Poem

By: Anne Sexton

Date: 1962

Source: Sexton, Anne. All My Pretty Ones. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962, 4–5.

About the Author: Anne Sexton (1928–1974) began writing poetry in 1957 as part of therapy for psychological disorders. She studied with numerous well-known poets in workshops, including W.D. Snodgrass and Robert Lowell. She then taught poetry at Harvard, Radcliff, Oberlin College, and Boston University. After several failed attempts, she committed suicide in 1974.

Introduction

Poetry changed in style and subject in the 1950s and 1960s. The academically trained poets of the era challenged their mentors in order to find their own voices. Anne Sexton, though not university trained, became a major voice in the generation of poets who began publishing during this time. She lived in the Boston area, a city rich with poetry and opportunities for...