Anne Bradstreet

An item at American Writers Museum

While still a teen, Anne Bradstreet left England with her parents and husband to settle in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her book The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America (1650) made her the first published poet of America.

Bradstreet's poems explore science, religion, and philosophy, reflecting the depth of her education. With her father as teacher, she grew up reading the classics-Homer, Virgil, Plutarch, and many others-and works by English poets. Her writing also drew upon her personal experiences as a mother, wife, and daughter. Deeply devoted to her poetry, she called it "a room of my own."

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum