Measuring genius

RE “L.A.’s Unsung Prophet,” by Anne-Marie O’Connor, Feb. 24: Why do I get the nagging sense that O’Connor has never even used one of Kate Braverman’s incredible literary works as a doorstop? Although focusing on this author’s darker biographical facets is a common enough approach to dismissing women of brilliance, I had hoped for more from The Times’ staff.

How about a serious exploration of the way in which Braverman’s poetic insights have reimpassioned California literature? Or something about what it means to refuse to “dumb down” one’s artistic works given the marketplace excretions we must wade through? Think big, folks. Much depends on it.

GRETCHEN ROLFE

Mission Viejo

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UNTIL it hit me that Braverman’s “I’m even more of a genius than you think I am” routine was in earnest, I assumed she was doing a riff on Stephen Colbert’s “The Colbert Report.” By the end of the article, I was pleased to learn she’d moved to San Francisco.

DAVID MACARAY

Rowland Heights