Shirley Steele came into this world in 1925, in Alpena, Michigan, on Lake Huron, loving the beaches, black bears, the sound of the ice breaking up in Thunder Bay, and especially the timbre of her father's voice as he lovingly read Mother Goose nursery rhymes to her in her crib. All of these things, and more, inform her poetry today.Moving to Ohio at six, Shirley was delighted to discover Lake Erie just twenty miles north and the New London Public Library right across the street. This library became her second home. A few poems emerged during grade school and high school, more in college, and then flowed throughout her life. After earning a diploma from New London High School, she attended Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating with departmental honors in journalism and art, disciplines that she weaves into her poetry.Upon arrival in Billings in 1959, after sojourns around the country following her husband Ben Steele's career, she became active in the Billings Arts Association and the Montana Institute for the Arts, serving in influential leadership positions in both organizations. Shirley developed her skills and started publishing poems in anthologies and journals. Over the years, she also served on editing boards. Additionally, she traveled to small towns around the state to lead poetry workshops under the aegis of the Montana Institute for the Arts.In 1972, Shirley received the Governor's Award for the Arts. Her first book of poetry, the 2023 West of Town, a compilation of poems written throughout her life, was selected as a finalist for the 2024 High Plains International Book Awards. Like Ghosts is her second collection. On the eve of her one hundredth birthday, Shirley remains active, not only in her poetry and the civic life of her senior community, but also in preserving and promoting Ben's prolific art legacy.
