Greetings!

A little Madness in the Spring
is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown -
Who ponders this tremendous scene -
This whole Experiment of Green -
As if it were his own!

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Emily Dickinson Museum brings you its sometimes silly, sometimes serious weekend-long celebration of all things literary "A little Madness in the Spring" on April 28 and 29, 2007. Whether you join us for one event or make plans to spend the weekend with us, you're sure to find a range of indoor and outdoor activities that will delight and inspire. In fact, your dog may even find inspiration at one of our Sunday events!

Jeanne Braham, poetry editor of New England Watershed Magazine and author of The Light within the Light: Portraits of Donald Hall, Richard Wilbur, Maxine Kumin & Stanley Kunitz, shares the stage with the book’s illustrator, renowned engraver Barry Moser. The two discuss creating portraits with both words and art. Reception and book signing will follow. Former Poet Laureate of the United States Richard Wilbur introduces the program by sharing a few of his own poems.
Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle Street (next door to the Museum)

More about the speakers and their work

Marta McDowell, a landscape consultant and author of Emily Dickinson’s Gardens, discusses a selection of plants in Dickinson’s herbarium that can succeed in today’s gardens. Emily Dickinson’s herbarium (collection of pressed plants) was recently published by Harvard University Press. See 3:30 p.m. for details about gardening workshops that follow this lecture.
Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle Street

More about Emily Dickinson's Herbarium

Sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Masters in Fine Arts Program for Writers and Artists and offered in conjunction with the Juniper Literary Festival, “Weird War” investigates contemporary world events and the literary responses to them. How does new writing reflect America’s present-day political landscape?
Homestead Tour Center, 280 Main Street

More about the Juniper Literary Festival

In honor of the Emily Dickinson Museum’s new landscape audio tour, “Grounds of Memory,” Mary Jo Salter will read selected Dickinson poems inspired by the landscape. In celebration of the tour’s public launch, audio tours will be available at no charge all weekend on a first-come, first-served basis.
Museum grounds, 280 Main Street

Sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Masters in Fine Arts Program for Writers and Artists and offered in conjunction with the Juniper Literary Festival, “Going Viral” explores the intersection of literary websites with traditional media. How are online journals, blogs, listservs, audio archives and e- books shaping literary communities, new writers and the future of literary criticism?
Homestead Tour Center, 280 Main Street

More about the Juniper Literary Festival

An Herbarium Garden: Led by Marta McDowell
Participants will plant and take home a scented geranium, perfect for starting an herbarium-inspired garden.

A Container Conservatory: Led by Karl Longto
Emily Dickinson called her conservatory her “garden off the dining room.” Participants are invited to help recreate the conservatory by potting plants Dickinson maintained in her greenhouse. Participants will take home a potted plant.

Both programs require pre- registration and a materials fee of $25. To register, call 413/542- 2034 or e-mail nfischlein@emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
Museum grounds, 280 Main Street

Celebrate Emily Dickinson’s beloved dog Carlo with a variety of maddening activities designed for the dog- lover. Families and friends are invited to bring their dogs to the Museum’s lawn for dog amusements and an ongoing dog parade in honor of the poet’s walks with Carlo. A real “Carlo” will meet and greet pooches and their parents. Cameras are encouraged and a sense of humor and short leashes are required. Stuffed animals - of any type - are also welcome.
Museum grounds, 280 Main Street

Author of the recently published book Pets in America and professor in the Office of Academic Programs at the Winterthur Museum, Katherine C. Grier talks about the history of the domesticated dog in the United States. Book signing will follow. Sorry, dog-sitting not provided.
Amherst Woman’s Club, 35 Triangle Street

More about the book

The Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens is dedicated to educating diverse audiences about the poet's life, family, creative work, times, and enduring relevance, and to preserving and interpreting the Homestead and The Evergreens as historical resources for the benefit of scholars and the general public. The Emily Dickinson Museum is owned by the Trustees of Amherst College and has its own Board of Governors, which is charged with the responsibility of raising the Museum’s operating and capital funds. To find out how you can support the Emily Dickinson Museum, click here.