Often called the “people’s poet,” Edgar A. Guest was one of the most widely read writers of the 20th century during his nearly 65 years at the Detroit Free Press.
Four years after emigrating from England, 14-year-old Guest was hired in 1895 as a copyboy for the Free Press before becoming a staff writer.
After his first poem was published in 1898, Guest soon regularly provided short, sentimental poems on everyday life for Free Press readers. Eventually, his daily light rhyming verse was syndicated as the “Breakfast Table Chat” and published in over 300 newspapers. One of his most famous poems, “Home,” begins, “It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’ make it home.”
Although Guest never considered himself a great poet and preferred to be called a newspaperman, he published over 11,000 poems and more than 20 poetry books. From 1931 to 1942, he broadcast a weekly NBC radio program, and in 1951, A Guest in Your Home appeared on NBC-TV.
Seventy years ago, during his 60th year with the Free Press, Guest was photographed holding up a special edition of the Free Press when he was honored at the Veterans Memorial Building on the eve of his 74th birthday. Three years prior, in 1952, Guest was named the first official poet laureate of Michigan, a position he held until he passed away on Aug. 4, 1959, in his sleep at his home on Hamilton Road next to Palmer Park. His death was reported in papers nationwide.
With flags in Detroit lowered at half-staff, 500 mourners gathered at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul for a simple 30-minute funeral before burial took place at Woodlawn Cemetery. Detroit Mayor Louis Miriani said, “His memory will live forever. His works have brought happiness and joy to millions of people.”
The role of Michigan poet laureate laid dormant for 64 years, until 2023, when Detroit native and University of Michigan graduate Nandi Comer was selected for this honor. The current poet laureate is Melba Joyce Boyd.
This story originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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