WEBSTER CITY — A unique exhibit featuring Iowa writer Ruth Suckow is on display at the Kendall Young Library in Webster City.

The exhibit, which is free for viewing in the genealogy area of the library, is a time capsule of Suckow’s life as a literary figure at the turn of the 20th century. Born in 1892 in Hawarden, she was described as “… the most promising young writer of fiction, man or woman,” according to H.L. Mencken, a famous literary critic and editor of that time. It’s a statement that merits attention; authors John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pearl Buck were writing at the same time.

Suckow died in 1960, so how could a book she wrote be of interest to readers today?

“Her vivid descriptions of the countryside made readers visualize Grant Wood’s paintings of Iowa farm fields,” one reviewer wrote. After all, her stories focused on what she knew — growing up in Iowa.

The book “A Ruth Suckow Omnibus” might also bring light to that question. It will be discussed by the library’s Adult Book Club members on January 15. Books are available to check out from the circulation desk at the library now.

“This exhibit brings something unique to the Kendall Young Library, offering visitors a fresh experience,” library Director Ketta Lubberstedt-Arjes said. “While the library has long supported and showcased local authors, this exhibit broadens that focus to include authors from across Iowa, celebrating the rich literary talent our state has to offer.”

Suckow wrote eight novels and 43 short stories. Her novel “The Folks” not only made the Best Sellers list in 1934, but also was a Literary Guild selection. During that year she was named Iowa’s “Woman of the Year.”

Suckow was the daughter of a Congregational minister; they lived in Algona, Fort Dodge, Grinnell and Cedar Falls. Her birthplace is now a small museum open to the public in Hawarden. In Earlville, there is a Ruth Suckow Memorial Library.

She also lived in Boston, Greenwich Village and Denver. After she was married to Ferner Nuhn they lived in Cedar Falls for years. But their literary connections allowed them to enjoy friendships with Robert Frost, Henry Wallace, and Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset.

During the Depression, they were persuaded by Henry Wallace to move temporarily to Washington, D.C., to assist the Roosevelt administration while working on the New Deal. In 1978 she was named to the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame posthumously.

The exhibit will be available for viewing during the library’s regular open hours through the first week of January. The two books the library owns, “The Folks” and “A Ruth Suckow Omnibus,” a collection of short stories, will also be available after the exhibit closes

The traveling exhibit was created by the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association and is supported in part by a Humanities Iowa grant.