A native of Philadelphia, Coates had almost three hundred poems published, both in America and abroad, during her lifetime. Coates was elected poet laureate of Pennsylvania in 1915. Her poetry is often very heroic, and her later poetry, especially after World War One, praises soldiers and citizens devoted to the protection of liberty. She also was a great lover of flowers, and the imagery in her poetry often draws upon nature and blossoming.

–Christie Finn