Harriet Prescott Spofford

Harriet Prescott Spofford (1835–1921) was an American writer born at Calais, Maine, who lived for many years at Newburyport, Massachusetts. She became known in 1859 for her story “In a Cellar” in The Atlantic Monthly and wrote novels, stories, and poems.

Her verse is lyrical and compressed, and several short poems were taken up by anthologists of her time.