graphic for Open House at Dickinson Museum. Emily Dickinson stands in front of large numbers 192 with balloons and a birthday hat

Emily Dickinson Birthday Open House
Sat., December 10, 1-4pm ET

IN-PERSON PROGRAM
This free event is generously supported by the Amherst Cultural Council.
Thank you for your interest. We will do our best to move visitors through in a timely fashion to ensure maximum participation during the open house. Entry will occur on a first-arrived, first-served basis with priority given to ticket holders. 

graphic for Open House at Dickinson Museum. Emily Dickinson stands in front of large numbers 192 with balloons and a birthday hat

You are cordially invited to the Emily Dickinson Museum’s in-person celebration of the poet’s 192nd birthday! On Saturday, December 10, join us at the Homestead for an Open House. For the first time in 3 years, we’ll be celebrating Dickinson’s birthday from the place she called home. Join us for a free open house at the Homestead with activities, music, and treats!

All are welcome to this free program


Can’t attend in-person? Join us for our virtual celebration!: 
Emily Dickinson Virtual Birthday Celebration


Give a Birthday Gift
It’s not a birthday party without gifts! If you’re looking to honor Emily Dickinson with a birthday present, please consider a donation to the Museum to support our free virtual programs which are made possible with your support. Gifts of all sizes are deeply appreciated.

 

DONATE

About Dickinson’s Birthday

Emily Dickinson, the middle child of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson, was born on December 10, 1830, in the family Homestead on Main Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. She celebrated 55 birthdays before her death in 1886. As an adult she wrote, “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” (Johnson L379)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graphic for opera Emily & Sue

Emily and Sue
Wed., November 30, 5:30pm ET

IN-PERSON PROGRAM

Location: Cole Assembly Hall in Converse at Amherst College

Graphic for opera Emily & Sue

REGISTER

Composer Dana Kaufman screens Emily and Sue, her a cappella pop opera, in a film version shot on location at the Emily Dickinson Museum, and directed by Ron Bashford in collaboration with Four/Ten Media. The opera, which premiered in June 2022 at Amherst College, features soprano Jasmine Muhammad and spotlights the relationship between Emily Dickinson and her sister-in-law Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson, exploring themes of isolation, queerness, and forbidden love. Stay for a Q&A after the screening!

 

 

 

 

 

a view of different items in the Emily Dickinson Museum's collections

Emily Dickinson Virtual Birthday Celebration
Wed., December 7, 6pm ET

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

a view of different items in the Emily Dickinson Museum's collections

REGISTER

You are cordially invited to the Emily Dickinson Museum’s virtual celebration of the poet’s 192nd birthday! On Wednesday, December 7, join us for a behind-the-scenes exploration of the Emily Dickinson Museum’s collections, which contains more than 12,000 artifacts, including family objects such as oil paintings, textiles, furniture, servingware, and other household items.

All are welcome to this free VIRTUAL program. Space is limited, register in advance.


Give a Birthday Gift
It’s not a birthday party without gifts! If you’re looking to honor Emily Dickinson with a birthday present, please consider a donation to the Museum to support our free virtual programs which are made possible with your support. Gifts of all sizes are deeply appreciated.

 

DONATE

About Dickinson’s Birthday

Emily Dickinson, the middle child of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson, was born on December 10, 1830, in the family Homestead on Main Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. She celebrated 55 birthdays before her death in 1886. As an adult she wrote, “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” (Johnson L379)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

headshot grid of March 2022's featured poets Audrey Molloy, Barbara DeCoursey Roy, Maeve McKenna and Morag Anderson

Phosphorescence Poetry Reading Series
Thursday, March 31, 6pm ET

Phosphorescence March 2022 featured poets:
Audrey Molloy, Barbara DeCoursey Roy, Maeve McKenna and Morag Anderson

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

This virtual program is free to attend. Registration is required. 

REGISTER

To Emily Dickinson, phosphorescence, was a divine spark and the illuminating light behind learning — it was volatile, but transformative in nature. Produced by the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Phosphorescence Poetry Reading Series celebrates contemporary creativity that echoes Dickinson’s own revolutionary poetic voice. The Series features established and emerging poets whose work and backgrounds represent the diversity of the flourishing contemporary poetry scene. The 2021 Series will be a virtual event to ensure the health and safety of participants. While we are disappointed not to gather together in Amherst, we are excited to connect with a global community of friends and writers.  Join us on the last Thursdays of each month to hear from poets around the world as they read their work and discuss what poetry and Dickinson mean to them.

Phosphorescence Lineup 2022

About this month’s poets:

headshot for poet Audrey Molloy

Audrey Molloy is an Irish poet living in Sydney. Her debut collection, The Important Things, was published by The Gallery Press in 2021. Her work has been widely published in Australia, Ireland and the UK. In 2020 she was awarded a Varuna Residential Fellowship. She is currently undertaking an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
audreymolloy.com/

 

 

 


headshot of poet Barbara DeCoursey RoyBarbara DeCoursey Roy lives near St Louis, Missouri. Her work has been published in The Gal-way Review, Headstuff, Skylight 47, Pendemic, and Popshot Quarterly. Barbara collaborated on How Bright The Wings Drive Us, which won first prize in the 2021 Dreich Alliance Chapbook competition. She is a founding member of the international writing group Poets Abroad. 

 

 

 


headshot for poet Maeve McKennaMaeve McKenna is a poet living in Sligo, Ireland. Her poetry has been placed in several international poetry competitions, published in Mslexia, Orbis, Sand Magazine, Fly on the Wall, Channel Magazine among others and widely online. Maeve was a finalist in the Jacar Press Eavan Boland Mentorship Award 2020, and third in the Canterbury Poet of The Year in 2021. Her debut pamphlet will be published in February, 2022, by Fly On The Wall Press.

 

 

 


headshot for poet Morag Anderson Morag Anderson is a Scottish poet based in Highland Perthshire. Her debut chapbook, Sin Is Due to Open in a Room Above Kitty’s (Fly on the Wall Press, 2021), explores human connections—concealed violence, love, and everything in between. Morag’s poetry has been published in many literary journals and anthologies.

 

 

 


 

Support Phosphorescence and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Phosphorescence events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of our programs. All gifts are tax deductible.

Phosphorescence graphics for October 2022

Phosphorescence Poetry Reading Series
Thursday, October 27, 6pm ET

Phosphorescence October 2022 featuring poets:
.chisaraokwu. and Shin Yu Pai

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

This virtual program is free to attend. Registration is required. 

REGISTER

To Emily Dickinson, phosphorescence, was a divine spark and the illuminating light behind learning — it was volatile, but transformative in nature. Produced by the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Phosphorescence Poetry Reading Series celebrates contemporary creativity that echoes Dickinson’s own revolutionary poetic voice. The Series features established and emerging poets whose work and backgrounds represent the diversity of the flourishing contemporary poetry scene. The 2021 Series will be a virtual event to ensure the health and safety of participants. While we are disappointed not to gather together in Amherst, we are excited to connect with a global community of friends and writers.  Join us on the last Thursdays of each month to hear from poets around the world as they read their work and discuss what poetry and Dickinson mean to them.

Phosphorescence Lineup 2022


About this month’s poets:

headshot of poet .chisaraokwu..chisaraokwu. is an Igbo actor, poet, and healthcare futurist. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in GRIST, Obsidian, Zone3, Berkeley Poetry Review, Cider Press Review, Glass, Tinderbox and others. Thrice nominated for Sundress’ Best of Net (2019, 2020, 2021) and awarded writing fellowships and residencies with BANFF, Cave Canem, Tin House and Brooklyn Poets, she calls just about any beach home.
chisaraokwu.com

 

 


headshot of poet Shin Yu PaiShin Yu Pai is a poet, essayist and visual artist. She is the author of several books of poetry, including “Virga”(Empty Bowl, 2021), “ENSŌ” (Entre Ríos Books, 2020), “Sightings: Selected Works (2000-2005)” (1913 Press, 2007), “Aux Arcs” (La Alameda, 2013), “Adamantine” (White Pine, 2010), and “Equivalence” (La Alameda, 2003). She served as the fourth poet laureate of the city of Redmond from 2015 to 2017. She is a three-time fellow of MacDowell and has also been in residence at Taipei Artist Village, Soul Mountain, The Ragdale Foundation, Centrum, and The National Park Service. Her poetry films have screened at the Zebra Poetry Film Festival and the Northwest Film Forum’s Cadence video poetry festival. She lives and works in the Pacific Northwest.
shinyupai.com


 

Support Phosphorescence and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Phosphorescence events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of our programs. All gifts are tax deductible.

Folger Shakespeare Library Logo

Folger Shakespeare Library Birthday Tribute
Mon., December 12, 7:30pm ET

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

Folger Shakespeare Library Logo

PURCHASE TICKETS

TICKETS:
$15/$10 for Folger Shakespeare Library Members

Making Black Cake in Combustible Spaces with M. NourbeSe Philip

With her essay “Making Black Cake in Combustible Spaces” Canadian poet and writer M. NourbeSe Philip dives into the history of Emily Dickinson’s famous Black Cake, exploring the African American/Caribbean and Irish influences on America’s beloved poet.  

Philip will read from their work at The Homestead, Dickinson’s home in Amherst, Massacusetts. The reading will be followed by a moderated conversation with Christine Jacobson, Assistant Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts, Houghton Library. 

A former lawyer, M. NourbeSe Philip is the author of works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her collections of poetry include ThornsSalmon CourageShe Tries Her TongueHer Silence Softly Breaks, which won a Casa de las Américas Prize for Literature; and Zong!, a polyvocal, book-length poem concerning slavery and the legal system. Philip’s numerous honors and awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and MacDowell Colony. She is the recipient of awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council. In 2001, she was recognized by the Elizabeth Fry Society with its Rebels for a Cause Award, and the YWCA awarded her its Women of Distinction in the Arts Award. Philip has received a Chalmers Fellowship in Poetry and has been writer-in-residence at Toronto Women’s Bookstore and McMaster University.  

Each patron will also receive an electronic broadside, a handwritten poem, by M. NourbeSe Philip. 

This reading is co-sponsored with The Emily Dickinson Museum.


Want to celebrate Dickinson’s birthday in-person too?
Join us for a free Open House on the poet’s birthday (December 10!):
Emily Dickinson Birthday Open House



Give a Birthday Gift
It’s not a birthday party without gifts! If you’re looking to honor Emily Dickinson with a birthday present, please consider a donation to the Museum to support our free virtual programs which are made possible with your support. Gifts of all sizes are deeply appreciated.

 

DONATE

About Dickinson’s Birthday

Emily Dickinson, the middle child of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson, was born on December 10, 1830, in the family Homestead on Main Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. She celebrated 55 birthdays before her death in 1886. As an adult she wrote, “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” (Johnson L379)

graphic for Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon 2022 - Tell It Slant Festival

Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon
September 19-25

Hybrid Program

Part of the 2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival

graphic for Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon 2022 - Tell It Slant Festival

Join us for the week-long Emily Dickinson Poetry Marathon! An Emily Dickinson Museum tradition, the Marathon is a group reading of all 1,789 poems by Emily Dickinson over the course of 7 sessions. For this year’s hybrid Festival, some sessions will take place in-person and others online. For the Marathon, we will be reading from Ralph Franklin’s The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition.

Marathon session times and reader sign-ups are located in the Festival platform on Sched. To access the platform, register for the Festival and look for your e-mail confirmation containing the link to Sched.

REGISTER FOR THE FESTIVAL

To attend any Marathon session online as a listener, please register for the Festival using the link above, and add the session to your schedule. To reserve a spot as a reader, please use the forms linked below.

Reader sign-up forms for in-person sessions:

Saturday, Sept. 24 10am-12pm

Sunday, Sept. 25 1:30-4:30pm

Reader sign-up forms for virtual sessions:

Wednesday, Sept. 21 2-4pm

Thursday, Sept. 22 7:30-9:30pm

Friday, Sept. 23 12-2pm

 

Support The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Festival events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of this beloved annual event. All gifts are tax deductible and will be recognized as part of the Festival.

 

2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival Schedule

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: Language, History, Identity

Language, History, Identity:
Poetry at the Intersections

Monday, Sept. 19, 7:30pm ET

Virtual Program

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: Language, History, Identity

Part of the 2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival

In this interactive panel and generative workshop, panelists Leonora Simonovis, Farnaz Fatemi, and Cynthia Parker Ohene will explore the intersections of language, migration, gender (bodies and boundaries), history, family, and patriarchy, and how these forces have shaped their identities as women from historically marginalized groups. The panel’s discussion will weave in short readings from the poets’ own work to address how each individual approaches these topics and how the themes intersect with the larger communities they belong to. Following the discussion, each poet will offer a generative writing prompt inspired by elements of their work. Participants will leave the panel with new tools to write about home, family and history.

REGISTER FOR THE FESTIVAL


About the poets:

Leonora Simonovis is the author of Study of the Raft, winner of the 2021 Colorado Prize for Poetry. Her work has appeared in Gargoyle, Kweli Journal, Diode Poetry Journal, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and The Rumpus, among others. Her poems have also been featured in Verse Daily, Sims Library of Poetry, and CIACLA (Contemporary Irish Center, Los Angeles). She has been the recipient of fellowships from Women Who Submit (WWS), VONA, and the Poetry Foundation.


Farnaz Fatemi is an Iranian American poet, editor and writing teacher in Santa Cruz, CA. Her debut book, Sister Tongue, won the 2021 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize (selected by Tracy K. Smith) and is forthcoming from Kent State University Press. Her poetry and prose appears in Grist Journal, Catamaran Literary Reader, Crab Orchard Review, SWWIM Daily, Tahoma Literary Review,Tupelo Quarterly, phren-z.org, and several anthologies.


Cynthia Parker-Ohene is a three-time Pushcart nominee, abolitionist, cultural worker, and therapist. She is an MFA graduate in Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California, and the Chester Aaron Scholar for Excellence in Creative Writing. Her recent work has appeared in The Rumpus, Black Warrior Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Kweli, Green Mountains Review, and West Branch, among others. Her book Daughters of Harriet was published in March 2022.


Support The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Festival events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of this beloved annual event. All gifts are tax deductible and will be recognized as part of the Festival.


2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival Schedule

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: Wild Nights

Wild Nights:
Writing the Queer Love Poem

Tuesday, Sept. 20, 6pm ET

Virtual Program

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: Wild Nights

Part of the 2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival

How is a queer love poem different from a heterosexual love poem? How have the contours of queer courtship been transformed as LGBTQ+ people have become more visible in our culture? In this panel, LGBTQ+ poets read queer love poems from their own ouvre and by other American poets of note, and then discuss some of the issues this work raises. Audience members are encouraged to engage and will leave with recommended readings.


REGISTER FOR THE FESTIVAL

About the poets:

Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet from Silver Spring, whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her first book is let the dead in.


Tanya Olson lives in Silver Spring, and is a lecturer in English at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her book Boyishly received a 2014 American Book Award. Her second book is Stay.


Kim Roberts is a resident of the Park View neighborhood of DC. She edited By Broad Potomac’s Shore, selected for Route 1 Reads as the book that “best illuminates important aspects” of the culture of Washington. She is the author of five books of poems, most recently The Scientific Method.


Malik Thompson is a Black queer man from the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of DC. He works as a bookstore manager for Black, queer-owned Loyalty Bookstores in Petworth, DC, and is co-chair of OutWrite DC, an annual LGBTQ+ literary festival.


Dan Vera lives in the Brookland neighborhood of DC. He is co-editor of Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzaldúan Borderlands and author of two books of poetry, Speaking Wiri Wiri and The Space Between Our Danger and Delight.


Support The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Festival events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of this beloved annual event. All gifts are tax deductible and will be recognized as part of the Festival.


2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival Schedule

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: This is my letter to the World:

This is My Letter to the World:
High School Workshops with Samar Abulhassan

Private Workshops

graphic for Tell It Slant Poetry Festival program: This is my letter to the World:

Part of the 2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival

In this workshop, we light up the poem-making hour with intention, inspiration, and a vibrant-safe space to make our own creations. High school students are offered a carefully curated sample of Emily Dickinson’s work, and a few clips from the Apple TV show Dickinson. The heart of each class is reserved for student writing, engaging in creating powerful, compact verse. Each student would leave with their own unique letter to the world.

REGISTER FOR THE FESTIVAL


About the poet:

Samar Abulhassan (she/her) holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Colorado State University. Born to Lebanese immigrants and raised with multiple languages, she is a 2006 Hedgebrook alum and the author of several chapbooks. Samar is a full time teaching artist and just completed her 14th year of guiding young poets through Seattle Arts & Lectures’ Writers in the Schools. Nocturnal by nature, she often gets her best ideas at night, and is inspired by the ocean, music and dance. In 2016, Samar received a CityArtist grant to aid in completing a novel-in-poems reflecting on memory, longing, and the Arabic alphabet.


Support The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Festival events is free, but online donations, especially those made in honor or memory of family, friends, or colleagues are heartily encouraged and vital to the future of this beloved annual event. All gifts are tax deductible and will be recognized as part of the Festival.


2022 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival Schedule