Anne Bradstreet, daughter of Thomas Dudley, the governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, was born in England and at the age of 16
she married Simon Bradstreet. At 18 she joined her father and husband
and journeyed to the new world, settling in Ipswich and later North
Andover, Mass. She bore 8 children, ran a household and assisted her
husband in his efforts as governor. She was first published, without
her knowledge, when her brother-in-law sent her poems to an English
publishing house. In addition to her poetry, she wrote her autobiography, "Religious Experiences."
What a woman of her time and for all time!
In 1956 poet John Berryman wrote and dedicated his poem " Homage to
Mistress Bradstreet" to her in recognition of her efforts to evolve
as an artist in a time and environment that was not conducive to
supporting artistic effort.
