Trailing Mary Haskell Minis

I’m Tania June Sammons. I’m raising funds to cover expenses for a prestigious workshop and research trip in support of a biography about Mary Haskell Minis (1873-1964), the underrecognized patron, friend, and muse of famed artist and writer Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet.

The Prophet has remained in print since its publication in 1923, translated into more than 100 languages, and sold millions of copies worldwide. The book is given at graduations and weddings, and excerpts are read for every occasion. Credit for The Prophet is given to Lebanese immigrant Kahlil Gibran, but the book would not have existed without Mary’s financial, editorial, and emotional support.

While Mary gave wings to Gibran, her story is much larger than their extraordinary cross-cultural relationship. Mary was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and owned a girls' school in Boston and Cambridge. She retired to Savannah, Georgia. She was a suffragist, educator of girls, supporter of immigrants and women, traveler, mountain climber, women’s labor activist, and patron of the arts. Her influence on the world extended to countless individuals, including hundreds of girls, many creatives, immediate and extended family, as well as several cultural, educational, and social institutions in the United States and Lebanon. Even so, few people know about her. This biography will remedy that oversight.

I have been accepted into the famed Community of Writers to work on the biography's manuscript. The workshop is held in Sierra Nevada, the place where Mary spent many summers in the early 20th century. During my five-week trip I will travel via train from Savannah to the West coast and back, like Mary. Funds will also cover my tuition balance (after a partial scholarship) and accommodations at the workshop and other locations in the mountains. In addition to working with experienced writers and literary agents, the train ride and time getting to know Mary’s favorite place in the world will all me to better understand her deep, personal connection to the area. “I always want to fly away to it,” she wrote to Kahlil in 1914.

I am a writer, curator, and public historian. I have written five books, including The Art of Kahlil Gibran at Telfair Museums. Most recently, I wrote The Heart of the Matter: The Story of Chatham Savannah Citizen-Advocacy. I have also curated over two-dozen exhibitions, most recently Sea of Ink: Savannah Maritime Tattoos at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum in Savannah, Georgia, where I serve as part-time curator. I also write a Substack newsletter, Tania Talks Museums.

Thank you for your support. When the book is published you will be publicly recognized in the acknowledgments. I will also send my supporters updates from the road via email and/or postcards (please share your address).