Poet Stone dies at 96

Poet Ruth Stone has died at the age of 96.

Her daughter Phoebe confirmed the sad news on Thursday (Nov. 24, 2011). Stone died of natural causes on Nov. 19, 2011.

Stone became a prolific writer in the last 20 years of her life and won the National Book Award in 2002 for “In the Next Galaxy.” She was also a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. The American poet also landed National Book Critics Circle award and two Guggenheim honors during her career.

Stone’s personal life was touched by sadness – her second husband and the love of her life, Walter Stone, hanged himself during a vacation in England. She recalled seeing his dead body in the poem “Turn Your Eyes Away.”

Among her many beloved works were “American Milk” and “Simplicity.”