Rachel Todd Wetzsteon (/ˈwɛtstn/;[1] November 25, 1967 – December 24/25?, 2009) was an American poet.[2]

Rachel Wetzsteon
Born(1967-11-25)November 25, 1967
New York City
DiedDecember 25, 2009(2009-12-25) (aged 42)
New York City
NationalityAmerican
Alma materJohns Hopkins University; Columbia University
GenrePoetry

Life edit

Born in New York City, New York, the daughter of editor and critic Ross Wetzsteon, she graduated from Yale University in 1989 where she studied with Marie Borroff and John Hollander. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with an MA, and from Columbia University with a Ph.D. She taught at Barnard College.

She lived in Manhattan and went on to teach at William Paterson University[3] and the Unterberg Poetry Center of the Ninety-Second Street Y.

Her work appeared in many publications including The New Yorker,[4] The Paris Review, The New Republic,[5] The Nation,[6] and The Village Voice.[7] She was poetry editor of The New Republic.

Wetzsteon committed suicide on Dec. 24 or early on the 25th, 2009.[1][8] Since 2010, a writing prize has been offered in her memory in the Columbia University English Department.[9] Since 2014, the William Paterson University English Department's in-house literary journal, Map Literary, has produced The Rachel Wetzsteon Chapbook Award every two years.[10]

Awards edit

Works edit

  • "Gold Leaves"; "Five-Finger Exercise", THE CORTLAND REVIEW, ISSUE 32, June 2006
  • "At the Zen Mountain Monastery", Very Like a Whale, September 7, 2006
  • "Pemberley". The Nation. October 3, 2002.
  • "Manhattan Triptych"; "Sakura Park", Poetry Daily

Poetry edit

Anthologies edit

Criticism edit

Editor edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Margalit Fox (December 31, 2009). "Rachel Wetzsteon, Poet of Keen Insights and Wit, Dies at 42". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Poet Rachel Wetzseon To Read - Amherst College". amherst.edu.
  3. ^ "William Paterson University". Archived from the original on 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  4. ^ The New Yorker. "The New Yorker". The New Yorker.
  5. ^ The New Republic (12 December 2005). "From "Thirty-Three"". The New Republic.
  6. ^ "October 21, 2002". thenation.com.
  7. ^ "Rachel Wetzsteon - New York - Village Voice". villagevoice.com.
  8. ^ Adam Kirsch (December 30, 2009). "In Memory, and Admiration, of Rachel Wetzsteon". The New Republic.
  9. ^ "DEPARTMENTAL & RELATED EVENTS", Columbia University
  10. ^ "Rachel Wetzsteon Chapbook Award", MapLiterary

External links edit