Los Angeles Times Celebrates the Life of Holly Prado (1938-2019)

The Los Angeles poet Holly Prado has died at the age of 81. Los Angeles Times reporter Dorany Pineda writes that Prado, "an admired poet, fiction writer and educator who championed what she came to see as Los Angeles’ under-recognized literary scene...walked away from the conventions of the working world as a young woman and decided instead to pursue her yearnings to be creative, first as an educator and then as a poet, a fiction writer and a mentor to others who found inspiration in the written word." More: 

Born in 1938 in Lincoln, Neb., Prado was the daughter of a homemaker and a newspaper circulation manager. Captivated by the moon in the daytime sky, she wrote her first poem at 10. Her mother, who praised and encouraged her early writing, died when Prado was 16. Her death, Northup said, was the source of Prado’s creativity.

During her teens, her family moved to Michigan, where Prado later received her bachelor’s degree from Albion College in 1960. After graduating she moved to Los Angeles and worked at a lawyer’s office in downtown. Dissatisfied with the job, she decided to pursue teaching and received her credentials from Cal State L.A.

While teaching high school English for eight years, Prado yearned to have more time to do what she loved most. So she quit to commit her life full time to creative writing. In her home, she taught private creative writing classes for more than 40 years. With more time to write, Prado would eventually become a vital figure in the city’s literary movement, regularly contributing to poetry readings and literary events.

Continue at the Los Angeles Times.