Vertical File Biographies

This is an individual biography from the vertical file of biographical information, primarily newspaper clippings, created by the Kansas State Histocial Society Library and Archives division. This is a concise version--there may be more information in this or other sources.

Nina Clark Hembling

Nina Clark Hembling of Emporia was a well-known Kansas poet of the first half of the twentieth century. She had completed several volumes of poems in addition to frequent publication in mid-western newspapers. She won many prizes for her poetry.

One of the best known volumes of her work was “Silver Overtones,” published in 1942, it carried an appreciative forward by William Allen White, an acquaintance of Mrs. Hembling for many years. In the words of Mr. White, she was “a worthy companion of contemporary poets, the voices from a burning bush out of which, in a vast choir, comes the aspiring heart of America that will someday unite in a great national song.”

In such verses as “Kansas” and “Remember Loveliness” she conveyed the beauty she found in her own prairie state. “Autumn Comes to My Valley” referred particularly to her section of Kansas.

Mrs. Hembling was a member of the Kansas Authors Club and the National League of American Pen Women. She was also very involved in philanthropic work in the Emporia area. Educated at Emporia State University, then known as Kansas State Normal School at Emporia, she had been a teacher. Nina Hembling died on December 28, 1943 at age 65.

Sources:
“A Singer from Kansas Joins A Vast Choir,” Kansas City Star, 31 January 1942.

“Kansas In Her Poetry,” Kansas City Times, 29 December 1943.

The vertical file is on forty-three microfilm reels arranged alphabetically by name. These reels are available through interlibrary loan, or you may contact the reference staff . Please note that many of the clippings had yellowed and it may be impossible to produce a readable photocopy.

Completion of this biography was made possible by volunteer Frank Sotrines.