Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953) was born in Washington, DC. As a young girl, Rawlings wanted to become a writer and often entertained the neighbors' children with stories. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, she worked as a journalist for ten years. During this time, Rawlings tried unsuccessfully to sell her stories. In 1928, she moved to Cross Creek, Florida, where she devoted herself to writing fiction. Cross Creek became the setting for most of her work, which she finally succeeded in having published. Rawlings received the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for her novel The Yearling. She is most noted for her descriptions of the land, dialect, and customs of rural Florida.