May Sarton

May Sarton, who was born on May 3, 1912, in Wondelgem, Belgium, was an accomplished American author, known for her poetry, novels, and memoirs. She grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she attended school and began her theatre lessons in her late teens. Sarton's first volume of poetry, Encounters in April, was published in 1937, and her first novel, The Single Hound, in 1938.

Sarton's personal life was a significant influence on her work, and she was known for her honest and open portrayals of the lesbian experience. In 1965, she boldly came out as a lesbian in her memoir Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing. Her later memoir, Journal of a Solitude, was a reflection of her experiences as a female artist. Sarton's life was marked by significant relationships, including her thirteen-year partnership with Judy Matlack, which ended in 1956 when Sarton moved to Nelson, New Hampshire, following her father's death. Honey in the Hive (1988) is a memoir about their relationship. Sarton died of breast cancer on July 16, 1995, in York, Maine, and was buried in Nelson, New Hampshire.