July 27, 2005
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.—The Emily Dickinson Museum has formed a poetry discussion group devoted to the pleasures and challenges of reading Emily Dickinson 's poetry. The group is open to long-time Dickinson readers as well as those who have just been introduced to the poet's work and will meet monthly from September through April.

After the introductory meeting led by Cindy Dickinson, the museum's director of programming and interpretation, sessions will be led by different-and distinguished-Dickinson scholars. (The complete schedule follows.) Poems for discussion will be announced two weeks prior to the session date.

All sessions will meet from noon to 2 p.m. Brown bag lunches are encouraged. All but one session will take place at the Dickinson Homestead, 280 Main Street, Amherst. The January session will meet at the Special Collections Department of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst.

Participation is limited to 12 people. To register, please contact Cindy Dickinson at csdickinson@emilydickinsonmuseum.org or 413/542-8429. The registration fee is $50 for those who register before September 15; $60 for registration on or after September 15. Single-session registration will be permitted on a space-available basis after October 1; single-session fee is $10.

Friday, Sept. 30: Introduction to Emily Dickinson and Her Poetry, Cindy Dickinson, Emily Dickinson Museum
Friday, Oct. 28: Polly Longsworth, independent scholar
Friday, Dec. 2: Christopher Benfey, Mount Holyoke College
Friday, Jan. 27: Jay Ladin, Yeshiva University
Friday, Feb. 24: Cynthia MacKenzie, University of Regina, Saskatchewan
Friday, March 24: Karen Sánchez-Eppler, Amherst College
Friday, April 28: Martha Ackmann, Mount Holyoke College

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