Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

While Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote hundreds of poems, we’ve found a few of his holiday-related pieces for your family to enjoy. Each graphic below links to the poem on either Poets.org or PoetryFoundation.com. You can read Longfellow’s biography here. Resources: Photo Credit: By Julia Margaret Cameron – http://www.geh.org/ne/mismi3/cameron_sum00001.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=836438

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was born in Illinois. As he grew into an adult, he worked many odd jobs before he entered the Spanish-American War as an Infantryman. By 1913, he was living in Chicago, writing for the Chicago Daily News. His first book of poetry was published shortly afterward. Sandburg wrote free verse poems of … Continue reading Carl Sandburg

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) was a poet who was born in Indiana countryside in the mid-nineteenth century. He wasn’t a very good student because he preferred to be outside reading books he chose creating rhymes and walking in his neighborhood. He quit school when he was 20 and did all sorts of strange charms from … Continue reading James Whitcomb Riley

Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was born in West Africa and came to the New World on a slave ship. She was both purchased and eventually freed by Boston commercialist John Wheatley. Phillis was part of a group of refugee slaves who were too young or frail for rigorous labor. She did housework for the Wheatleys. They … Continue reading Phillis Wheatley

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet (March 20, 1612 – September 16, 1672) was the first writer in England’s North American colonies to be published. She was born to a wealthy Puritan family in Northampton, England. She was well-educated, reading widely and in several languages. After she was married, she migrated to North America with her husband and children. Much … Continue reading Anne Bradstreet

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is a poet of the Harlem Renaissance who portrayed the lives of ordinary, working-class African Americans. He was the first African American poet to earn his entire living from his writing and speaking. He has all sorts of poems depicting life in his time. You can read more about Langston Hughes here: … Continue reading Langston Hughes