image credit: Emily Dickinson Museum
On April 9, the Emily Dickinson Museum received notice that a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, had been terminated the preceding day. In 2023, the Museum was awarded a grant of $117,000 by IMLS to digitize records related to its newly catalogued collection and to locate related information in other repositories with Dickinson family materials. The notice states, “IMLS has determined that your grant is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interest of the United States and the IMLS Program.”
Our work to amplify Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice – by opening her family homes to visitors, by interpretive and educational use of her family’s material legacy, by holding up her enduring poetry – continues with support from the Museum’s friends and our unending gratitude.
~ The Emily Dickinson Museum
(Facebook, April 16, 2025)
I was sad, but not surprised, to read this Facebook post from the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. We visited this wonderful place many years ago, probably a few years before I started writing this blog, but never got around to visiting again. My memories of that day are a bit fuzzy now, but I was in awe of seeing her little desk in her bedroom in the Homestead, and could feel her presence, sitting there, looking out her window, and writing her poems. The docent told us she loved to bake and would often lower a basket of goodies down outside her window to delight the neighborhood children. The tour also took us along a path to see her brother’s house next door, The Evergreens. There Tim got so distracted examining the unusual hinges and latches on the doors that he was scolded by a docent for lagging behind the group. The museum has been working hard since we were there to keep restoring the houses to look even more like how it was when Emily lived there with her family. Wishing them the best as they continue with help from their many friends!
And sore must be the storm —
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm —
~ Emily Dickinson
(The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #314)
I so enjoyed seeing the Emily Dickinson House/Museum, Barbara, and hearing about your visit. I was sad to hear of the funding cut. Such a lovely tribute to Emily Dickinson, I hope they can keep it going and am glad you kept it going here for us today.
Hearing about the funding cut made me think about how honoring voices from the past still serves the interests of our people and should remain a priority. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been deeply affected in a positive way by my visit there!
Appropriate quote!
Amen!
How sad – it’s akin to losing PBS’ quality programming, which I hope doesn’t happen as I enjoy the series “All Creatures Great and Small” and was thinking of watching the Jane Austen series coming up in May. You are spot-on with your quote extracted from “The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #314”.
According to PBS News Hour, which is my main source of reliable news, those cuts in funding are coming soon. If approved by Congress, starting in October. Not sure how or if it will affect the production of the shows I love, All Creatures Great & Small, Call the Midwife, Nature, Nova, Finding Your Roots, Antiques Roadshow… I could go on. But they think it will affect the smaller stations in rural areas.