March 5, 2004
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417
AMHERST, Mass.- Connie Ann Kirk, author and independent scholar, will give a lecture titled "'sweet velocity': The Story of Emily Dickinson and Her Young Nephew, Gilbert," on Saturday, April 3 at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church (165 Main Street in Amherst). The lecture is sponsored by The Emily Dickinson Museum.
The lecture celebrates the opening of the second story of The Evergreens' back ell. The Evergreens was home to Austin Dickinson, brother of poet Emily Dickinson, and his wife Susan Gilbert. A special feature of the newly opened second story is the nursery, where Austin and Susan's three children played.
Kirk, who specializes in Emily Dickinson, children's literature, American literature and creative writing, is the author of 10 published or forthcoming books, including the upcoming Emily Dickinson: A Biography and Emily Dickinson and Children. Her research has included time at The Evergreens studying artifacts that belonged to or are associated with Gilbert Dickinson, who died suddenly of typhoid fever at the age of 8.
Kirk's talk, which is free and open to the public, is one of a series of events that will take place between March 28 and April 3, in a program titled " 'A little Madness in the Spring': Celebrating History and Poetry at The Emily Dickinson Museum."
For more information about this lecture and the rest of the week's events at the Dickinson Museum, visit www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
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