Audrae Visser
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June 3, 1919
Audrae Visser | |
|---|---|
| Born | Audrae Eugenie Visser June 3, 1919 near Hurley, South Dakota, United States |
| Died | October 8, 2001 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Alma mater | |
Audrae Eugenie Visser[1] (June 3, 1919 – October 8, 2001) was an American poet and educator. She was Poet Laureate of South Dakota between 1974 and her death in 2001.
Audrae Visser was born on June 3, 1919, to Harry and Addie Mae Visser on the family farm near Hurley, South Dakota.[1] The family moved to Elkton when Visser was 12.[2] She graduated from Flandreau High School in Flandreau, South Dakota, in 1938. She subsequently attended the Black Hills Teachers College, University of Denver, and South Dakota State University. In 1939, she began teaching at various schools in Moody County, and after 1943 taught at several schools across South Dakota and Minnesota. Between 1954 and 1955, she taught the children of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Nagoya, Japan.[1]
Visser began writing poetry at the age of 12.[1] Her first published work was a poem featured in Pasque Petals, the magazine of the South Dakota State Poetry Society, in 1941.[3] Her first book of poetry, Rustic Roads, was published in 1961.[1] Her other published works include Grass Roots Poetry in 1991 and Prairie Poetry in 1998.[4]
Visser was named Poet Laureate of South Dakota in 1974[5][6] by Governor Richard Kneip.[3] During that time, she also served as associate editor and editor of Pasque Petals.[1] In 1990, she was awarded the title of Woman of Achievement in Literature from the General Federation of Women's Clubs in South Dakota.[7]
Visser died on October 8, 2001, in Mabank, Texas.[7]