Oh no. This is so sad. Annie was one of the first people to respond - and certainly one of the kindest - when I first started posting here. (I was deeply impressed by the fact, which I soon discovered, that she had been a personal friend of the great Jake Thackray.)
I loved her poems too, and cherish signed copies of two of her collections.
Unlike Mark (whom I envy, greatly) I never actually met her, although I had that on my wish list. The sea is wide, and I cannot swim over. We did exchange emails - too sporadically - and I sent her one starting "How are you?" just last Wednesday. I can stop looking forward to her reply now.
I called her my giddy poetry aunt, and she sometimes signed off her emails as that. Hail, now, Great Aunt. We are diminished.
I don't think I'll be able to read either of those collections for a day or two yet.
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