The Letters of Rosemary and Bernadette Mayer, 1976-1980

Authors: Bernadette Mayer and Rosemary Mayer

Editors: Gillian Sneed and Marie Warsh

Publisher: Swiss Institute (2022)

This collection of the correspondence between artist Rosemary Mayer (1943–2014) and poet Bernadette Mayer (born 1945) occurs between the years of 1976 and 1980, a period of rich creativity in New York's artistic avant-garde, and one which includes the development of major bodies of work by the two women. Rosemary Mayer was creating sculptures, watercolors, books and "temporary monuments" from weather balloons and snow, while Bernadette Mayer was working on some of her best-known publications, including the book-length poem Midwinter Day and the poetry collection The Golden Book of Words. Spanning the worlds of Conceptual art, Postminimalism, feminism, the New York School, Language poetry and more, these letters elucidate the bonds of sisterhood through intimate exchanges about art, relationships and everyday life.

"The Mayers’s letters are everything you want from good letters: confessional, philosophical, quotidian, sometimes funny, and often about love."

–Noa Wesley