| name = Anna Hempstead Branch | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = Anna Hempstead Branch | birth_date = March, 18th, 1875 | birth_place = Hempsted House in New London, Connecticut | death_date = September, 8th, 1937 | death_place = New London County, USA | resting_place = Cedar Grove Cementary[1] | occupation = Poet | language = English | nationality = American | ethnicity = | citizenship = USA | education = | alma_mater = Smith College | period = | genre = Poetry | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | portaldisp = }}

In 1898, the year after her graduation, her poem "The Road 'Twixt Heaven and Hell" was selected as the year's best verse by a college graduate by Century Magazine.[2]. After her recognition, Branch went on to become a habitual published writer in various national magazines and was published for the first time by Houghton Mifflin in 1901 [3]

Branch was born at Hempsted House in New London, Connecticut in 1875, the younger child of John Locke Branch, a lawyer, and Mary Lydia Bolles Branch (1840–1922), a children's author and poet who was part of Hempstead family, who had lived in the area since 1640. The Hempstead lineage is a prominent one, having been owners of some of the oldest houses in southeast Connecticut.[4]

Sonnets from a Lock Box (1929) is regarded as her best work.[5][6] It is a collection of thirty-eight sonnets using the first person, noted for its directness and mystical symbolism.[5] Her final collection of poetry, Last Poems (1944), was published posthumously by Ridgely Torrence.[5]. The following is an excerpt from Sonnets from a Lock Box, "Into the void behold my shuddering flight, Plunging straightforward through unhuman space, My wild hair backward was blown and my white faceSet like a wedge of ice" [7]

Poems were nicely printed and sold for five cents each, people were able to get poetry cheaply and the profits would go back into the settlement house work.[2]. Hempstead often was invited to various colleges and high schools in the east to discuss her poetry with students, and read her poetry out loud to them. In particular, She was invited to speak at Wellesley College, which is an all women's college, on November 9th, 1926 Connecticut.<ref>Connecticut College, Archives. "Anna Hempstead Branch Papers". Collections.conncoll.edu/branch. Connecticut College. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)</ref.

Throughout Branch's long journey to understanding herself through poetry, she never married or had children of her own. Ultimately, She died of cancer at the age of 62 in New London County.[8]. Her family buried her in Cedar Grove Cemetery in 1937.

  1. ^ FindAGrave. "Anna Hempstead Branch". Retrieved 10/23/17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MHB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Connecticut College, Archives. "Anna Hempstead Branch Papers". Collections.conncoll.edu/branch. Connecticut College. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ^ Connecticut College, Archives. "Anna Hempstead Branch Papers". Collections.conncoll.edu/branch. Connecticut College. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AWW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NALW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Hempstead Branch, Anna. "Sonnets from a Lock Box". Poetry Nook. Poetry Nook. Retrieved 10/9/17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference NAW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).