(1903-1991)
Eva Sparks Taylor was an enthusiastic writer of poetry. Eva Sparks was born in Licking County, Ohio, in 1903 to Forest and Lulu Sparks. The family moved to Knox County, where Eva spent most of the rest of her life. After graduating from high school, she attended Bowling Green State University in Kentucky. Having decided on a business career, she returned to Mount Vernon where she worked as a secretary at The Cooper-Bessemer Corporation. In 1931 Eva married Laurence Taylor, and the couple lived in other locations in Ohio where Laurence, a civil engineer, was working on Muskingum River dam projects. In 1938 the Taylors moved back to Mount Vernon.
About that time, according to Eva’s memoir notes, she attended a lecture on writing poetry given by a young poet, Paul Engle. Eva was inspired and began her life-long avocation of composing poetry. She was a member of several poetry groups, including the Verse Writers’ Guild of Ohio, The Ohio Poetry Society, and The National League of American Pen Women. She initiated the organization of The Mount Vernon Chapter of the Ohio Poetry Society.
Most of Mrs. Taylor’s composition has been poetry although she has written a few short stories, and she was working on a non-fiction work at the time of her death. Most of her publications have been in periodical literature, including The Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentleman, Cappers Farmer, The Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers.
Eva Sparks Taylor has one collection of poetry, One Can Never Tell, first published in 1976, and reprinted in 1977 and 1986. She was planning two more volumes just before her death in 1991.