Amherst adventure

I recently returned from a conference in Amherst, MA where I finally got a chance to explore some real New England. Much to my surprise and delight, not only is Amherst home to the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts college system and Amherst College, but also the place where famous and eccentric poet Emily Dickinson was born, raised, lived and died. Not wanting to miss out on the chance, I made sure to visit her house, which is now a museum:

Emily's two bedroom windows are top left

Emily's bedroom was the upstairs corner

This enormous white oak is original to the property

The 45-minute guided tour was really a treat where I learned a lot more about Emily's creative process. For example, she had multiple drafts of poems that she would work and rework as she edited words and phrases. She would leave word choices for herself in the margins or as footnotes to later contemplate. For these poems with variants, she died before deciding on what word she wanted, leaving us modern readers to contemplate ourselves on what, eventually, she would chose.

One such poem was on display at the museum, and for the life of me, I cannot remember which one! We did an exercise with the docent of inserting different words. Based on what words we chose, it changed the meaning and tone of the poem completely. If I can ever remember which poem it was, I will certainly add it here.

Dickinson was also an avid gardener. I think that endears her to me even more than her poetry. Harvard University Press has published a facsimile collection of her pressed flowers (Emily Dickinson's Herbarium); a volume I would love to add to my library.

The Emily Dickinson Museum has a lovely website if you want to learn more. There is also a nice little video that serves as the introduction to a longer program entitled "A Poet in Her Bedroom." Check it out:



And check out the rest of my pictures here, which includes more shots of the grounds (photography was not allowed in the house..boo), her grave, and other shots from around town in Amherst.