Marion Short

Little is known of Marion Short's personal life. She was born in Illinois around 1880, although both her parents hailed from Indiana.^{[citation needed]} She lived in California before moving to New York.^[4][5] At the age of 40, she was living in Manhattan and was unmarried.^{[citation needed]} Short's final known work was published in 1938, after which there is no record of her.

Marion Short had several poems published in her teens by Edgar S. Werner, and she continued to work with the publisher for more than thirty years.^[6][7][8] She was a popular elocutionist, performing recitations and sketches at multiple events throughout the 1890s.^{[4][9][10][11][12]} In the latter half of the decade, she would perform with others under the name of "The Marion Short Company", or "The Marion Short Three-Star Combination".^[13][14]

Short's repertoire included monologues by Pauline Phelps.^[15][16] She was a great admirer of Phelps' work, and started a correspondence with the writer which led to the two forming a literary partnership.^[5] The duo edited multiple works by other playwrights before they began publishing their own plays, sometimes under the pseudonym "Paul Marion".^[17][18][19] These would often star popular actresses of the day, such as Adelaide Thurston and Helen Hayes.^[20]

A prolific writer, Short would release several works every year; most of these were comedic plays, although she also published work in short story magazines. She was a skilled negotiator and businesswoman, which contributed to her success as a writer and consultant.^[8]

Short was a member of the American Society of Dramatists and Composers.^[21]