HYBRID WORKSHOP — streaming live for online registrants
This program is FREE to attend. Registration is required.
Part of the 2026 Tell It Slant Poetry Festival!
Join us for the 14th annual Tell it Slant Poetry Festival, a week of events happening both online and in-person at the Museum!
January, Enzo and Amy are award-winning poets and Massachusetts Book Award honorees, but their paths to success weren’t easy. All three writers are parents, wage earners, and in some cases, caregivers, with multiple community and professional connections and responsibilities. Like Dickinson, each of these poets has at times wished they could bolt the door to their room and simply be left alone with their words. This interactive panel, reading, and discussion will open the door to those conflicting demands and provide strategies — and, hopefully, inspiration—for those in a similar predicament, those who “could not stop.”About the presenters
Amy Dryansky’s third book, Ambergris was recently published by Pine Row Press. Her first, How I Got Lost So Close to Home, won the New England/New York Award from Alice James, the second, Grass Whistle (Salmon Poetry) received the Massachusetts Book Award. She’s received honors from the Poetry Society of America, Massachusetts Cultural Council and Bread Loaf Writers Conference. Amy lives, works and parents in western MA.
Enzo Silon Surin is an award-winning poet, author, educator, and publisher. He is the author of American Scapegoat and When My Body Was a Clinched Fist, winner of the Massachusetts Book Award. He is the founder of Central Square Press and the host of the podcast It’s a Poetic Life, where he explores creativity, attention, and the poetic life.
January Gill O’Neil is the author of Glitter Road (CavanKerry Press, 2024), winner of the Poetry by the Sea Best Book Award and the Julia Ward Howe Prize. She is also the author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife. A Massachusetts Book Award honoree, she teaches at Salem State University and serves on the board of AWP.
Support The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival
The Tell It Slant Poetry Festival is sustained by the Emily Dickinson Fund, which provides critical, unrestricted support for the Museum’s day-to-day operations. Your generous donation helps us offer immersive poetry programs to a global audience and preserve the historic Dickinson legacy in Amherst. As the Fund supplies 36% of our annual budget, your tax-deductible contribution is essential to our mission. Join us in inspiring learners of all ages by making an immediate impact today.