"Surrounded by an aura of doom"

Poets tend to die young, or so says a researcher from California State University at San Bernadino. I heard other studies come to the same conclusion as this article, but it's interesting enough to read through.

Gotta love this conclusion:

"Kaufman's study ends, as do the lives of many poets, on a sad note. He writes: 'The fact that a Sylvia Plath or Anne Sexton may die young does not necessarily mean an introduction to poetry class should carry a warning that poems may be hazardous to one's health. Yet this study may reinforce the idea of poets being surrounded by an aura of doom, even compared with others who may pick up a pen and paper for other purposes. It is hoped that the data presented here will help poets and mental-health professionals find ways to lessen what appears to be a sometimes negative impact of writing poetry on mortality and mental health.'"

I think I'll leave that off my next intro to literature syllabus.