LET'S TALK POETRY: poetry NEWS/event

November 5: Amherst Art Walk with upstreetliterary magazine

The Emily Dickinson Museum's monthly Amherst Art Walk poetry reading tonight, November 5, features local writers published in upstreet, an annual literary journal published in the Berkshires.

Howard Faerstein and Maya Janson, both of Florence, are included inupstreet 11, the latest issue. Amy Dryansky of Conway, published inupstreet 9, and Karina Borowicz of Belchertown, who has a poem inupstreet 8 titled "Emily Dickinson's Dress," will also read. Upstreet founding editor and publisher Vivian Dorsel will introduce each poet.

The Amherst Art Walk runs from 5 to 8 pm. The poetry reading, which is free to all, will begin at 6:45 pm in the Homestead parlor. $5 "Twilight Highlight" tours of the Homestead will also be offered from 5 to 6:30 pm.

Cindy Dickinson in the Museum's poetry room.

November 20: Poetry Discussion Group with Cindy Dickinson

It's a holiday homecoming at the November 20 meeting of the Emily Dickinson Museum Poetry Discussion Group, as former director of interpretation and programming Cindy Dickinson returns as discussion leader for "Till every spice is tasted": Spices in Emily Dickinson's Work and World.

With the holiday season upon us, Dickinson will examine the roles that spices play in Dickinson's poems as well as in her life. The group will explore the theme in several poems, letters, and recipes. The discussion starts at noon at the Amherst College Alumni House, 75 Churchill Street, in Amherst.

Cindy Dickinson is the director of education at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass, She started there earlier this year after spending nearly two decades working at the Emily Dickinson houses.

Learn more about the poetry discussion group here.

Dec. 12: Celebrate Emily Dickinson's 185th birthday!

The only question is: will we be able to fit that many candles on one cake?

On Saturday, December 12, the Emily Dickinson Museum will celebrate Dickinson's 185th birthday with an open house featuring her newly restored bedroom. If you have yet to see the restored bedroom, we hope you will stop by and see the results of two years of work that returned Dickinson's creative space as closely as possible to how it looked when she lived there.

All are invited to this free birthday celebration, which runs from 1 to 4 pm. No RSVPs are required, but save room for cake!.

Dec. 19: Join us for
A Dickensian Christmas with the Dickinsons

Revel in holiday traditions on Saturday, December 19, as we trace the history of Christmas celebrations in the two Dickinson households during our annual A Dickensian Christmas with the Dickinsons.

Evocative decorations, seasonal music, and new objects on exhibit will delight your holiday senses, and the words of Emily Dickinson and her family will bring their Christmas experiences to life. A Museum guide will serve as your host for this special holiday trip through the Homestead and The Evergreens. Each visit concludes with an intimate reading in The Evergreens from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol by award-winning author and Dickens fan Tony Abbott!

Tickets are $20 per person, $10 for Museum members, and $5 for students grades K-12. Find out more here.

Evergreens exterior repaired and painted

Regular visitors to the Emily Dickinson Museum have likely noticed the new look at The Evergreens!

Repair, painting, and exterior restoration of the home of Austin Dickinson and his family took place this past summer. A Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund grant enabled the Museum to make critical repairs and then paint the home in its 1880s color palette. The exterior now matches the period of design and finishes represented inside The Evergreens -- a late-century "time capsule" -- and provides visitors with a cohesive view of the home as it looked during that era.

Exterior repairs will continue in the spring, with the restoration of the original roof line and gutters.

"Sycamores at Old Shokan" restored and hung at The Evergreens

A painting evidently owned by the Dickinsons since 1878 has been restored and returned to its place in the parlor after decades in storage.

"Sycamores at Old Shokan," a scene of cows lingering in a stream beneath towering trees, was completed by American Luminist painter Arthur Parton in 1877. The next year, it was acquired by Austin and Susan Dickinson, and was said by contemporaries to have been one of the works that "made" Parton's reputation. The Dickinsons favored Hudson River School painters and filled their parlor with landscape paintings in gleaming frames.

The painting had been removed from the parlor as long as 30 years ago.After more than 100 years in the same spot, the 4' by 3' canvas had weakened and was covered in soot, dust, grime, and mold. Its massive gilt frame was also in poor condition. William Myers, Chief Preparator at the Smith College Museum of Art, conserved both the painting and frame and in September re-hung them in a place of pride above Martha Dickinson Bianchi's Steinway piano.

Support the Conservatory Reconstruction Fund

Originally built in 1855, Emily Dickinson's conservatory was her connection to the natural world during the frigid New England winters. Now, 100 years after it was dismantled in 1916, we're bringing it back.

We hope you will support our Conservatory Reconstruction Fund drive, a year-long effort to raise the $300,000 needed to rebuild Dickinson's conservatory and establish an endowment for its upkeep and programming. Find out more about the project, and make your donation, here.

Save 20% at the Museum gift shop during Members Shopping Days

Get your holiday shopping done at the Emily Dickinson Museum during Members Shopping Days, running from Friday, November 27, through Wednesday, December 23.

Museum members' usual 10 percent discount is boosted to 20 percent on most purchases at the Museum store during that time. Become a Friends of the Emily Dickinson Museum member and receive your discount by clicking here.

Calendar photo for April showing the Homestead garden in bloom.

Emily Dickinson Museum 2016 calendar arrives for the holidays!

Looking for the right present
for a special Emily Dickinson enthusiast as the holiday season nears?

The Emily Dickinson Museum 2016 calendar features twelve months of Dickinson quotes, snippets of Dickinson family history, and photos - including favorites from our social media postings - showcasing the Homestead, The Evergreens, Museum grounds, and a variety of items from the Museum collections.

The calendar will be available in the Museum store by Thanksgiving week. Reserve your copy by calling 413-542-2947 or emailing info@EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org.

Thanksgiving indeed...

On November 16, 1851, Emily Dickinson wrote to her brother Austin, then teaching in Boston:

"We are thinking most of Thanksgiving, than anything else just now - how full will be the circle, less then by none - how the things will smoke, how the board will groan with the thousand savory viands - how when the day is done, Lo the evening cometh, laden with merrie laugh, and happy conversation, and then the sleep and the dream each of a knight or "Ladie" - how I love to see them, a beautiful company, coming down the hill which men call the Future, with their hearts full of joy, and their hands of gladness. Thanksgiving indeed, to a family united, once more together before they go away!"