Literary Amherst

“Amherst is often called a singing college, but I was drawn here, in part, because it’s also known as a writing college. Literary arts remain at the core of the liberal arts at Amherst, and I’m confident they always will.”

—Biddy Martin, 19th President of Amherst College

Amherst College is one of the world’s premier writing colleges, with an enviable literary legacy. Our outstanding faculty and alumni include influential and award-winning novelists, poets, journalists and critics, and our renowned literary publications are read around the world.

Throughout its 200-year history, Amherst has been closely associated with writers such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur ’42, James Merrill ’47, David Foster Wallace ’85, Dan Brown ’86 and Lauren Groff ’01, among many others. Each year we welcome to campus distinguished authors of fiction, nonfiction and poetry for readings, conversations and master classes as part of the Visiting Writer’s Series and LitFest, the College’s annual literary festival.

The Emily Dickinson Connection

Amherst College is home to the largest and most varied holdings related to poet Emily Dickinson anywhere in the world. The College’s Archives and Special Collections and the Emily Dickinson Museum contain thousands of her manuscripts, letters and personal objects. The holdings also highlight the faculty, students and other members of the College community who played some role in Dickinson’s social and intellectual development.

The College also maintains the Emily Dickinson Museum, which consists of the poet’s own home, where she wrote almost all of her poetry, and her brother’s house next door. The Museum hosts guided tours and special events, including the annual Amherst Poetry Festival in which all 1,789 of Emily Dickinson’s poems are read. Newly available is a virtual tour of the poet’s bedroom.