[Glenn Wright]

Hi, Mary—

Suicide runs in my family, too. I suspect that many people write poetry as a way of throwing light into that darkness, and giving voice to that pain, not always successfully avoiding a fatal outcome. I am sorry about your sister.

I got Virginia Woolf (river), Sylvia Plath (oven), and Anne Sexton (gas) right away. After a bit of googling, I’m guessing that Charlotte refers to Charlotte Mew who poisoned herself by drinking Lysol. I am not familiar with her poetry.

Glenn