During the Great Depression, Wolfe was a social worker in Kansas City, Kansas. This experience provided him with a rich lode of insight for his first novel, Widow Man. A novella, Trial by Ice, published in 1961, also dealt with Wolfe's inner-city experiences.

In 1947, Wolfe returned to the University of Kansas, where he earned his M.A. in 1948. He remained at KU to teach creative writing for several decades. In his teaching, as in his creative work, Wolfe emphasized realism of detail in both setting and character and, above all, the integrity of literature as a craft.

After retirement from the University of Kansas in 1977, Wolfe returned once more to live in Kansas City, Kansas, where his wife, Marguerite, was a school librarian. He continued to write for the Kansas Alumni magazine and, in 1986, published a collection of stories, To All the Islands Now.

A special issue of Cottonwood magazine was dedicated to Wolfe in the winter of 1986. In 1987, the Friends of the Library in Kansas City, Kansas hosted a reading by Wolfe.

After his death in 1989, Wolfe's extensive papers and manuscripts were accepted by the Kansas Collection of the University of Kansas Library. A volume of his poetry, The Almond Tree, was published by Woodley Press in 1989.

To honor the late Kansas City, Kansas author and teacher Edgar Wolfe, the Friends of the Library in Kansas City, Kansas established the annual Edgar Wolfe Literary Award.

As a public service organization dedicated to promoting the literary excellence and integrity taught by Edgar Wolfe, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library presents public programs that offer aspiring writers opportunities to expand and enhance their literary skills.