Babcock turned to writing as a way to support her family after the death of her husband, William Franklin Babcock, in 1897. She explored many controversial subjects, including race relations, temperance, politics, and evolution, in her books Mammy, The Daughter of the Republican, A Political Fool, and By Way of the Master Passion.
By the early 1900s, her youngest child started school, freeing Babcock to pursue paying work outside of the home. She went to work for the Arkansas Democrat as editor of “The Society Page” and book reviews.
After five years at the Arkansas Democrat, Bernie resigned in order to become editor and publisher of The Sketch Book, a southern magazine known for photography, paintings, drawings, stories, and poetry. The magazine was published from 1906 through 1909.
