Eunice Tietjens

Eunice Tietjens (1884-1944) attended Evanston public schools for her elementary education but received her higher education in Europe. Living abroad must have whetted her appetite to travel—at various times in her life she lived in Japan, China, Tunisia and on the South Pacific island of Moorea. Although she is best known as a poet, Tietjens was the lone female war correspondent for the Chicago Daily News and its partner newspapers during World War I. Stationed in Paris, Tietjens ventured to the front lines and field hospitals to interview soldiers.

After the war, Tietjens focused on poetry and was a member of Chicago's avant-garde literary movement. Not only was her work published in Poetry but she served as associate editor of the magazine for 25 years. She went on to publish four collections of poetry, children’s books and her memoir The World on My Shoulder.

Why this stop? The Purple Line Main Street stop is a 15 minute walk from one of the homes where Tietjens lived.

Read a poem by Eunice Tietjens.