Emily Dickinson Museum
Emily Dickinson Museum PRESS RELEASE

April 15, 2009
For Immediate Release

Donna M. Abelli
413-542-5084
dmabelli@emilydickinsonmuseum.org
Emily Out Loud: Oral Interpretation with Emily Dickinson's Poetry

for Young People
Wednesday Encounters
Robert BrowningAmherst, Mass. -The Emily Dickinson Museum and the Jones Library will present a three part poetry series for young people on Wednesday, April 29, May 6 and May 13 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Jones Library in Amherst. The programs are designed to introduce young people to the pleasures of Dickinson's poetry through reading poems aloud. The program is a part of the museum's Big Read spring events celebrating Emily Dickinson's expansive and enduring legacy. Each of the "Emily Out Loud" sessions will be held in the large meeting room of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst, and are free of charge.

Emily Out Loud: Oral Interpretation with Emily Dickinson's Poetry is geared toward young people ages 8 to young adult. Joni Denn, an Emily Dickinson Museum guide and retired English teacher,will lead this fun and innovative program. Ms. Denn will guide participants through the joys and challenges of sharing the poet's work aloud with an emphasis on how to make poetry "breathe" through oral interpretation and how to be comfortable in front of an audience.

Pre-registration is available, but walk-ins are welcome, too. To register please contact the Children's desk at the Jones Library either in person or at 413-259-3091. Participants will receive a packet of Dickinson's poems in advance of the first program.
Robert BrowningThe Big Read: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson is part of a pilot initiative created by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation to celebrate great American poets and the nation's historic poetry locales. Free copies of a Reader's Guide and a Teacher's Guide to the poetry of Emily Dickinson will be available to attendees at all The Big Read events.  For more information about The Big Read programs please contact Nan Fischlein, Program Coordinator, at 413-542-2034 or
nfischlein@emilydickinsonmuseum.org
Robert BrowningABOUT THE MUSEUM

The Emily Dickinson Museum, comprising the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens and their three-acre landscape, is devoted to the story and legacy of poet Emily Dickinson and her family. Both properties are owned by the Trustees of Amherst College. The museum is overseen by a separate Board of Governors charged with raising its operating and capital funds. The Homestead was the birthplace and residence of the poet (1830-1886). The Evergreens was the 1856 home of the poet's brother and sister-in-law, Austin and Susan Dickinson.

The Emily Dickinson Museum is located at 280 Main St. in Amherst, Mass. The official museum website is www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org. Beginning March 1, hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.; the museum is closed on major holidays.

Robert Browning