James Wright photograph album

Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet James Wright (JW) was born in 1927 in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His parents were Dudley Wright, a die-cutter, and mother Jessie Wright, a Laundromat worker. JW began writing poetry in 1938 when he was inspired by James Whitcomb Riley and Lord Byron. After high school, JW was drafted into the United States Army for service during World War II. After completing his tour, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill and entered college. He eventually received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington, and became a professor at the University of Minnesota.

JW's first book of poetry was published in 1957. In 1972, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his Collected Poems published in 1971.

JW married his high-school sweetheart Liberty Kardules. The couple had two sons Franz and Marshall. JW and his first wife divorced in 1962. After moving to New York City to take a position with Hunter College, he met Edith Ann Runk (EAR), the "Annie" of many of his poems. They were married in April 1967. Throughout his life, JW suffered from some mental health issues including obsessive compulsive disorder, manic-depression and alcoholism.