Edgar Guest was born in Birmingham, England but became a naturalized US citizen when his family moved to Detroit in 1881.

He started his career as a copy boy at a local newspaper company. From this humble position he worked his way up as reporter and later as editor and columnist.

It was during this time that he began writing daily poetry for the newspaper. His poems were later syndicated to over 300 newspaper all over the nations.

Guest was famous for writing poems on home and familiar things and transforming those so called mundane things into great beauty and appreciation. Considered one of the most influential people who manage to give hope during the Great Depression, Guest was affectionately given the title “the poet of the people” after his death.

His best known poem is It Couldn't Be Done while his fourth volume of poetry, A Heap O' Living were sold for more than 1 million copies. During his lifetime Guest was believed to have written over 15000 poems.