Helen Steiner Rice (May 19, 1900 – April 23, 1981) was an American writer of both inspirational and

Christian poetry Christian poetry is any poetry that contains Christian teachings, themes, or references. The influence of Christianity on poetry has been great in any area that Christianity has taken hold. Christian poems often directly reference the Bible, while ...

Biography

Helen Steiner was born in Lorain, Ohio on May 19, 1900. Her father, a railroad worker, died in the

influenza epidemic of 1918 The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

. She began work for a public utility and progressed to the position of advertising manager, which was rare for a woman at that time. She also became the Ohio State Chairman of the Women's Public Information Committee of the Electric Light Association, and campaigned for women's rights and improved working conditions.Helen Steiner Rice
at Ohio History Central In 1929, she married Franklin Dryden Rice, a bank vice-president in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. After the

stock market crash A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often foll ...

in October that year, Franklin lost his job and his investments. He fell into a depression from which he never recovered and committed suicide in 1932. Rice became a successful businesswoman and lecturer but found her most satisfying outlet in writing verse for the greeting card company Gibson Greetings. Her poems received wide exposure in the 1960s when several were read by Aladdin on the poetry segment of the

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television show. The demand for her poems became so great that her books are still selling steadily after many printings, and she has been acclaimed as "America's beloved inspirational poet laureate".Helen Steiner Rice
at ChristianBook.comBook review
at RandomHouse.com Helen Steiner Rice’s books of inspirational poetry have now sold nearly seven million copies. Her strong religious faith and the ability she had to express deep emotion gave her poems timeless appeal. She died on the evening of April 23, 1981, a month before her 81st birthday, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). ''Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories''. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

, President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

and his wife Rosalynn were admirers of her artistry.

Bibliography

This is a list of books by Helen Steiner Rice published during her lifetime. Many other volumes of her works have been published after her death. * ''A time for rejoicing.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1964. * ''A Christmas gift of love.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1964. * ''Mother is a Word Called Love.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1964. * ''Climb 'til your dream comes true.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1964. * ''Tidings of joy for your Christmas.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1965. * ''Let not your heart be troubled.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1965. * ''On life's busy thoroughfare.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1966. * ''Just for you: a collection of inspirational verses.'' Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, 1967. * ''Prayers and meditations for your Christmas.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1967. * ''A gift of love; poems from the heart of Helen Steiner Rice.'' Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1968. * ''Heart Gifts from Helen Steiner Rice; A Special Selection of Her Poems and a Pen Portrait of Her As a Person.'' Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1968. * ''Sunshine of joy.'' Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1968. * ''Lovingly: poems for all seasons.'' Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1970. * ''If there had never been a Christmas.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1971. * ''Prayerfully.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1971. * ''Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.'' Cincinnati: Gibson Greeting Cards, 1971. * ''Someone cares; the collected poems of Helen Steiner Rice.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1972. * ''Story of the Christmas guest, as retold by Helen Steiner Rice.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1972. * ''Life is forever.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1974. * ''Somebody loves you.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1976. * ''Everyone needs someone : poems of love and friendship.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1978. * ''In the vineyard of the Lord / Helen Steiner Rice, as told to Fred Bauer.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1979. * ''And the greatest of these is love : poems and promises / Helen Steiner Rice ; compiled by Donald T. Kauffman.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1980. * ''Mothers are a gift of love.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1980. * ''Gifts from the heart.'' Old Tappan, N.J., Fleming H. Revell, 1981.

References

External links

Biography
at official website, helensteinerrice.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Helen Steiner 1900 births 1981 deaths People from Lorain, Ohio 20th-century American poets Christian poets American women poets Poets from Ohio 20th-century American women writers

Biography

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links