I’m Nobody! Who are you?: The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson

One of the most popular and enigmatic American writers of the nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson wrote more than 1,700 poems. Nevertheless, her work was essentially unknown to contemporary readers since only a handful of poems were printed during her lifetime and the vast trove of her manuscripts was not discovered until after her death in 1886. 

Typecast as a reclusive writer who rarely left her Amherst home, Dickinson was, in fact, socially active as a young woman and maintained a broad network of friends and correspondents even as she grew older and retreated into seclusion. Bringing together nearly one hundred rarely seen items, including manuscripts and letters in the poet’s hand, the exhibition will explore a side of the Dickinson’s life that is seldom acknowledged: one filled with rich friendships and long-lasting relationships with mentors and editors. In addition to her writings, the exhibition will also feature a wide array of visual material, including hand-cut silhouettes, unique photographs and daguerreotypes, contemporary illustrations, and other items that speak to the rich intellectual and cultural environment in which Dickinson lived and worked.

Exhibition overview from the museum website