P.S. Emily Dickinson's Secret Collaborator's Notes

"we are the only poets-and everyone else is prose..."

One thing is certain about Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): she was madly in love. And that love spanned her entire adult life.

The object of her affection was Susan Huntington Gilbert (1830-1913). They met when Susan, a budding mathematician, moved to Amherst in 1850. Susan and Emily became inseparable. Based on the evidence of the women’s passionate letters, many scholars believe Emily and Susan were lovers.¹ And, once Susan married Emily’s brother, Austin, they became enmeshed in a strange love-triangle.

Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson

“We are the only poets,” Emily told Susan. Everyone else, she said, “is prose.”² Throughout her life, Emily wrote nearly twice as many letters to Susan as she did to anyone else — upwards of 500. She filled these letters with poems. In return, Susan offered insights and suggestions.

The two were poetic collaborators. But their partnership would be hidden for over a century. Read on to learn why.

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