About the Fan Mail

As stated by David Haven Blake "Biographies of Sexton, John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Lowell have regularly reminded us of fame’s importance to each poet’s life" (1). Dunn's fame whether before or after his Pulitzer, his public platform, opened the door for him to have an intimate space with those who absorb and admire his work. The following fan letter, as displayed in this interactive map, have allowed us to see the end results of Dunn's work; because he is frank, open, and creates work which touches people, the fan mail serves as a symbol of a fan's desire to touch Dunn back. Dunn's poetry in his celebrated volumes upon volumes of poems, have carved out a space for fans to be comfortable with Dunn as though they are in dialogue with an old lover, a new lover, a father-figure, and of course close friends. 

The following letters span a number of years across Dunn's career and what they show is quite a bit of his readership exist on the East Coast. Many fans often would send their work along with their own poems in celebration of Dunn's heavy influence

About the Fan Mail