Ogden Nash, Maryland’s Master of Poetry
The witty poetry of Ogden Nash (1902-1971) established him as one of America’s favorite poets of the 20th century. His former home in Baltimore is now a private residence so is not open to the public, but, if your timing is right, you may be able to see this elegant 10,000-foot house on a home tour.
Originally from Rye, New York, Nash came to embrace Baltimore as his primary home in his adult years. The population of Baltimore is approximately 620,000.
According to https://explore.baltimoreheritage.org: “Nash lived in Baltimore for 37 years and led a happy and successful life with his wife, two daughters, and, of course, his dog. Nash adored animals and is credited with coining the phrase: ‘The dog is man’s best friend.'”
Read more about this popular poet at baltimoreauthors.ubalt.edu.
His Church
Meanwhile, as an alternative to a home visit, we recommend seeing the historic Church of the Redeemer, where the author worshiped and was married to Frances Leonard in 1931. His memorial service was held there after he passed away in 1971.
This Episcopal church is located at 5603 North Charles Street in Baltimore. It is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. According to episcopalchurch.org: “…we’re following Jesus into loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God, with each other and with the earth as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. We seek every day to love God with our whole heart, mind and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).”
His Poems
Many Ogden Nash poems can be found at www.ogdennash.org.
If you like Ogden Nash’s poetry, you might also like this link to the “best poems for kids”: http://100.best-poems.net/100-best-kids-and-children-poems.html
“I hope my tongue in prune juice smothers,
If I belittle dogs and mothers.”
–Ogden Nash
This is the first stop on our Maryland Author Adventures Trail.
Patricia Smart