Vijay Seshadri (born 13 February 1954)[1] is an American poet, essayist and literary critic based in Brooklyn.

[3] In a 2004 interview, Seshadri discusses the creative process and his influences, in particular Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, and William Blake.

He also reflects on his cultural influences including the experience of "strangeness" coming of age in Columbus, Ohio during the 1960s.

[7] The poem was written in response to Seshdari's memories of John F. Kennedy's assassination, but not published until The New Yorker magazine printed it on its back page following the September 11 attacks.

[8] The New Yorker's poetry editor, Alice Quinn, said that the poem "summoned up, with acute poignance, a typical American household and scene [...] The combination of epic sweep (including the quoted allusion to one of Emily Dickinson's Civil War masterpieces, from 1862) and piercing, evocative detail is characteristic of the contribution Seshadri has made to the American canon.