COME MEET AMERICA’S FIRST POET AND CELEBRATE HER BIRTHDAY WITH US HERE IN THE VALLEY OF THE POETS.

2012 marks the four hundredth anniversary of poet Anne Dudley Bradstreet’s birth.

Citizens of North Andover and Andover, Massachusetts have established the Friends of Anne Bradstreet Foundation to foster awareness and appreciation of the life and work of Mistress Bradstreet, the first female published poet of the New World. In the 17th century most women could not even read, let alone write. Yet her reflections on motherhood, love and early stirrings of feminist feelings ring stunningly true today.

Additionally, Anne’s role as a Founding Mother of the Mass Bay Colony and in particular, of Andover/ North Andover has been largely overlooked.  In 1630, eighteen year old Anne sailed with her husband, Simon Bradstreet and other Puritans to the wild shores and forests of New England. The story of Anne Bradstreet portrays a courageous, gifted woman and throws light on the history of this early period of America’s formation. Her father, Thomas Dudley was the second governor of the colony, her husband a member of the Bay Colony Council; she rubbed shoulders with this country’s beginnings.

For two hundred years or more school children read this poet’s words, but with the start of the 20th Century she disappeared from most textbooks. Bradstreet’s work faded into the shadows of history.

Since Anne Bradstreet is indeed a seminal figure in our culture, the Friends are excited to present a series of events to celebrate her accomplishments throughout 2012 and beyond.

Check out our upcoming events here.