Melinda M. Ponder, in her 2017 biography Katharine Lee Bates: From Sea to Shining Sea, draws heavily on Bates's diaries and letters to trace the history of the poem and its place in American culture.
məlˈɪndə ˈɛm. pˈɑːndɚ, ɪn hɜː tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn baɪˈɑːɡɹəfi kˈæθɑːɹɹˌiːn lˈiː bˈeɪts: fɹʌm sˈiː tə ʃˈaɪnɪŋ sˈiː, dɹˈɔːz hˈɛvili ˌɔn bˈeɪtsᵻz dˈaɪɚɹiz ænd lˈɛɾɚz tə tɹˈeɪs ðə hˈɪstɚɹi ʌvðə pˈoʊᵻm ænd ɪts plˈeɪs ɪn ɐmˈɛɹɪkən kˈʌltʃɚ.