Shel silverstein
Shel silversteinWe all will miss our favorite poet who passed away from a heart attack on May 10, 1999. He will be remembered for generations to come through the joy he will continue to bring to children and adults through his life's work.
Shelly Silverstein, most commonly known as Shel Silverstein, was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. He is best known in children's literature for his poetry; however, he was also a cartoonist, composer, lyricist and folksinger. His poem, "The Unicorn Song", was recorded by the Irish Rovers. Other hit songs included "A Boy Named Sue" and "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh." He composed the music for the movies, Ned Kelly (1970), Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Such Terrible Things About Me? (1971), and Thieves (1977). He composed the music for the film, Postcards from the Edge for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award in Music for the song, "I'm Checkin Out." A man of many talents, he wrote the screenplay for the film, Things Change (1988).
Shel began writing as a young boy in Chicago. Although he would rather have been playing baseball or chasing girls, he could not catch or hit a ball, and the girls were not interested in him. He gave his energies to writing. He developed his very own writing style at a young age and was unfamiliar with the poetry of the great poets of his time. "I was so lucky that I didn't have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a...
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