Riley, James Whitcomb (1849–1916), Indiana poet, tried his hand at such diverse occupations as acting with a patent medicine show and house painting, until his connection with a local newspaper led him into a career of journalism and the writing of verse. His popularity dates from his period on the
Indianapolis Journal (1877–85), to which he contributed a series of genial poems in rustic dialect, ostensibly written by “ Benj. F. Johnson, of Boone.” The series, which included
When the Frost Is on the Punkin, was published in
The Old Swimmin'‐Hole and 'Leven More Poems (1883). This was the first of a number of books marked by the frequent use of Hoosier dialect, a simple sentimentality, a quaint whimsical kindliness, and cheerful philosophy, blended with a frequently obtrusive pathos. The most popular of the poems were
Little Orphant Annie,
The Old Man and Jim,
Knee‐Deep in June, and
The Raggedy Man, while the most successful of his books were
Afterwhiles (1887),
Pipes o'Pan at Zekesbury (1888),
Rhymes of Childhood (1890), and
Poems Here at Home (1893). He was also popular as a reader of his own poems, and frequently appeared with “Bill” Nye, whose broad humor he complemented with his appealing sentimentality. Meredith Nicholson's
The Poet is a fictional biography of Riley.
