Brenda Ueland
Encyclopedia
Brenda Ueland was a journalist
, editor
, freelance writer, and teacher
of writing. She is best known for her book If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit.
to Andreas and Clara Hampson Ueland. She was the third of seven children. She attended Wells
and Barnard
colleges and received her baccalaureate
from Barnard in 1913. She lived in and around New York City
for much of her adult life before returning to Minnesota in 1930.
Brenda was raised in a relatively progressive household; her father, an immigrant from Norway, was a prominent lawyer and judge. Her mother was a suffragette
and served as the first president of the Minnesota League of Women Voters
. Brenda would spend her life as a staunch feminist and is said to have lived by two rules: To tell the truth, and to not do anything she didn't want to.
and the Minneapolis Times, among other publications. She worked for two years (1915-1917) as an editor for Crowell Publishing
in New York City
.
Brenda wrote scripts for radio
shows including a program entitled Tell Me More, which featured Ueland responding to listener's personal problems, and Stories for Girl Heroes, a children's program about notable women. She also taught many local writing classes starting in 1934. In 1946, while covering the treason
trials of Vidkun Quisling
, she was awarded the Knight of Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olaf by the Norwegian
government.
, she suggests that writers should "Try to discover your true, honest, un-theoretical self." She sums up her book with 12 points to keep in mind while writing. Carl Sandburg
called If You Want to Write "the best book ever written on how to write." It was republished in 1983 by the Schubert Club of St. Paul, Minnesota, and then picked up by Graywolf Press, for which it remains their bestselling title.
Her second book was an autobiography
entitled Me: A Memoir, published in 1939. In it she writes about her childhood, time in college, her life in Greenwich Village
, and love affair
s, among other topics. She tells of her affair with Raoul Hendricson, an anarchist who eventually left her for Isadora Duncan
. This book was reprinted in 1994. Libby Larsen
composed a wonderful song cycle using texts from this memoir.
In 1992, a collection of Ueland's writing from her last four decades was published by Holy Cow! Press of Duluth
, under the name Strength to Your Sword Arm. It included articles and essay
s on topics such as children, feminism, her life in Minneapolis, animals, and health and well-being.
In 1998, a chapbook was released by Kore Press with her essay Tell Me More: On the Fine Art of Listening. This was a part of a series of booklets of short essays that was designed to be sent in the mail like a greeting card
, and it came with an envelope for that purpose.
Though it was not published in Brenda's lifetime, in the 1950s she began writing a biography
of her mother. It was finally published under the name O Clouds, Unfold: Clara Ueland and Her Family in 2003.
and regularly spoke out against vivisection
. She worked with Pet Haven, Inc, a no-kill animal shelter
based in Minnesota that was established in 1952. Brenda was very physically active well into her old age. She regularly walked up to 9 miles a day, and liked to spend time improving her handstand
s. She enjoyed swimming and set an international swimming record for people over 80 years old.
She died at the age of 93.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, freelance writer, and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
of writing. She is best known for her book If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit.
Background
Brenda was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
to Andreas and Clara Hampson Ueland. She was the third of seven children. She attended Wells
Wells College
Wells College is a private coeducational liberal arts college located in Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. Initially an all-women's institution, Wells became a co-ed college in Fall 2005....
and Barnard
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
colleges and received her baccalaureate
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Barnard in 1913. She lived in and around New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for much of her adult life before returning to Minnesota in 1930.
Brenda was raised in a relatively progressive household; her father, an immigrant from Norway, was a prominent lawyer and judge. Her mother was a suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
and served as the first president of the Minnesota League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
. Brenda would spend her life as a staunch feminist and is said to have lived by two rules: To tell the truth, and to not do anything she didn't want to.
Career
Brenda Ueland had a varied and prolific career. She freelanced for many publications including the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Golfer and Sportsman, and varied newspapers. She was a staff writer for Liberty MagazineLiberty Magazine
Liberty is a magazine published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church that covers issues involving separation of church and state, and current events in politics...
and the Minneapolis Times, among other publications. She worked for two years (1915-1917) as an editor for Crowell Publishing
Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Thomas Y. Crowell Co. was a publishing company founded by Thomas Y. Crowell in 1834 in the United States.-History:The company began publishing books in 1876, and in 1882 T. Irving Crowell joined his father in the business. Jeremiah Osborne Crowell became the sales manager.In 1909, after Thomas Y....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Brenda wrote scripts for radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
shows including a program entitled Tell Me More, which featured Ueland responding to listener's personal problems, and Stories for Girl Heroes, a children's program about notable women. She also taught many local writing classes starting in 1934. In 1946, while covering the treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
trials of Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
, she was awarded the Knight of Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olaf by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
government.
Books
Ueland published two books during her life. The first was If You Want to Write: a Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, first published in 1938. In this book, she shares her philosophies on writing and life in general. She stresses the idea that "Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say." Drawing heavily on the work and influence of William BlakeWilliam Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, she suggests that writers should "Try to discover your true, honest, un-theoretical self." She sums up her book with 12 points to keep in mind while writing. Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
called If You Want to Write "the best book ever written on how to write." It was republished in 1983 by the Schubert Club of St. Paul, Minnesota, and then picked up by Graywolf Press, for which it remains their bestselling title.
Her second book was an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled Me: A Memoir, published in 1939. In it she writes about her childhood, time in college, her life in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, and love affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
s, among other topics. She tells of her affair with Raoul Hendricson, an anarchist who eventually left her for Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan was a dancer, considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. Born in the United States, she lived in Western Europe and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50. In the United States she was popular only in New York, and only later in her life...
. This book was reprinted in 1994. Libby Larsen
Libby Larsen
Libby Larsen is one of America’s most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 400 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to massive orchestral works and over fifteen operas...
composed a wonderful song cycle using texts from this memoir.
In 1992, a collection of Ueland's writing from her last four decades was published by Holy Cow! Press of Duluth
Duluth
Duluth may refer to:*Duluth, Minnesota*Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta*Duluth , an album by Trampled by Turtles*Duluth , by Gore Vidal...
, under the name Strength to Your Sword Arm. It included articles and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s on topics such as children, feminism, her life in Minneapolis, animals, and health and well-being.
In 1998, a chapbook was released by Kore Press with her essay Tell Me More: On the Fine Art of Listening. This was a part of a series of booklets of short essays that was designed to be sent in the mail like a greeting card
Greeting card
A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,...
, and it came with an envelope for that purpose.
Though it was not published in Brenda's lifetime, in the 1950s she began writing a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of her mother. It was finally published under the name O Clouds, Unfold: Clara Ueland and Her Family in 2003.
Later years
Brenda was concerned with animal welfareAnimal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
and regularly spoke out against vivisection
Vivisection
Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
. She worked with Pet Haven, Inc, a no-kill animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
based in Minnesota that was established in 1952. Brenda was very physically active well into her old age. She regularly walked up to 9 miles a day, and liked to spend time improving her handstand
Handstand
A handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder-width apart...
s. She enjoyed swimming and set an international swimming record for people over 80 years old.
She died at the age of 93.