My Letter to "The New Yorker" on Green-Wood Cemetery

This week, The New Yorker published my letter to the editor about one of my favorite places in Brooklyn: Green-Wood Cemetery. It reflects my deep affection for its beauty, mystery, and history, as well as the stewardship of its former president, Richard Moylan.

Read the letter in the August 11, 2025 issue.

Green-wood in the winter, where an angel with well-developed abs contemplates the heavens on a hill near the historic chapel. photo by michael quinn.

green-wood in the spring, where cherry trees bloom along the perimeter of sylvan pond. photo by michael quinn.

Green-wood in the summer, where this drowsy-looking maiden sits near’s niblo’s tomb., adorned with a crown and bouquet of fading summer roses. photo by michael quinn.

green-wood in the fall, where the autumn leaves form a spectacular halo for a lichen-covered angel. photo by michael quinn.

Green-Wood has appeared in my work before. In 2023, I wrote a feature for The Red Hook Star-Revue exploring the cemetery’s unique role in Brooklyn’s cultural and natural landscape: as an active cemetery, a registered arboretum, and an arts space. Read that feature here.

Green-Wood is my favorite green space in all of New York City. I walk through its 478 acres at least once a week, and every time I discover something new. It’s a place that continues to inspire me as a writer and a Brooklynite.

If you haven’t been and you have the chance, check it out!