[Alex Pepple]

I don't think this was posted anywhere here ... I've just found out that Pulitzer-winning poet, Claudia Emerson died December 4 last year. It was after a long bout with cancer. You can read more at The New York Times here.

I'm only familiar with a small sample of her work, which I much enjoyed. Plus, she was also a good friend to Able Muse Press, having written the foreword to Chelsea Woodard's new book, Vellum, a finalist from the 2013 Able Muse Book Award, which was actually released officially November 17, the previous month before she passed away. So, even in the height of her struggle with cancer, she was still involved, writing and helping out younger poets.

She will be missed!

Here's a poem of her's on Poetry Daily last month.

And here's some more from Blackbird.

And here's even more from the Poetry Foundation (scroll down).

Cheers,
...Alex

[E. Shaun Russell]

This is very sad. I attended a reading of hers back in April, and she did mention at that time that she was fighting cancer. While I'm not generally a fan of much free verse, I was quite impressed with her work and its nice blend of the rural and the quaint.

[Siham Karami]

Thanks for posting this, Alex. She's a fine poet. A friend told me of her death which she had discovered by accident -- Claudia Emerson was the judge for a poetry manuscript contest she had sent to, then suddenly she read, unexpectedly, of her death. Even though she had been ill, her death came as a shock, and she will be missed, but her poetry will live on.

Siham