January 6, 1949

C. D. Wright, a poet whose work won acclaim for its experimental variety and rich colloquial sound, was born in Mountain Home (Baxter County). As a publisher and an exhibit curator, Wright was a longtime advocate of poets and poetry. In awarding a fellowship to Wright in 2004, the MacArthur Fellowships Program announced, “No single description adequately captures Wright’s work; she is an experimental writer, a Southern writer, and a socially committed writer, yet she continuously reinvents herself with each new volume.” Wright died on January 12, 2016, just days after the release of a new book.