Especially after she started depositing her papers in the Modern Literature Collection in the mid-1960s, Swenson held onto her poem worksheets, often going so far as dating them and noting where they were eventually published. This kind of documentation is very helpful for scholars of Swenson and of poetry writing in general. This page contains example drafts from across her career as a published poet.

Settings and subjects of these poems include some of Swenson's lifelong favorites: reliving childhood memories, encountering various animals, capturing everyday life in the city, and bridging the worlds of science and art.