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Why did Lavinia Dickinson want Emily Dickinson’s poems to be published?

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Emily Dickinson, c. 1847 — Emily Dickinson Poet Emily Dickinson is one of American poetry's most singular and influential voices.

After Emily Dickinson died in 1886, her sister, Lavinia Dickinson, discovered hundreds of poems that the poet had neatly bundled into manuscript-books.12

While Dickinson’s own intentions regarding the publication of her work remain a subject of historical conjecture—as she left no explicit instructions—Lavinia decided upon finding the manuscripts that the poems should be made public. It is widely understood that Lavinia recognized the significance of the work and sought to ensure that her sister's poetic legacy was shared with the world.23

Following this decision, Lavinia initially turned to Susan Gilbert Dickinson to prepare the poems for publication. When that effort did not move forward, Lavinia entrusted the manuscripts to Mabel Loomis Todd, a family friend who, along with Thomas Wentworth Higginson, worked to transcribe and edit the collection for its eventual release in 1890.12