My Letter to the Editor of The New Yorker

I came across this sentence in the review of Lucie Brock-Broido's book of poems, "Stay, Illusion", by Dan Chiasson in the October 28, 2013, issue:

Brock-Broido's poems can be baffling, but because of their stylish spookiness (some combination of Poe and Stevie Nicks) they are never boring.

And I thought how ridiculous to spoon a mere poet and a demigod in the same parenthetical comparison. Poe gave the world the hackneyed work "The Raven", which has been the cause of suffering for countless teenagers forced to memorize it in school. Stevie Nicks gave the world the transcendent work "Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)", which has lifted the spirits of so many teenagers, including many, I would guess, depressed from the experience of memorizing Poe's poem. I believe you owe Ms. Nicks an apology.
rocky dennis
Livermore, Calif.

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