Honorary statue of James Whitcomb Riley on courthouse lawn in Greenfield, Indiana

James Whitcomb Riley (Greenfield, Indiana October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916), American writer and poet called the "Hoosier poet" and America's "Children's Poet" made a start writing newspaper verse in Hoosier dialect for the Indianapolis Journal in 1875. Some of his phrases remained in the popular repertory after the poems were no longer read: "when the frost is on the punkin." Known for his dialect recitations and pithy pragmatic remarks, his popular verse was humorous or sentimental— one of whose sentimental poems was "Little Orphant Annie" He knew the secret of his own success: “simple sentiments that come from the heart” and satisfied his public with modest verse that was "heart high." He supported himself touring with dialect and public readings of his poetry. His favorite authors were Burns and Dickens. His last collection was Knee Deep in June (1912). Statue of James W. Riley Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 04:59, Aug 23, 2004 (UTC) ( ) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Statue of James W. Riley Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 04:59, Aug 23, 2004 (UTC) ( ) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Greenfield is a city located in Hancock County, Indiana. ... Greenfield is a city located in Hancock County, Indiana. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 22 July is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... A Hoosier is a resident or native of the U.S. state of Indiana. ... Little Orphan Annie is a comic strip created by Harold Gray which first appeared on August 5, 1924. ... Robert Burns, preeminent Scottish poet Statue of Burns in London Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796) is the best known of the poets who have written in Scots. ... Charles Dickens used his rich imagination, sense of humour and detailed memories, particularly of his childhood, to enliven his fiction. ...

As the "People's Laureate," his poems were considered so inspiring, in 1915 the Secretary of the Interior suggested that one of his poems be read in each school-house in the land.

"When I see a bird that walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."— James Whitcomb Riley

Legacy

In 1916 a group of prominent citizens from Indianapolis who knew Riley started the Riley Memorial Association (later called Riley Children's Foundation) to build a children's hospital in memory of Riley. The James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children opened in 1924. In 1950, the foundation started Camp Riley, a camp in south central Indiana for children with disabilities. 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... The Indianapolis skyline Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana. ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... State nickname: The Hoosier State Other U.S. States Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Governor Mitch Daniels (R) Senators Richard Lugar (R) Evan Bayh (D) Official languages English Area 94,321 km² (38th)  - Land 92,897 km²  - Water 1,424 km² (1. ...

External links

• Cambridge History of English and American Literature vol. 17: Later National poets
• James Whitcomb Riley eTexts at Project Gutenberg
• Riley Museum - Riley home museum in the Lockerbie neighborhood in Indianapolis
• A tribute site about Riley and his works
• Riley Children's Foundation
• James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children

Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ... The Indianapolis skyline Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana. ...

Reference

• Elizabeth J. Van Allen, James Whitcomb Riley: A Life, 1999