May 4, 2007
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.—The Emily Dickinson Museum will host its annual Emily Dickinson Poetry Walk at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. The event, which is held each year on the Saturday closest to the poet’s May 15 death, stops at historic spots in Amherst significant to Dickinson and incorporates readings of about 30 of her poems.

“Emily Dickinson, her home and the home of her brother, Austin, are at the center of Amherst’s identity, both literally and figuratively,” said Jane Wald, executive director of the Emily Dickinson Museum. “Throughout the year, we in Amherst pay a sort of homage to Emily Dickinson; the Poetry Walk is a unique day on which Emily Dickinson gets to pay homage to Amherst.”

The Poetry Walk begins at the museum’s Dickinson Homestead at 280 Main Street at 1 p.m. The first 30 walkers in attendance will receive a poem to read at an assigned point along the one-mile route. Some of the stops along the route include the Amherst Train Station, the Amherst History Museum and the site of Dickinson’s girlhood home on North Pleasant Street. Walkers are encouraged to join the procession at any point.

The walk concludes at 2:30 p.m. at West Cemetery on Triangle Street, where participants may choose to read a favorite Dickinson poem and join in a lighthearted toast to the poet’s memory.

To celebrate the conclusion of the walk and to commemorate the 119th anniversary of the poet’s death, the museum will be open to the public from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on May 12 for free, self-guided tours. Typically, the museum is accessible by guided tour only.

The Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens is dedicated to educating diverse audiences about the poet’s life, family, creative work, times and enduring relevance, and to preserving and interpreting the Homestead and The Evergreens as historical resources for the benefit of scholars and the general public. The museum is owned by the trustees of Amherst College, and has its own board of governors, which is charged with responsibility for raising its operating and capital funds. The Emily Dickinson Museum is a member of Museums10, a partnership of 10 museums in the Pioneer Valley. For more information on the museum, visit www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org.

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