Tulare County Library Celebrates Poetry and the Life and Works of Wilma McDaniel

Media Contact:
Jonathan Waltmire, Tulare County Library
(559) 713-2723, jonathan.waltmire@tularecountylibrary.org

The “Okie Poet,” Wilma McDaniel, will be the focus of Tulare County Library’s celebration of National Poetry Month on Saturday, April 12 at the Visalia Branch Library. The event kicks off at 11:00 a.m. and will feature local author and friend of Wilma McDaniel, Betty Blanks, who will speak about Wilma and her impact on poetry in Tulare County and beyond. A discussion will be led by librarian Jonathan Waltmire sharing information on the Literary Landmark Award for McDaniel and its importance for local poetry and Tulare County. A showing of an award-winning short film on McDaniel and readings of her poems is also scheduled.

Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel (1918-2007), acclaimed folk poet, was known as “The Okie Poet,” and was Tulare’s Bicentennial Poet and Poet Laureate. Born near Stroud, Oklahoma, Wilma, at age 8, began writing poetry on scraps of paper and cardboard for later publication. McDaniel’s family moved to the San Joaquin Valley during the Dust Bowl and settled in Tulare, California. Her childhood in Oklahoma, the Dust Bowl migrant experience, and living in Tulare County influenced her evocative, plain language poetry. She published over 50 books of poetry, including The Carousel Would Haunt Me and Walking on an Old Road.

Betty Blanks is a Valley native, retired lawyer, and newly published author. When she retired from her Visalia law practice in 2018, she decided to write the biography of her close friend, Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel. She hopes the book encourages a new generation of readers to discover Wilma’s work.

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The Tulare County Library serves all the residents of Tulare County with locations in 17 communities, Read to Succeed literacy center, Pop Up Tulare County, and online at www.tularecountylibrary.org. Follow the Library on Facebook or local branch page, Instagram, or Twitter.