Emily Dickinson, born in 1830, was the granddaughter of the founder of Amherst College. Except for a few journeys when she was young, Emily lived the life of a recluse in her father's house, spending her days writing poems and letters. In 1862, she sent a few of her poems to a publisher. He replied that her work was too unusual, too different. This was her first and last attempt to reach the public ear. From then on, she bound her work in small hand-stitched collections that she kept in her bureau drawer.