March 18, 2008
Contact: Donna M. Abelli
Development and Marketing Manager
The Emily Dickinson Museum

413/542-5084

AMHERST, Mass—The Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens has opened for its 2008 season with expanded hours and exciting new programming. The museum, which is made up of two homes—the Homestead, where the poet was born and lived for 40 years, and The Evergreens, where Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin lived with his family—is open March through December from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. June through August, the museum is open for special expanded hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Says Jane Wald, the museum’s executive director, “We see growing interest in Emily Dickinson’s extraordinary poetic legacy among both the general public and the arts and culture community. Last year, more than 10,500 visitors participated in museum tours and programs. These visitors have told us that their experiences offered new insights into Dickinson’s genius and the ground from which it sprung right here in Amherst. We want to make those experiences as available as possible.”

2008 brings many exciting developments at the Emily Dickinson Museum. In addition to continuing such popular programs as the museum’s Dickinson-inspired book club, The Kinsmen of the Shelf, a poetry discussion group and a mid-summer children’s circus, the museum will host its annual “Madness in the Spring” recognition of National Poetry Month. The latter will feature a reading and book-signing by renowned poet Galway Kinnell and the celebration of the release of essayist Christopher Benfey’s latest book, A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art, and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Martin Johnson Heade.

For a complete list of the Emily Dickinson Museum’s 2008 programming and special events, visit www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org. Admission fees range from $3 to $8. Discounts may apply, and there is no charge for children under 6. 

The Emily Dickinson Museum is devoted to the story and legacy of poet Emily Dickinson and her family. Both properties are owned by the trustees of Amherst College. The museum is overseen by a separate board of governors charged with raising its operating and capital funds. It is located at 280 Main Street in Amherst, Mass.

###