In this issue
-- Poetry Picnic June 13 (Deadline for Nominating Your Favorite Poem is June 4)
-- Join us this Saturday, May 2 as Jane Yolen reads My Uncle Emily
-- More Emily Dickinson 101
-- An Original Ballet about Emily Dickinson -- May 16 Poetry Walk Amid Full Dickinson Weekend -- BIG READ Kick-Off Talk available on our website -- Help Support the Emily Dickinson Museum -- "my Verse is alive" Exhibition -- About the Museum -- Are you on FacebookŪ? Join us!
The Big Read: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson is underway at the Emily Dickinson Museum from April to June. Keep reading for more information.
Museum Hours
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Poetry Picnic June 13 (Deadline for Nominating Your Favorite Poem is June 4) 
The 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.
During The Big Read, votes will be taken for favorite poems by Emily Dickinson through June 4. The top 25 poems will be read at The Big Read's closing event, a Poetry Picnic on the museum grounds, on June 13. Bring your own picnic along with a blanket or chair, and join us on the lawn. Beverages will be available at a nominal charge. Craft activity suitable for all ages will also be offered. There are three ways to nominate your favorite poem: by e-mail, by snail mail to the museum at 280 Main Street, Amherst MA 01002, or by stopping at the museum's Tour Center during open hours. |
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Join us this Saturday, May 2 as Jane Yolen reads My Uncle Emily 
Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m.At the Dickinson Homestead Jane Yolen reads from her new book, My Uncle Emily, a children's story based on the relationship between Emily Dickinson and her young nephew Gilbert. In My Uncle Emily, Yolen spins an imaginative story of Emily Dickinson's young nephew Gilbert as he struggles through a difficult day at school and at home. Gilbert calls his Aunt "Uncle" because it is a family joke, but it is just the beginning of his problems as he attempts to defend his creative and unusual Aunt to his schoolmates. Through his battles and his Aunt's poetry, Gilbert learns a lesson in what matters most. Jane Yolen and illustrator Nancy Carpenter bring to life 19th-century Amherst and the Dickinson family homes, the Homestead and The Evergreens in this beautiful and charming children's book.
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More Emily Dickinson 101 
Tuesdays, May 5 & 12,
7 to 9 p.m.Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst Co-sponsored with the Jones Library No charge
An introduction to Emily Dickinson and her
poetry for
all who are curious about her life and work
but aren't
sure where to begin. Pre-registration is requested; walk-ins welcome on a space-available basis. Register by contacting Nan Fischlein, or Beth Girshman, or the Jones Library reference desk. ASL interpretation is available with three weeks notice by contacting Beth Girshman.
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An Original Ballet about Emily Dickinson 
"Emily of Amherst" -- an
interpretive
biographical ballet
about the poet -- premieres in Amherst on May
15, the
anniversary of Dickinson's death in 1886.Performance schedule: Friday, May 15, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. All performances are at Kirby Memorial Theater, Amherst College. Matinee performances begin with brief demonstrations of class repertoire by young students. Admission: Adults $18; Seniors $16; Children (3-18) $12 Tickets are available at Amherst Ballet, 29 Strong Street, Amherst MA 01002. Phone: 413-549-1555. E-mail info@amherstballet.org. Cash/checks only, payable to Amherst Ballet. More ...
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May 16 Poetry Walk Amid Full Dickinson Weekend 
A long-standing Amherst tradition dating back
to the
1970s, the Poetry Walk marks the anniversary
of the
poet's death by reading Dickinson's work at six
historic sites in Amherst, ending at her
gravesite. The
Walk begins at the Dickinson Homestead,
Saturday, May 16, at 1:00 p.m. In
case of rain,
the readings will be held indoors at
First Congregational Church, 165 Main Street,
across
the street from the museum.
This year's Walk features five area poets-Deborah Gorlin, Daniel Hall, Lisa Olstein, Pat Schneider, and Ellen Watson--who read and comment on their favorite Dickinson poems. Attendees will receive a souvenir booklet containing the poems the readers selected for the Walk. An open house at the Homestead and The Evergreens and booksigning with the poets (from 3 to 4 p.m.) follows. This is an unusual opportunity to talk with poets about the vocation they share with Emily Dickinson.
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BIG READ Kick-Off Talk available on our website 
The Emily Dickinson Museum's Big Read opened
on April 4th with a poetry equivalent of a
double-header. An eager audience heard a talk
on "The Future of Poetry" by John Barr,
president of the Poetry Foundation, as well as a
reading by Marilyn Nelson, former Poet
Laureate of the state of Connecticut, of her
own poems and Dickinson's. Attendees
questioned the speakers further over a
reception following the program.
Read John Barr's address, which makes a case for Emily Dickinson as the first modernist poet.
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Help Support the Emily Dickinson Museum 
The Emily Dickinson Museum offers an
unparalleled
glimpse into the life of one of the world's
greatest poets. The Homestead is a National
Historic
Landmark, and the Emily Dickinson Museum has
recently been designated an American
Literary Landmark by the
National Endowment for the Arts. The museum has
grown dramatically
in its programs, audience, and
impact in the five years since its creation
in 2003, and attracts worldwide attention. It owes its success in large measure to the generous encouragement of its many dedicated friends and supporters who have seen the rampant possibilities in the Emily Dickinson Museum. We need your support to continue to offer tours, programs, and connection with the poet's world such as those you see in these Emily E-Updates. Find out more about how you can assist the Museum by clicking on the link below, or by contacting executive director Jane Wald. Please send your contribution to: Emily Dickinson Museum Annual Fund, 280 Main Street, Amherst MA 01002. Your help is especially appreciated during these challenging economic times. Thank you in advance for your support. |
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"my Verse is alive" Exhibition 
A provocative exhibit exploring the
intriguing posthumous publication of
Dickinson's poetry, continues at the Emily
Dickinson Museum Tour Center during regular
museum hours.
"my Verse is alive" explores the tangled private and public motives of several figures closely associated with Emily Dickinson as they struggled for control of her poetic legacy. The roles of her siblings Lavinia and Austin, sister-in-law Susan and niece Martha are examined as well as that of Lavinia's friend and Austin's mistress Mabel Loomis Todd, a central figure in achieving initial publication of Dickinson's poetry.
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About the Museum 
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. The Museum
is a member of
Museums10, a collaboration of ten
museums linked to the five colleges in the
Pioneer
Valley.
The Tour Center may be reached at 413-542-2947, Wednesday through Sunday, during museum hours.
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Are you on FacebookŪ? Join us! 
The Museum has created a presence on Facebook
to share information and tools with the
Facebook commmunity.
Become a fan today! Just Click on the
Facebook Icon.
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Quick Links... |
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Contact Information
phone:
413/542-8161
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