Jessamyn West (1902-1984) was born in Indiana, but raised in rural California. Diagnosed with life-threatening tuberculosis while in graduate school, West attributed writing and her mother's encouragement with saving her life. Her most famous work, The Friendly Persuasion, was made into an Academy-Award-nominated film in 1956. West's many awards include an O. Henry Prize. In total, she wrote nine novels, four volumes of stories, three screenplays, a volume of poems, a libretto, and five volumes of nonfiction.