18c Edna St. Vincent Millay

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) was one of the most important female poets of her time. She wrote poetry and plays throughout her life, and won a number of important awards, including the Pultizer in 1923. She was rebellious and rarely played by anyone’s rules, and was a prominent figure in the Greenwich village bohemian scene.

My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -- it gives a lovely light!

First Fig, Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1920

This 18c stamp was issued in 1981 in Austerlitz, NY, Millay’s home for the last 25 years of her life. The print method is lithography and engraving, and just under 100,000,000 were printed. It is the 7th and last stamp issued in the American Poets series, which began in 1970.