[Alex Pepple]

I did not know her, but this is terrible and sad news.

[David Rosenthal]

What horrible news. I didn't know her either, but she was pretty much the same age as me, so I kept an eye on her. How terribly, terribly sad.

David R.

[A. E. Stallings]

I am passing on information from Rachel Hadas: Rachel Wetzsteon was found dead in her apartment on Monday the 28th, though she may have died on Christmas Eve. She had apparently been in the grips of a deep depression for the past year. "There are no immediate plans for a memorial service, but it seems likely her friends will at the very least want to celebrate the posthumous publication of her book next fall. Funeral arrangements are private."

*

I did not know her as well as I would have liked, but was always delighted to run into her and exchange words and laughter at West Chester. The dark strain in the wit of her poetry seems more in evidence in recent work, though perhaps that is the bleak 20/20 of hindsight. She was a good friend of Sarah Hannah, and did the the generous afterward to her friend's posthumous volume. Rachel emphasized Sarah's life and her work rather than the circumstances of her death by suicide, and concluded: her ... "loss is inconceivable. But I'm learning to be grateful for my memories of her, and for the fact that readers who never got to meet this marvelous person can at least look forward to discovering her marvelous poems." I hope her work and life can bring some comfort--even if there can ultimately be no answers--to her friends and family over what will surely be a difficult time (indeed, lifetime) of grieving.

[Terese Coe]

Such hard news. Rachel was a sharp observer of humanity. I didn't know her personally, but always enjoyed the subdued ironies of her work.

[Marilyn Taylor]

Devastating, wrenching news. Thank you so much, Alicia and Jennifer, for filling in a few of of the blanks for us. I knew Rachel by way of West Chester and a couple of other conferences, and I remember her for her warmth and her earnestness and her intrinsic likability. She will be much missed by many. (Incidentally, news of her death also appears on her Wikipedia listing.)

[Jennifer Reeser]

Yes, thanks, Alicia. Four days dead, before discovery. And at Christmastime. What a world.

[Wendy Sloan]

I took a workshop with Rachel at the 92nd Street Y some years ago -- (I think Meredith Bergmann was in that workshop, too ...) and Rachel encouraged us to go to West Chester -- (Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing her at West Chester last year ... )
She was lovely. Smart, fun ...
Very very sad and disturbing news. What a tragedy.

[Gregory Dowling]

No, she wasn't at West Chester last June. She had taken part in the previous two critical seminars, in 2007 and 2008, on W.H. Auden and Philip Larkin. She gave a short presentation on Larkin and happiness, of all topics. It was wonderful - witty and perceptive.