Mementos, 1

“Heart’s Needle” by W.D. Snodgrass (1959)

Taken from the first collection of the same name, “Heart’s Needle” chronicles the speaker’s pain and disorientation after a failed marriage and the loss of access to his daughter. This collection won Snodgrass the Pulitzer Prize and ushered in the “Confessional” movement in American poetry.

“After Experience Taught Me” by W.D. Snodgrass (1967)

This poem features more of Snodgrass’s signature direct style and autobiographical inspiration, as it details an experience he had in World War II and its impact on him.

“Daddy” by Sylvia Plath (1960)

Sylvia Plath was another writer who gained fame through her “Confessional” mode of writing. “Daddy” is one of her most famous poems, and like Snodgrass’ “Mementos, 1”, it is an unsparing look at trauma, disappointment, and complications in human relationships.

"W.D. Snodgrass (1926-2009)" by Poetry Foundation

This is the Poetry Foundation’s page for W.D. Snodgrass, which includes a brief biographical overview of his life, work, and literary contributions in the world of American letters. The page also contains links to full-text versions of some of his most famous poems.

“Confessional Poetry” by Poetry Foundation

This is an introduction by the Poetry Foundation to some of the main poets, themes, and stylistic features of the “confessional” mode of poetry, which Snodgrass was credited with helping to popularize in his first collection Heart’s Needle in 1959.