Born in the rural mountain community of Chloe Creek in Pike County, Kentucky, Effie Waller Smith (1879–1960) was the daughter of Sibbie Ratliff and Frank Waller, both of whom were formerly enslaved.

Effie’s parents ensured that their children would be well educated,  and to that end, she attended Kentucky Normal School for Colored Persons, and from 1900 to 1902 where she trained as a teacher. Afterwards, she taught for some years.

Effie’s verse appeared in local papers, and she published her first collection, Songs of the Months, in 1904. That same year she entered a marriage that didn’t last long, and she divorced her husband. Read More→