Day 81, March 22

I've written about Emily Dickinson before, of her love for sending letters.  That love evolved naturally from her writing.    Did you know that Dickinson wrote over 1800 poem?  Now, can you guess how many were published? Less than 1 percent, or 18.

Many of those pieces were altered to fit contemporary poetic rules.  (What were the editors thinking?)   Her first book of poems was published in 1890, four years after her death, by a group of friends. 

The first complete collection of her poems wasn’t published until 1955. Today, Emily Dickinson's works are  read worldwide, and she is considered by many to be one of the most important American poets  ever.

Did she give up writing, in the face of rejection and relative obscurity?  No.  She kept at it.  Perhaps, like many writers, she is compelled to write, even when no one was interested in her work.

Joy for today:  remembering the example of a great lady and great poet.