In this issue
-- Poetry Walk Honors the Work and Life of Emily Dickinson
-- Make A Gift Before Our Fiscal Year Ends!
-- Taking a Stroll with Emily Dickinson
-- Summer Fun at the Homestead -- New York Times Writer Revisits His Hero -- Membership Program Coming This Summer -- Support the Emily Dickinson Museum -- About the Museum -- Are you on FacebookŪ? Join us!
Tis not that Dying hurts us so -
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Poetry Walk Honors the Work and Life of Emily Dickinson 
The Emily Dickinson Museum will sponsor the
annual Emily
Dickinson Poetry Walk and Open House on
Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. The Walk
marks the anniversary of the poet's death (on
May 15, 1886) with readings of her poetry at
six historic sites in Amherst. After the
Poetry Walk, the Museum will host
an Open House from 3 to 4 p.m. The event is
free and open to the public.NOTICE: UMASS will host its annual commencement exercises on Saturday, May 15, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. This event will affect traffic. For more information, visit www.masstraveler. The poet's death on May 15, 1886 came after two and a half years of ill health. From the time her nephew Gib died in October 1883 she suffered a consequent "nervous prostration," Dickinson became what her sister termed "delicate." On two later occasions she experienced "blackouts," and she was confined to bed for the seven months preceding her death. The subject of death, including her own death, occurs throughout Emily Dickinson's poems and letters. To learn more, go to our website section on Emily Dickinson and Death. (Image is from the West Cemetery Amherst History Mural by David Fichter. Photograph by Steve Fratoni)
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Make A Gift Before Our Fiscal Year Ends! 
As the Emily Dickinson Museum approaches the end of another fiscal year (June 30), your gift to the Museum's Annual Fund will keep it on a sustainable course. We want to make it possible for yet another round of visitors to appreciate how great poetry, especially in the place it was written, can make one "feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off..." We hope you will make your gift now and be as generous as possible.
Make your gift now via PayPal!
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Taking a Stroll with Emily Dickinson 
"The gardens and poetry walks were
delightfully done.""Thanks again for a highly interesting day. The flowers and trees were exquisite." These are just a few of the comments from happy participants on our bus excursion to the New York Botanical Garden. It was a delightful sight for lovers of Emily Dickinson's poetry to see her words dotting the colorful flowered paths of the garden; however having the poet herself appear was a joyful surprise. As the actress playing Emily Dickinson took the group for a stroll through the Conservatory's replica of the Homestead, the Evergreens and along the "path just wide enough for two in love" you felt you were back in Amherst. "Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers," closes on June 13th. The Amherst Ballet will be performing scens from its birographical ballet "Emily of Amherst" this weekend, May 15 and 16. For more information about special events and the exhibition, visit www.nybg.org. For more images from the exhibition visit the New York Times Arts Section photographic slide show.
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Summer Fun at the Homestead 
"We are to have another "Circus," and again
the Procession from Algiers will pass the
Chamber-Window." (Letter 412, May 1874)When Emily Dickinson wrote this note in 1874 there were over 43 circuses traveling across the United States. W.C. Coup (a partner of Barnum) and Van Amburgh & Co.'s Great Golden Menagerie are known to have visited Amherst in that year. Van Amburgh dressed as a roman gladiator and is considered the first modern wild cat trainer in circus history. On Saturday, July 10, 2010 the Emily Dickinson Museum will bring the circus to Amherst with "Creatures of Bliss and Mystery": A Nineteenth-century Children's Circus 1-4 pm. This year's circus will feature Henry the Juggler and folksinger and storyteller Tim Van Egmond. Every summer, the Emily Dickinson Museum hosts Poetry in the Garden: three Sunday afternoons of informal readings of Dickinson's poetry. During the programs, noted artists, scholars, and Dickinson enthusiasts share a selection of Dickinson poems and reflect on their significance. Light refreshments and an opportunity for audience members to chat informally with the speaker round out each afternoon. Programs will take place on Sundays, July 18, 25 & August 1, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.
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New York Times Writer Revisits His Hero By HOLLAND COTTER Published: May 11, 2010 New York Times "KNOCK, knock, knock. That's me, rapping on the front door of a large brick house set high above Main Street in Amherst, Mass. September 1963. I'm 16." In his recent story in the New York Times, journalist Holland Cotter explores the different images of Emily Dickinson through the numerous biographies about her life. Cotter notes, "Unsurprisingly, after decades of close attention, there are many versions of Emily Dickinson to choose from." In his heartwarming article Cotter reveals his own personal relationship with the poet and her poetry, one that many fans of Emily Dickinson can recognize. "She spoke as a woman, a man, a little girl, a little boy, a lover active and passive. Suddenly she was throwing out a power-of-example lifeline. Not only was she an outsider, she was also, so it seemed, an outlaw, on the margins, where I felt I was too." To read Holland Cotter's complete article visit the New York Times Art and Design section.
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Membership Program Coming This Summer 
The Museum is pleased to announce the
introduction of a membership program in the
summer of 2010. Membership will give Emily
Dickinson followers near and far a rewarding
way to support and keep in touch with the
growing programs of her beloved Homestead.
Enjoy benefits such as free admission to the
Museum, a subscription to the "Message from
the Meadows" newsletter, discounts on
purchases from the Museum Shop and on fees
for special programs, invitations to member
events, and more.
In a few weeks you'll receive a brief survey about the Membership plans. We hope you will take a minute to complete the survey, and lend your voice to this exciting new program.
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Support the Emily Dickinson Museum 
The Emily Dickinson Museum is a vibrant literary
landmark, honoring of one of the world's
greatest poets.
In these times of economic challenge for non-profit cultural organizations, we especially need your help to maintain the tours, programs, and connection with the poet's world at the Emily Dickinson Museum. Read a compelling message about the Museum's needs and goals offered by Cullen Murphy, editor-at-large for Vanity Fair magazine and a member of the Emily Dickinson Museum's Board of Governors.
Make your gift now via PayPal!
Or mail your contribution to:
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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 responsible for 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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For general information, contact the Museum at
Recorded Information:
413-542-8161
Website:
http://www.EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org
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