Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803—1882]

Ralph Waldo Emerson had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Boston and Concord, and is known for being the catalyst of the Transcendentalist movement in New England.

An example of a poem by Robert Frost: Birches.

Emily Dickinson [1830—1886]

Emily Dickinson had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Amherst and Mount Holyoke , and is known for writing nearly 1,800 poems with themes of love, death, and nature.

An example of a poem by Emily Dickinson: The Bee.

W.E.B. Du Bois  [1868—1963]

W.E.B. Du Bois had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Great Barrington and Harvard University, and is known for his work in sociology, history, and being a civil rights activist.

An example of a poem by W.E.B. Du Bois: Ghana Calls.

Robert Frost [1874—1963]

Robert Frost had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Lawrence and University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is known for his work depicting rural life and New England Landscape.

An example of a poem by Robert Frost: Birches.

Stanley Kunitz [1905—2006]

Stanley Kunitz had ties to Worcester, and is known for being an intellectual poet and writing about having an unknown father and the metaphysical.

An example of a poem by  

Stanley Kunitz : Benediction.

Elizabeth Bishop [1911—1979]

Elizabeth Bishop had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Worcester and South Boston, and is known for writing about themes of grief, the struggle to find belonging, the domestic, travel.

An example of a poem by Elizabeth Bishop: Patience of an Angel.

Richard Wilbur  [1921—2017] 

Richard Wilbur had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Cummington and Northampton, and is known for his formal, witty, and elegant verse which reflected on his experiences as a soldier in World War II and other personal experiences.

An example of a poem by Richard Wilbur: Advice to a Prophet.

Jack Kerouac [1922—1969]

Jack Kerouac had ties to Lowell, and is known for catalyzing the Beat Generation, the confessional style of his writing, and his freedom with language.  

Kerouac's work was inspired by rhythms of jazz and spontaneity.

An example of a poem by Jack Kerouac: In my medicine cabinet.

Sylvia Plath [1932—1963]

Sylvia Plath had ties to several places in Massachusetts including Boston and Wellesley, and is known for her work exploring the themes of motherhood, identity, and mindscapes.

An example of a poem by Sylvia Plath: Two Sisters of Persephone.

Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library is located in Boston and was established in 1852. The Boston Public Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 

The Boston Public Library can be found in Eastern Massachusetts.

Boston Athenæum

The Boston Athenæum is located in Boston and was established in 1807. It is one of the nation's oldest independent libraries. The Boston Athenæum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Boston Athenæum  can be found in Eastern Massachusetts. 

Warren Public Library

The Warren Public Library is located in Warren and first opened to the public in 1879. A dedicated building was built in 1889. The Warren Public Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 

The Warren Public Library  can be found in Central Massachusetts.

Frances Perkins Branch Library

The Frances Perkins Branch Library is located in Worcester and was built in 1913. It was formerly known as the Greendale Branch Library and renamed in 1994 in honor of Frances Perkins, the first female member of the United States Cabinet. The Frances Perkins Branch Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Frances Perkins Branch Library can be found in Central Massachusetts.

Worcester Public Library

The Worcester Public Library is located in Worcester and was established in 1859 when local resident John Green donated his personal library to the city for public use.

The Worcester Public Library can be found in Central Massachusetts. 

Franklin Public Library

The Franklin Public Library is located in Franklin and was established in 1790. It is the first and oldest public lending library in the United States. The Franklin Public Libary houses a donation of books from Benjamin Franklin.

The Franklin Public Library  can be found in Central Massachusetts. 

Lenox Library

The Lenox Library is located in Lenox and was established in 1856. In 1874, the the library moved into the former Berkshire County Courthouse building. The Lenox Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Lenox Library can be found in Western Massachusetts. 

Forbes Library

The Forbes Library is located in Northampton and was completed in 1893. It houses the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum, which is the only presidential library located within a public library in the United States.

The Forbes Library can be found in Western Massachusetts. 

Springfield Central Library

The Springfield Central Library is located in Springfield and was established in 1885. The Springfield Central Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Springfield Central Library can be found in Western Massachusetts.