Sally Cook: Painting With Words

Poetry lovers everywhere mourn the death of the multitalented wordsmith Sally Cook.

(Left) Poet and artist Sally Cook. (Courtesy of the Society of Classical Poets) (Right) In Cook’s poem “Erasing Me,” she refers to her slippers being boxed with care. Becky Starsmore/Shutterstock

Sally Cook, a remarkable artist whose work spanned both painting and poetry, died in October 2025. She was 93. 

A native of Buffalo, New York, Cook knew early on that she was destined for an unconventional path in life. Her maternal grandmother, a concert pianist, began giving her keyboard lessons when she was 4 years old. At the same time, her mother read poetry to her to instill a love of language.