Robert Frost

An item at American Writers Museum

Using plain speech with traditional meter, Robert Frost wove deep meaning into the rural New England scenes that he portrayed, sometimes poignant and tragic, sometimes humorous and wryly dark. President John F. Kennedy said that Frost "understood the ordeal as well as the triumph of the human spirit."

Frost experienced both triumph and tragedy in his own life. Many members of his family suffered from depression, including himself. He tried journalism, factory work, poultry farming, and teaching before publishing his first book of poetry at age 40. His second book of poetry, North of Boston (1914), was a critical success, establishing him as the poet of New England. A later collection, New Hampshire (1923), won a Pulitzer Prize.

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