Olivia Ward Bush Banks (1869-1944) was an American author, poet and journalist of both African and Montauk Native-American descent. She celebrated both of her heritages in her poetry and writing. She was a regular contributor to the Colored American magazine and wrote a column for the Westchester Record-Courier. Ward expresses her passion about the struggles of African Americans and the need for change through her writing. She also demonstrated her faith in God through her word. Her work is notable for preserving regional and ethnic dialects in her work that would otherwise have no written record. A Montauket, she also spoke of the Native American experience in her work, preserving some of the Montauk language and folklore. Ward wrote several plays and short stories, most of which were never published. Her works include: Original Poems (1899) and Driftwood (1916).