Suicide debate

Last night, Mr. R. and I went to Cheap Wine and Poetry at the Richard Hugo House. In honor of National Poetry Month, the audience was encouraged to dress up as their favorite or least favorite poet or literary figure. One woman was dressed as Sylvia Plath - a poet she doesn't like. Mr. R and I started discussing Plath's suicide.

Mr R thought that Sylvia Plath was the one who put stones in her pockets and drown. I said no that was Virginia Woolf and that Sylvia Plath put her head in an oven.

I have been doing a bit of research this morning - not to prove any body wrong or anything, but well, inquiring minds want to know. (Besides, one of my favorite movie lines is from A Fish Called Wanda, when Jamie Lee Curtis says "I know Otto. I looked it up.")

So here is what I have learned. Virginia Woolf did indeed put stones in her pockets before drowning herself. Sylvia Plath put her head in the oven. And Anne Sexton committed suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning. (Sorry Mr. R. - but then suicidal poets are more my thing anyway!)

So there we have it -

The readings last night were fabulous - an incredible variety of moods and styles and well, as usual a good time was had by all. I don't think anyone, poets or audience, felt like committing suicide!