Jean Burden
| Jean Burden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 September 1914 Waukegan, Illinois |
| Died | 21 April 2008 (aged 93) Altadena, California |
| Pen name | Felicia Ames |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
Jean P. Burden (September 1, 1914 – April 21, 2008) was an American poet, essayist, and author. She was the poetry editor for Yankee magazine for nearly fifty years. She also wrote multiple animal-care books under the pen name Felicia Ames.
Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Jean P. Burden was an only child. She developed an interest in poetry at age 7 which continued throughout her adult life. As a child, she adopted a small kitten which found her reading on her porch, and from that time forward always had one or two cats. Her cats figure in some of her poetry and inspired her to write several books on cats, such as the bestseller The Classic Cat. She wrote many books on the care of animals for the Friskie Corporation, selling between two and three million copies. The first of her two books of poetry, Naked as the Glass, was praised by U.S. Poet Laureate Howard Nemerov as filled with "unobtrusive technical virtuosity."
Burden received the only two-year scholarship offered to women to attend the University of Chicago where she studied under Thornton Wilder and graduated in 1936. She and her husband David were married from 1940 to 1949. After the dissolution of their marriage, Jean met Alan Watts and they had a "four year, tumultuous love affair". Though ending badly, the union inspired Watts to call Jean in his autobiography (p. 297) an "important influence". Jean used Alan's calligraphy and a quote from him (有水皆含月 : All the waters contain the moon) in her last major work,Taking Light from Each Other. She called him "one of the most fascinating men I have ever met".
During her career she served as West Coast editor of Faith Today and for nearly 50 years (1955–2002) was the poetry editor of Yankee Magazine. She published numerous books of poetry and essays, and her work appeared in many national magazines, including Poetry, Atlantic, American Scholar, Trace, Saturday Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Better Homes and Gardens, Mademoiselle, Prairie Schooner, and Southern Review. She taught both privately and in workshops, and her book "Journey Toward Poetry" is a primer for teachers of poetry.
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