Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts in a family of community leaders. She led a largely private life but with her keen sense of observation and imagination, published nearly eighteen hundred poems in her lifetime. She is now considered an influential American poet and an early leader in womens literature.

Her poetry uses slant rhyme and often takes the form of short sentences filled with metaphorical imagery - as in her poem "By the Sea," which recalls a mysterious visit to her favorite body of water.