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This month, the Brockton Public Library System and the Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts, join the Fuller Craft Museum to launch Brockton’s Big Read, focusing on the slyly provocative poetry of Emily Dickinson. There’s a full schedule of events running through December 1st for adults, teens, and families.
The kick-off event — Express Yourself! Poetry for Teens — is at the Brockton Main Library on Saturday, October 16. The afternoon begins with a choice of 45-minute workshops for teens (adults also welcome): Classic Poetry, Poetry as Song Lyrics, Performance Poetry, and “Eku”: Poems You Can Tweet. Sign-up starts at 12:30 p.m.; workshops start promptly at 1:00. Workshop participants will be encouraged to stay and read during the open reading part of the program, starting at 2:15 p.m. Poet and Mobius magazine editor Juanita Torrence-Thompson moderates the open reading session. Later, she will share her own poetry and favorites from Emily Dickinson, 3:30–4:30 p.m. The day’s events are organized and sponsored by the Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts, who present a monthly poetry series at the Main Library.
In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts partnered with the Poetry Foundation to create American Literary Landmarks, a pilot program of The Big Read that celebrated American poets and the historic sites associated with their lives and works. In 2009, poets Emily Dickinson, Robinson Jeffers, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow were officially added to The Big Read library.
Get a quick overview of Emily Dickinson’s life and poetry by listening to a 22-minute radio show on the NEA’s Big Read site.
Check the Old Colony Library Network catalog for books about Emily Dickinson.