Eve Merriam (19 July 1916 – 11 April 1992 / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Eve Merriam was an American poet and writer.

Born as Eva Moskovitz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was married for a time to writer Leonard C. Lewin. She later married screenwriter Waldo Salt and was actress Jennifer Salt's stepmother.

Merriam died on April 11, 1992 in Manhattan from cancer.

Writing Career

Merriam's first book was the 1946 Family Circle, which won the Yale Younger Poets Prize.

Her book, The Inner City Mother Goose, was described as one of the most banned books of the time. It inspired a 1971 Broadway musical called Inner City and a 1982 musical production called Street Dreams. In 1981 she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She published a total of 88 books.