Amherst Arts Night Plus Remote Reading, May 7, 2020 6:30PM

Monthly Amherst Arts Night Plus at the Emily Dickinson Museum celebrates contemporary art and poetry in our historic setting. In May we take this monthly event remote with readings by members of the Florence Poets Society!

Join us at 6:30PM for a remote reading from 10 members of the Florence Poets Society. The Society was founded in 2004 and publishes an annual review called Silkworm. This program will feature short readings by the following poets:

Rosie McMahan breathes and writes and walks and gardens on the steppingstones of her life in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, trying to remember that every day is a new day.

Rich Puchalsky is a freelance librarian.

Marian Kent is the author of three poetry collections, Heart Container, SUPERPOWERS or: More Poems About Flying, and Responsive Pleading. She lives in Easthampton, MA with her family. You can follow Marian’s poetry and other missives at www.runawaysentence.com

Lanette Sweeney of South Hadley, MA, is a full-time writer thanks to her wife’s support; a published poet, fiction and essay writer; a novelist-in-progress; and a current MFA student at Western New England University.

Eileen P. Kennedy’s Banshees (Flutter Press, 2015) was nominated for a Pushcart and awarded Second Prize from the Wordwrite Books Award in Poetry. Her second collection, Touch My Head Softly is due out from Finishing Line Press in 2021. She lives in Amherst, MA with the ghost of Emily Dickinson. More at EileenPKennedy.com.

Howie Faerstein’s most recent book is Googootz (Press 53). He presently volunteers as a mentor at the Center for New Americans and is co-poetry editor of CutThroat, A Journal of the Arts.

Brooks Robards has published five volumes of poetry including On Island. She has recently been published in periodicals: Avocet, Aurorean, Plainsongs, Fulcrum and Equinox. She lives in Northampton, MA, and summers on Martha’s Vineyard.

Linda Bratcher Wlodyka of Cheshire, MA likes to think someone out there in poetry land is wowed or entertained by her poems. That is what really matters to her.

Michael Favala Goldman is a widely-published translator of Danish literature and a jazz clarinetist. His new book of poetry is Who has time for this? www.hammerandhorn.net

Lori Desrosiers’ poetry books are The Philosopher’s Daughter, Sometimes I Hear the Clock Speak and Keeping Planes in the Air, all from Salmon Poetry. Two chapbooks, Inner Sky and typing with e.e. cummings, from Glass Lyre Press. She edits two journals: Naugatuck River Review, a journal of narrative poetry and Wordpeace.co, an online journal dedicated to social justice.

Enjoy a recording of this past program:

Amherst Arts Night Plus – May 7, 2020

Amherst Arts Night Plus at the Emily Dickinson Museum celebrates contemporary art and poetry in our historic setting. In May we took this monthly event remote with readings by members of the Florence Poets Society! Don't miss this reading by ten area poets, who share their experiences and inspiration in the time of quarantine.

Posted by The Emily Dickinson Museum on Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Posted by The Emily Dickinson Museum on Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Featured artist: Tasha Robbins

This pop-up art show will be rescheduled later in 2020.

Now settled in Amherst MA, Tasha Robbins is a painter who has lived and worked in New York, Provincetown, Boston, Boulder, Santa Fe, San Francisco and New Orleans. Her Portrait of George Scrivani with a Photo of Vali Myers and Gregory Corso by Ira Cohen (2001) appeared in the exhibition “Poetry and Its Arts” at the California Historical Society in San Francisco in 2005. Portions of An Angel Alphabet/Malachim: Coming Out of Darkness (1988-98) have been shown
at Berkeley’s Judah Magnes Museum (“Personal Landscapes/Universal Visions”, 1990) and in Philadelphia at the Borowsky Gallery @ the Gershman Y/University of the Arts (“The Hidden Garden: Three Artists Explore Kabbalah”, 2005). The series was shown in its entirety for the first time at the Hampden Gallery at UMass Amherst in 2019. From the Aspect of Mercy (2000-03), a triptych regarding the Quan Yin, has hung in the Florence Biennale (2003); at the Aurora Gallery in the artist’s native Worcester, MA (“Psyche”, 2004); and at the Goldmine Saloon, home of New Orleans’ 17 Poets! and Festivals for the
Imagination (2004).
Her work has been reproduced in small press books and magazines (including Jeanne Lance’s
Loose Arrangements [Smithereens Press, 1984], Aaron Shurin’s Elsewhere [Acts Books, 1988]
and Codex [Meow Press, 1997]; FRAMMIS: A Tribute to Wallace Berman, MAG CITY, Gallery
Works, tripwire, YAWP, and others), and can be seen on the web at www.salonfoxy.com .
A 2014 Acker Award recipient, she appears in The Outlaw Bible of American Art (Last Gasp
Press, 2016). For more information visit www.salonfoxy.com/artists/tasha-robbins

Cancelled: Florence Poetry Carnival, May 9, 2020

Celebrate ArtWeek at the second annual Florence Poetry Carnival! Join the Emily Dickinson Museum and other area organizations on the grounds of the Florence Civic building for this inclusive community event. Through activities and talks, participants will engage in writing, reading, and listening to poetry. Community participants include Forbes Library, the Emily Dickinson Museum, Perugia and Hedgerow Presses, and Northampton Poet Laureate Karen Schofield. Individual writers, artists, and performers will lead interactive crafts and writing projects such as poetry themed mad libs. Visit the Florence Poetry Carnival Facebook page for more information.

There is a $5.00 suggested donation for the Florence Poetry Carnival.

All ages are welcome, rain or shine!

Emily's handwriting on paper and envelope on a desk

Remote Program: Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 30, 2020

The program will be offered remotely! Stay tuned for more information on how to participate.

Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day with the Emily Dickinson Museum. Every year during National Poetry Month we take this day to carry a favorite poem with us and share with friends near and far. During this year’s remote program we will focus on a recently published book, On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander, published by Chronicle Books in 2020. Visit IndieBound.org to purchase this book through your local bookstore!

Ways to Celebrate:

- Carry a favorite “Poem in Your Pocket” and share it on social media using the hashtags #pocketpoem and #EmilyDickinsonMuseum
- Mail a poem to a friend
- Chalk your walk with a favorite poem
- Join us for our virtual story hour at 11AM for a reading of On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. At 11AM tune in to Facebook Live at the Emily Dickinson Museum Facebook page to attend this live story hour.

On Wing of Words

Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day with this read aloud of ‘On Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson’ written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. After you listen to the story, visit https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/poem-in-your-pocket-day-2020/ for activities inspired by this book! This story read with permission of Chronicle Kids <3

Posted by The Emily Dickinson Museum on Thursday, April 30, 2020

Activities

Poetic Portraits
With the power of her words and the freedom of her imagination, Emily explored the universe. Inspired by an illustration in the story, this activity asks readers to imagine what they would like to experience.

Directions: “Dwell in possibility” and think about all you would like to see, do, touch, or taste. Download and print one of the silhouettes below and fill it with illustrations of your ideas. You can draw or even make a collage from newspapers and magazines.

Download: child Emily silhouette Download: silhouette w/ short hair Download: silhouette w/ bun
Fun with Similes
On Wings of Words is beautifully written. The words of the story can seem like poetry because they make use of poetic devices. In this downloadable worksheet, you will practice using one poetic device called a simile.

Directions: This activity as written is best for students in 8-11 who have already studied similes in school. If your student is younger or has not studied similes, skip the challenge activity. Read the sentence prompts aloud and just have fun inventing creative endings together. For example, if the comparison is “The flower was as yellow as….,” you would first read the prompt. Then, ask your child to name something yellow, write in their answer, and read the new sentence back to them.

Download the “Fun with Similes” worksheet
Wings of Words
Poets can inspire others with their words because they feel inspiration so deeply themselves. To be a poet, an artist, or a even scientist, it is important to pay attention to the things that spark your curiosity or make you feel strongly. In the book, we learn about the many sources of Emily’s inspiration, from her love of books to her brother who always made a big “hurrah” when he was near.

Directions: Print out the butterfly and fill each space with a word or drawing of things that inspire you. If you don’t have a printer, draw your own butterfly.
For younger children, simplify the questions and write in their responses. Let them color in the butterfly as they wish.

Download: Wings of Words sheet

Cancelled: Poetry Discussion Group, April 17, 2020

The Emily Dickinson Museum’s Poetry Discussion Group meets monthly, September through May, for lively conversation about Emily Dickinson’s poetry and letters. The Poetry Discussion Group meets at the Center for Humanistic Inquiry, on the second floor of Amherst College’s Frost Library. Participants should proceed directly to the Library and do not need to stop at the Museum. While no RSVP is required, participants are invited to email edmprograms@emilydickinsonmuseum.org to receive a list of poems for discussion. Attendees are welcome to bring a bag lunch. Beverages and a sweet snack are provided.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancelling our public programs through April 30, 2020.

We understand this schedule change may affect previous plans. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to the Emily Dickinson Museum as soon as we are able.

Postponed: Amherst Arts Night Plus Open Mic, April 2, 2020 c and Features, April 2, 2020

Monthly Amherst Arts Night Plus at the Emily Dickinson Museum celebrates contemporary art and poetry in our historic setting. From 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., view the pop-up, contemporary art exhibition in the Homestead by our monthly featured artist. Poets, writers, and performers of any kind are welcome to share work at our open mic, which begins at 6:00 p.m. Stay after the open mic for the featured reader of the month. Open mic sign-ups are between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. This program is free and open to the public.

Featured Poets: Terry Johnson and Rebecca Hart Olander

Terry S. Johnson, a forty year resident of Amherst, began her career as a concert harpsichordist before finding her true calling as a sixth grade public school teacher. In the last two decades, she also discovered the challenges and joys of writing poetry. She received a Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College and has published extensively in many journals and anthologies. Coalescence, her first poetry collection, won an honorable mention award in the New England Book Festival. In Terry’s second book entitled Plunge (Off the Common Books, 2019) , she explores her father’s war time experiences as a pilot shot down over northern Italy as well as her journeys to meet his saviors and her namesakes, gradually becoming a member of village life. Gracefully weaving memory, research and first-hand experience, Terry creates an Italian cultural feast employing both lyric and narrative poetry.

Rebecca Hart Olander is a poet, teacher, and editor based in Western Massachusetts. She holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and her poetry has appeared recently in Crab Creek Review, llanot Review, Plath Poetry Project, Solstice, SWWIM Every Day, and Yemassee Journal, among others. Rebecca won the 2013 Women’s National Book Association poetry contest. In 2019 her poem “Wellfleet,” published in Parks & Points, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is the editor/director of Perugia Press, a small press publishing first and second books of poetry by women. Her chapbook, Dressing the Wounds, was published in 2019 by Dancing Girl Press and her full-length poetry collection Uncertain Acrobats is forthcoming from Cavan Kerry Press in 2021.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancelling our public programs through April 30, 2020.

We understand this schedule change may affect previous plans. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to the Emily Dickinson Museum as soon as we are able.

Cancelled: Poetry Discussion Group, March 20, 2020

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancelling our public programs through April 30, 2020.

We understand this schedule change may affect previous plans. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you to the Emily Dickinson Museum as soon as we are able.

Amherst Arts Night Plus Open Mic and Features, March 5, 2020

Featured Poet: Karen Skolfield

Karen Skolfield’s book Battle Dress (W. W. Norton, 2019) won the Barnard Women Poets Prize. Her book Frost in the Low Areas (Zone 3 Press) won the 2014 PEN New England Award in poetry and the First Book Award from Zone 3 Press, and is a Massachusetts “Must Read” selection. She is the poet laureate for Northampton, Massachusetts, for 2019-2021.

Skolfield is the winner of the 2016 Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize in poetry from The Missouri Review, the 2015 Robert H. Winner award from the Poetry Society of America, and the 2015 Arts & Humanities Award from New England Public Radio. She’s received fellowships and awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Split This Rock, Ucross Foundation, Hedgebrook, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center. Skolfield is a U.S. Army veteran and teaches writing to engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts.

Featured Artist: Mary Ellen Kelly

Mary Ellen Kelly is a western Massachusetts photographer and former professor of literature at Greenfield Community College. This body of work captures three years of the Women’s March in three different cities: Boston, New York, and Washington DC. Kelly says, “A feminist, writer, and amateur photographer, I continue to research, photograph, and write about this protest that demands inclusion and safety for all and celebrates the voices of women and our allies. While much work still needs to be done to keep the dialogue open and ongoing, I have hope that this Women’s March movement can produce dramatic and positive change.”

LitFest, February 27-March 1, 2020

From February 27 through March 1, LitFest returns to Amherst College. Celebrate the extraordinary literary life at the college with distinguished authors and editors who will discuss the pleasures and challenges of verbal expression. This year’s festival features Jesmyn Ward, winner of a 2017 National Book Award (NBA) for fiction, 2019 NBA Fiction Winner Susan Choi and finalist Laila Lalami, and memoirist Ben Rhodes, former speechwriter and deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama.

For more information, please visit the Amherst College LitFest webpage.

Poetry Discussion Group, February 21, 2020

The February Poetry Discussion Group will meet on February 21, 2020 from 12PM to 2pm.

In this session, we will take a fresh look at Emily Dickinson’s poetry in the context of the lives, loves, and writing of two prominent contemporaries—Margaret Fuller and Julia Ward Howe. Like Dickinson, these two women rebelled against the social and intellectual fetters imposed by the gender assumptions of their time. All three lived lives of longing and disappointment; all three found a positive way forward through the written word.

Facilitator: Polly Peterson

Meeting Notes

Center of Humanistic Inquiry Address: 61 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst. This event will meet at the Think Tank, the lounge across from the staircase to the second floor.
Parking – attendees may park in the Amherst College Alumni Lot and walk to the library free of charge. Metered parking is available closer to campus on the Town Common. Some select spots and accessible parking are available on campus, around the quad and behind the Frost Library. Participants with a state-issued handicap placard may park in any accessible spaces on campus. See the Amherst College campus parking map for more information.
Program cost – Drop-in fees are as follows: $12 for EDM Friends (Members); $15 for Non-Members.

Poetry Discussion Group, January 17, 2020

January Poetry Discussion Group will meet on January 17 2020 from 12pm to 2pm.

Dickinson and the Law

Lawyers and legal discourse surrounded the poet. Emily had three lawyers in her immediate family, a love interest who worked as her father’s law clerk, and another romantic relationship with an esteemed Salem judge. Naturally, she picked up on legal language and concepts—in particular, those of property interests, crime, and contractual obligations. Many of Emily’s legal references make us laugh, such as the spider squatting on her toilet in a case of adverse possession, or the dying speaker surrounded by friends and flies who has assigned all parts of her that were assignable. There are over a hundred legal terms in her work, and many more poems than we can “do justice to” in one sitting. We will muse together over some of the more humorous instances of legal words and concepts in her opus.

Facilitator: Jill Franks is a recovering attorney, previously licensed in the state of Massachusetts, who changed careers in 1987. While a lawyer, she had a general practice in Northampton and served also at Legal Services Offices, UMass, as an advocate for students. Starting in 1987, Jill studied English Literature, earning a PhD from Rutgers in 1992 and subsequently teaching at University of British Columbia and Austin Peay State University. She is the author of several monographs about literary figures and cinematic auteurs. Her most recent publication is a travel/literary book about her hike on the Coast to Coast trail of northern England (Every Stranger a God: Hiking the English Moors, available at Amazon). Jill guides at the Emily Dickinson Museum and appreciates the enthusiasm and scholarship of the Poetry Discussion Group.

Meeting Notes

Center of Humanistic Inquiry Address: 61 Quadrangle Dr, Amherst. This event will be held in the seminar room, the classroom on the left at the top of the stairs.
Parking – attendees may park in the Amherst College Alumni Lot and walk to the library free of charge. Metered parking is available closer to campus on the Town Common. Some select spots and accessible parking are available on campus, around the quad and behind the Frost Library. Participants with a state-issued handicap placard may park in any accessible spaces on campus. See the Amherst College campus parking map for more information.
Program cost – Drop-in fees are as follows: $12 for EDM Friends (Members); $15 for Non-Members.