, was especially influential.

Le Sueur started writing at an early age, and her life experiences, along with the people surrounding her, greatly influenced her works. She wrote novels, short stories, children’s books, essays, and poetry during her lifetime. Her writings have focused on women and their struggles, U.S. history heroes, and cultural diversity. She wrote a people’s history of Minnesota called North Star Country. Some of her other works include The Girl and Nancy Hanks of Wilderness Road.