Account from Brian Whitener, Professor at University of South Alabama

I am writing to corroborate a posting made by Marie Buck. I moved to Michigan in the summer of 2008 and became friends with Marie in the following year. I recall vividly a series of conversations about how to handle the situation with Barrett. In particular, I recall conversations discussing how to handle the voicemails Marie details, conversations concerning the creation of the record she has posted, and conversations after these events about how to navigate her PhD program and the social space of poetry in Detroit where Barrett is/was a figure. Because of the archive she kept I don’t think anyone will doubt her narrative but I want to provide a third-party confirmation of the events set forth in it. I am able to recall these conversations even today because they formed an integral part of our friendship and my experience of living in the Detroit area. I would also like to underline the serious emotional strain that this series of events placed upon Marie.  Brian Whitener