emily dickinson

I've been seeing this quote around the interwebs as of late and it got me remembering...

Emily Dickinson has been a source of inspiration for me for most of my life.  As a teen, I was a prolific writer and I constantly read her poetry.  Seriously.  Her poetry shaped my thinking.

A few years ago during a business trip to the Boston area, I was able to break away for a few hours to visit her home, which is now the Emily Dickinson Museum.  I've always wanted to visit Amherst and I finally got the chance.

Emily was never married and was a recluse later in life.  Only a dozen or so of her heavily edited poems were published in her lifetime and she was virtually unknown until her unedited works were published in the 1950's. 

Someone at the museum told me that the owners of the Dickinson homestead at that time didn't know who she was until people started showing up on their doorstep to have a look inside the house.  Sadly, only one photo of her survives and I hear that her desk is currently at Harvard.  Emily's sister Lavinia discovered all of her writing on scraps of paper stuffed away in her desk after she died.  Those scraps of paper, her desk and that photo are the only tangible things from her life that survive today.

Taking photos at the homestead was not easy.  For some reason, there just wasn't a good angle:

The home below, which is right next door, belonged to her brother.  It is by far the creepiest place I have ever been.  Hands down. 

This home is in the exact state that it was when it was built.  Literally.  The ancient wallpaper sits peeling away from the walls.  The furniture, china, paintings on the wall, everything.  It was amazing.  I don't believe photos were allowed inside and if photos were allowed, I was so stunned that I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Even if you're not a fan of Emily, this place is worth a visit.

Her gravesite is a short ride from the homestead.  You can see the seashells and rocks people have left for her.  I left her a thank you as well:

My favorite photo by far:

I've been thinking about the Boston area off and on since I was there.  I really hope to visit again soon...