The following materials are being offered for sale by Richard Ford, a bookseller in London for £3000.00 (ca. $4537.05) . Book Description: [1976-1990], 1990. The Mother, the Neighbour and the Black Hand of Ted Hughes A small archive of material deriving from the papers of Professor Trevor Thomas, Art Historian, occupant of the flat below that of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath at 23 Fitzroy Road, Primrose Hill, London. It includes: a. Two Typed Letters Signed from Sylvia Plath's mother, Aurelia, airmail, to "Professor Thomas", detailed, 7 & 28 May 1976, one with handwritten date the other with a handwritten PS. 7 May 1976: She is responding to the haunting contents of a long letter from Thomas, convinced that Sylvia would have left letters for her family which she quotes Thomas[?] as saying were "destroyed when found". She comments that many inaccuracies have been written about Sylvia's work. For example The Bell Jar wasn't autobiographical...

Here is a little list of new/updated Sylvia Plath related things! The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill currently has an exhibit going called JOYCEAN GENEROSITY, JOYCEAN BOOKS . There are a number of Plath items featured in this exhibit. They are: 'Among the Narcissi'. Ashington, Eng.: Mid Northumberberland Arts Group, 1971. First separate edition. Lyonesse . London: Rainbow Press, 1971. Number 95 of 100. The Colossus . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1962. Author's presentation copy to Alfred Young Fisher. The Three Women: A Monologue for Three Voices . London: Oficyna Stanislawa Gliwy, 1968. Setting copy and proofs for second edition. Thanks to April Brewer for the list of specific Plath items. For more information: On exhibit April 17 - June 30, 2009 Melba Remig Saltarelli Exhibit Room | Wilson Special Collections Library Free and open to the public | Exhibit information: (919) 962-1143 or rbcref@email.unc.edu - - - - - - - - - -...

The following was my introduction to yesterday's Sylvia Plath listening hour at the Woodberry Poetry Room. We had a nice group of people, as well as some lovely Plath archival materials which, I think, enhanced the event. The “voice” of the poet has a double-meaning. On the one hand it is speaker of the poem – the poems’ persona – which knows no boundaries: it can be a woman, a man, a shirt, a stone, a tree branch: anything. The other meaning is of course more literal: the spoken voice of the poet. And we are fortunate enough to work in or work with an archive of recorded poetry: the poet’s voice captured, here at the Woodberry Poetry Room. We are gathered here today to hear Sylvia Plath. Born and raised just miles from here, Plath’s first published poem appeared in the Boston Herald when she was 8. She lived in Jamaica Plain, Winthrop , and Wellesley before attending Smith College and University of Cambridge , in England . It was at this other Cambridge where, in 1956, she m...

Woodberry Poetry Room This is a reminder that Friday, 17 April, 2009, there will be an poetry listening event at the Woodberry Poetry Room in Lamont Library, Room 330, at Harvard. If you're in the area, come on by for a 3 PM start. I'll be introducing this week's Reel Time on Sylvia Plath, as well as playing a selection of Plath's poetry recorded for the Woodberry Poetry Room. On hand, also, will be some archival holdings that can only be seen in the Poetry Room!

On Sunday, David Barstow of The New York Times published " A New Chapter of Grief in the Plath-Hughes Legacy " on the death of Nicholas Hughes. This is a very good article on the subject, certainly one of the finest published in the last three weeks. Thanks to Amanda for pointing this out.

Just a few things to point out and/or promote this weekend... Recently I found a very lovely blog: Sylvia and Ted Collection . In Sylvia and Ted Collection, Laurie is highlighting rare, limited, first, signed, and other editions of Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, etc. in her personal collection. It is an extremely generous offering with very lovely images as well as bibliographic and other commentary. Collecting Sylvia Plath (or Ted Hughes or another author) can be a very rewarding experience. Although some of these books, broadsides, long playing records probably cannot be or have not been read, handled or even opened, there must be a huge amount of joy in just getting to look at them daily. I've worked with many of these book myself at rare book rooms and I've gazed admiringly at them at Book Fairs. What Laurie is doing is something unique and fantastic for those who find themselves to be inclined to Plath. Plath Profiles , Volume 2, is really coming together. Are you working ...

Linda Gray Sexton, the daughter of poet Anne Sexton, contributes the Op-Ed " A Tortured Inheritance " in today's New York Times . The Op-Ed is on the recent death of Nicholas Hughes, son of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes which of course gripped worldwide attention the week of March 23.