James (and Sam, if you're there). Dickey did, in fact meet Sexton. They were at – what Diane Middlebook in her biography of A.S. describes as "literary gathering" at Syracuse U in Dec '65. Sexton called up Dickey wanted to talk about his scathing review of "All My Pretty Ones." Predictably he asked he if she "slept around," then sent her some letters which were rather unguarded. She called him and told him to stop, and though Sexton's husband overheard her side of the conversation dismissed it all, because, in his words, "All poets are jerks, anyway."
Another note. Elizabeth Bishop wrote to Lowell to sooth him when comparisons were made from Sexton's first two books and "Life Studies." Apparently Lowell was stung that his protege should be spoken in the same breath with him. Bishop – possibly in an effort to sooth his ego – described Sexton's poems as "our old beautiful silver school female writing." Even accepting that Lowell's ego would require enough air to fill a banquet hall, this is an extraordinary statement. Also it shows that Bishop, famous for refusing to participate in anthologies that were for women only, singles out Sexton as "a female writer."
Well, this is a lot of blather, but your post have gotten me thinking, and rereading Dickey, Sexton, Bishop – even Lowell, and that's all to the good.
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