Poet Jane Mayhall was born in Louisville, Kentucky on May 10, 1918. She studied music at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. Her first book, the novel Cousin to Human, was published in 1960. Her other works are Ready for the Ha Ha and Other Satires (1966), a volume of stories, poems and plays; Givers and Takers (1968, 1973), a poetry collection spanning two volumes; and Sleeping Late on Judgment Day (2004), her only full-length poetry collection. Her work also appeared regularly in numerous publications including The New Yorker and The New York Times. She died on March 17, 2009 at the age of 90.