Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.—The Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens in Amherst will sponsor the annual Emily Dickinson Poetry Walk on Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. The walk honors the memory of the poet Emily Dickinson, who died on May 15, 1886. The event is free and open to the public.
The walk will begin at 1 p.m. in the Dickinson Homestead garden at 280 Main Street, and proceed through Amherst, stopping at various sites significant in Dickinson’s life. (A full schedule is attached.) Members of the Amherst community will read a selection of Dickinson’s poems at each location. At 2:30 p.m. the procession will arrive at West Cemetery on Triangle Street to gather at the Dickinson grave, where all are welcome to read their favorite poems and to join in a lighthearted toast to the poet’s memory.
The Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens will host an Open House after the Walk from 3 to 5 p.m. The houses will be open for self-guided tours during that time, and guides will be on hand to answer questions. No reservations are necessary, and admission is free. The Dickinson Homestead was the birthplace and home of the poet Emily Dickinson and is a National Historic Landmark owned by the Trustees of Amherst College. The Evergreens was the home of the poet’s brother and sister-in-law Austin and Susan Dickinson and is owned by the Martha Dickinson Bianchi Trust. For more information call the Dickinson Homestead at 413/542-8161 or visit http://www.dickinsonhomestead.org.
Maps of the one-mile route of the Poetry Walk will be available at the Homestead. Participants are welcome to join the walk at any point along the route. Those who wish to participate only in the cemetery reading should meet at the Dickinson grave in West Cemetery on Triangle St. at 2:30 p.m.
Emily Dickinson Poetry Walk
Schedule of Readings
1 p.m. Dickinson Homestead garden, 280 Main Street
1:20 p.m. Amherst Train Station, Railroad Street
1:40 p.m. Front steps of The Evergreens, 214 Main Street
2 p.m. Front lawn of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street
2:20 p.m. Parking lot behind Zanna, 187 North Pleasant Street (next to Ren’s Mobil Service, site of Dickinson home)
2:30 p.m. Dickinson grave site, West Cemetery, Triangle Street
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