Rachel Todd Wetzsteon (November 25, 1967 – December 24/25?, 2009) was an American poet.

Life

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 and the Unterberg Poetry Center of the Ninety-Second Street Y. Her work appeared in many publications including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The New Republic, The Nation, and The Village Voice. She was poetry editor of The New Republic. Wetzsteon committed suicide on Dec. 24 or early on the 25th, 2009. Since 2010, a writing prize has been offered in her memory in the Columbia University English Department. 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.

Awards

Works

Poetry

Anthologies

Criticism

Editor