Timeline of Lorine Niedecker’s Life

This timeline was based on one compiled by John Lehman in his book: America’s Greatest Unknown Poet: Lorine Niedecker Reminiscences, Photographs, Letters and Her Most Memorable Poems.

May 12, 1903 Lorine Faith Niedecker is born to Henry (Hank) and Theresa (Daisy) Kunz, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
June 1922 Graduates from Fort Atkinson High School
Sept. 1922-23 Attends Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin
May 1928 – Aug. 1930 Works as a librarian’s assistant at the Dwight Foster Public Library in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
Nov. 29, 1928 Marries Frank Hartwig. By 1930 they have permanently separated and she returns to her parent’s home
1931 Reads Zukofsky’s Objectivist issue of Poetry and, six months later, writes him, initiating their long-term correspondence
1934 Goes to New York to meet Louis Zukofsky
1938 – 1942 Lives in Madison, Wisconsin and works as a writer, then research editor for the Federal Writers’ Project. Briefly serves as a radio scriptwriter for WHA Public Radio
1942 Returns to Blackhawk Island and files for a divorce from Fank Hartwig
1946 New Goose is published
May 8, 1944 – June 14, 1950 Proofreader at W.D. Hoard & Sons, publisher of Hoard’s Dairyman; she has her own house built on Blackhawk Island
1947 Visits the Zukofskys in New York
July 1951 Daisy Niedecker dies
1953 (Christmas) Visits the Zukofskys in New York
1954 Henry Niedecker dies
Feb. 1957 – late 1963 Works at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital cleaning kitchens
1961 My Friend Tree is published
May 26, 1963 Marries Albert Millen, moves to Milwaukee in March, 1964
1965 (Summer) Trip to South Dakota
1966 Origin (July 1966) features Niedecker
Feb. 8, 1967 Jonathan Williams visits her and in July, Basil Bunting
May 1968 Meets the Zukofskys in Madison, Wisconsin
July 1968 Trip to Minnesota and North Dakota
Aug. 1968 Retires permanently to Blackhawk Island
Dec. 1968 North Central is published
1969 T & G is published and the next year enlarged with the title My Life By Water
Nov. 15, 1970 Cid and Shizumi Corman visit
Dec. 31, 1970 Lorine Niedecker dies