Grace King was a southern writer from New Orleans who focused on stories, events, and the history of her home state of Louisiana. Born in 1851 to a well-known and respected family, the end of legalized slavery and the economic impact of the Civil War, led to the family losing wealth and property. Grace was nonetheless able to focus on her formal education and love of literature. During the 1885 Cotton Centennial Exposition she met the editor Richard Watson Gilder. In the course of their conversation they discussed other writers who wrote about life in the South following the Civil War, including George W. Cable. Grace felt that Cable’s portrayal of the South was negative and a betrayal of Southern culture. Gilder encouraged Grace to write her own stories of Louisiana. The next day she put pen to paper and wrote her first published short story.

With assistance from good friend and fellow author, Charles Dudley Warner, Grace focused on writing and made it her goal to become financially independent. In June 1887, through Warner, Grace met Samuel Clemens and quickly befriended the entire Clemens family, becoming a frequent correspondent over the years. Olivia enjoyed discussing books and authors with King and the pair often made suggestions to one another about what to read next. The Clemens’ daughters adored her and often wrote asking when her next visit to Hartford would be.

Towards the end of her life King was revered for her literary talent and deep knowledge of southern history. She spent her last several years bedridden and died in January of 1932. She finished her autobiography, Memories of a Southern Woman of Letters shortly before she passed away. Scholars are divided on King’s views on race, slavery, and women’s roles in post-bellum society, but all agree that she was a leader in bringing women’s voices into the national literary conversation.