Ann Petry was born today in writing history, October 12. Celebrate the author’s birthday by learning more about her life and contributions to the literary world. Aspiring writers should also use this opportunity as a writing exercise. Look for inspiration today in writing history.

Please take this opportunity to learn more about Ann Petry and her contributions to literature. During an era of high racial tension and inequality, the author used her experiences to give readers a look at the issues. Her achievements as an early African-American writer are a testament to her prolific narratives.

Writing Prompts for Today In Writing: October 12

What led Ann Petry to be a writer? Where did the inspiration to tell her stories come from? And what helped the author create his way of writing? Find inspiration about Petry, learn more details about her life, and write!

Ann Petry Biography

Anna Houston Lane was born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on October 12, 1908. Her father, Peter Clark Lane, was a pharmacist, and her mother, Bertha James Lane, was a businesswoman. At the time, the Lane family was part of a tiny black minority in the town.

Old Saybrook provided Ann Petry shelter from the larger world and the racial issues present throughout. However, she was not entirely immune. Records show that one of Petry’s teachers refused to teach her because of her ethnicity. Another teacher made her read the part of Jupiter, an illiterate ex-slave, in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold-Bug. She would graduate high school in 1925, the only person of Afro-American descent. 

Petry’s Writing Career

Ann Petry’s writing aspirations began in high school. When an English teacher read one of her essays to class, she commented, “I honestly believe that you could be a writer if you wanted to.” However, following her family’s wishes, Petry attended the University of Connecticut College of Pharmacy, following in her father’s footsteps. She would graduate in 1931 with a Ph.G. and work in her family’s business for the next several years. On the side, she authored short stories and honed her writing abilities.

The author would marry George D. Petry on February 22, 1938, and move to New York. Here, she worked as a journalist and began publishing her short stories. Anne Petry would also study creative writing at Columbia University from 1944 and 1946.

While in New York City, Petry confronted how the majority of the black population in the United States lived their lives. Harlem was nothing like the secluded Old Saybrook; the author experienced their poverty, child neglect, and the deplorable ways white Americans treated them. It left a lasting impression on the aspiring writer, which was worked into her first novel.

Ann Petry, The Street

Petry’s most well-known novel, The Street, was published in 1946 and quickly gained a massive audience of readers. Ann Petry was awarded the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship when the book sold over one million copies. The prestige got her featured in an All-American News segment that highlighted her award and writing.

She would return to her hometown, Old Saybrook, in 1947, where her writing career continued. Anne Petry would publish Country Place in 1947, The Narrows in 1953, and several other short stories and children’s books. While they were well-regarded works, The Street remained her most successful novel.

Later Life and Death

Petry would provide lectures to Universities across the United States, helping other aspiring readers find their voice. Ann Petry died on April 28, 1997, following a brief illness. She was 88.

5 Ann Petry Quotes

1. A man hasn’t got a corner on virtue just because his shoes are shined.

2. All life goes in a circle, around and around, you started at one place, and then came right back to it again.

3. Black was bestlooking. … Ebony was the best wood, the hardest wood; it was black. Virginia ham was the best ham. It was black on the outside. Tuxedos and tail coats were black and they were a man’s finest, most expensive clothes. You had to use pepper to make most meats and vegetables fit to eat. The most flavorsome pepper was black. The best caviar was black. The rarest jewels were black: black opals, black pearls.

4. Folks differs, dearie. They differs a lot. Some can stand things that others can’t. There’s never no way of knowin’ how much they can stand. me, writing.

5. Everything you ever had, everything you ever lost. It’s all there in the trumpet–pain and hate and trouble and peace and quiet and love.

Ann Petry’s Writing Style, Honest Truth

Petry’s writing was massively successful when it was published. At the time, with racial tensions frayed, she managed to produce stories that readers loved. Ann Petry’s writing defied the odds as the first African-American woman to sell over a million copies of her book. Readers sought a closer look at the conditions and situations she portrayed.

Selected Ann Petry Books

1939 Marie of the Cabin Club

1946 The Street

1947 Country Place

1949 The Drugstore Cat

1953 The Narrows

1955 Tituba of Salem Village

1955 Harriet Tubman: Conductor On The Underground Railroad

1970 Legends of the Saints

1971 Miss Muriel and Other Stories

Today in Writing: October 12 – Daily Writing Exercise

Now that you have done some reading, it is time to write. Aspiring writers should look to the stories from Today in Writing: October 12 and Ann Petry’s life for inspiration. Read her quotes and study her stories to understand the author’s writing style. 

Find a topic and freewrite for 10 minutes. The writing of Ann Petry is based on her own experiences. Petry can paint realistic settings and vivid narratives to give readers a glimpse into another life. In her words, “All truly great art is propaganda.” Aspiring writers should look for inspiration in this author’s style and start writing.

Don’t let any opportunity to write go to waste. Aspiring writers: Practice your writing today. Celebrate Today in Writing History October 12.