Vachel Lindsay, in full Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, (born Nov. 10, 1879, Springfield, Ill., U.S.--died Dec. 5, 1931, Springfield), American poet who--in an attempt to revive poetry as an oral art form of the common people--wrote and read to audiences compositions with powerful rhythms that had an immediate appeal. After three years at Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, Lindsay left in 1900 to study art in Chicago and New York City. He supported himself...