Alma Frances McCollum (7 December 1879, near Chatham, Ontario – 21 March 1906, Toronto)[1] was a Canadian poet and composer. She is best known for her collection of poems Flower Legends and Other Poems (1902).[2]
Alma Frances McCollum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alma Frances McCollum 7 December 1879 Chatham, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 21 March 1906 (aged 26) Toronto, Canada |
| Occupation | Poet, composer |
Early life and education
editAlma Frances McCollum was born on 7 December 1879, in a village near Chatham, Ontario to Edward Lee Collum (1826 – 1887) and Mary Ann Sharpe (1833 – 1919).[1][3] She was the youngest daughter of six in her family. Her parents both were born and brought up in Ireland. Her father, Edward Lee Collum, died when McCollum was still a child, and the family moved to Peterborough, Ontario, where they lived till 1905 before moving to Toronto.[4]
McCollum graduated from the Collegiate Institute at Peterborough and studied at the Toronto Presbyterian Ladies College, as well as in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[1]
Career
editMcCollum early started making rhymes and wrote most of the poems in her teen years.[5] A collection of her poems named Flower Legends and Other Poems was published in 1902.[2] The cover design of the book was sketched by McCollum herself.[5] The book was positively accepted by the Toronto literary community, namely Ethelwyn Wetherald, Jean Blewett, and J. W. Garvin.[1]
Having moved to Toronto she received musical training at the School of Expression in the Toronto Conservatory of Music and wrote plays for children.[1] She also took lectures in English Literature at University College, but after brief attendance she had to discontinue her studies due to health problems.[5]
Death and legacy
editMcCollum was diagnosed with incipient appendicitis, and during the operation on 21 March 1906 she died at the age of 26.[5]
Her book Flower Legends and Other Stories (1902) and its reprints can be found in libraries throughout the world, including The British Library,[6] McGrill University Library,[7] Plymouth State University Library[8] and others.
Her poems are also anthologized in following collections: Campbell, Oxford Book of Canadian Verse (1913); Caswell, Canadian Singers and Their Songs (1925); Garvin, Canadian Poets (1916); Garvin, Canadian Verse for Boys and Girls (1930); Whyte-Edgar, Wreath of Canadian Song (1910).[1]
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- Flower Legends and Other Poems (1902).[9]
List of selected poems
edit- Why Blossoms Fall[10]
- Love
- A Song of the Forest
- The Angel of the Sombre Cowl
- The Silent Singer
- Little Nellie’s Pa
- Forest Sounds
- The Angel’s Kiss
- Where Sings the Whippoorwill
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "McCollum, Alma Frances". SFU Digitized Collections. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ a b McCollum, Alma Frances (1902). Flower legends and other poems. Robarts - University of Toronto. Toronto W. Briggs.
- ^ Canada’s Early Women Writers. Alma Frances McCollum. Canada’s Early Women Writers, 18 May 2018.
- ^ Garvin, John William (1916). Canadian Poets and Poetry. Frederick A. Stokes Company. p. 290.
- ^ a b c d "Alma Frances McCollum". digital.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ "Explore the British Library". explore.bl.uk. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ "Search results for McGill University Library". mcgill.on.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ "Item Details Page for Flower legends and other poems". plymouth.on.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
- ^ McCollum, Alma Frances (1902). Flower legends and other poems. Robarts - University of Toronto. Toronto W. Briggs.
- ^ "Alma Frances McCollum poem > Why Blossoms Fall on Poemine.com". www.poemine.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.