Category: Martha Nell Smith

The F-Word, Part 3

12/27/2018

From Jim Asher, the world's leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request):

I attended the 188th Birthday Tribute to Emily Dickinson at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, on December 10.

At the tribute, Jan Bervin, one of the editors of The Gorgeous Nothings, spoke on the work of Jay Layde in documenting the life and work of Emily Dickinson. I wrote about Ms. Bervin's presentation in "The F-Word, Part 1" HERE.

After Bervin spoke, Martha Nell Smith, the president of the Emily Dickinson International Society, talked on the letters between and relationship of Emily Dickinson and Susan Hutchinson Dickinson, Austin Dickinson's wife. I wrote about Ms. Smith's presentation in "The F-Word, Part 2" HERE.

In both Parts 1 and 2 I mentioned that at the event, Ms. Smith used the F-word (hence, the title for my posts).

No, no, no! NOT THAT F-WORD!

Okay. Here's what happened.

After Bervin and Smith spoke, there was a very short panel discussion -- along with Madeleine Olnek, the director of the new film Wild Nights with Emily -- with questions from the audience.

Following the Q&A, everyone funneled into the "Great Hall" for a treat, a taste of wine and a piece of Emily Dickinson's Black Cake made by a local baker.

Pictured at the right: A splash of some white wine (hey, it was free, so I can't complain) and a piece of Emily Dickinson's Black Cake.

After the cake, I stopped by the library's small gift shop where I picked up a copy of Open Me Carefully, a volume of letters between Emily Dickinson and Susan Dickinson edited by Ellen Louise Hart and Martha Nell Smith.

After making my purchase, I made my way to a table where Bervin and Smith were signing copies of their books.

Since I already own a copy of The Gorgeous Nothings, edited by Jane Bervin, Marta Werne, and Susan Howe, I did not purchase another one. Instead, I explained to Ms. Bervin that my copy of her book was at home, and I asked her to sign my program for the evening's event.

Pictured below left: The Folger's program for the Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute -- which included a copy of Dickinson's poem "Wild Nights -- Wild Nights" in the poet's handwriting. Below center: Bervin's signature on my program. Below right: Smith's book, Open Me Carefully.

Pictured at the right: Smith signed her book by quoting a line from her presentation (with a line from a letter written by Susan Hutchinson Dickinson): "For James -- Poetry is Sermon -- Hope -- Solace -- Life -- Martha Nell Smith."

When Ms. Smith handed me the signed copy of her book, she asked something like, "Have we met before?"

I reminded her that we had, indeed, met two years ago when I had attended the EDIS annual conference in Amherst and also last year when I had attended the 187th Birthday Tribute at the Folger.

Then I added, "and I help to maintain a site about Emily Dickinson's third cousin, Emmett Lee Dickinson."

That's when it happened -- the F-word.

"That's you," laughed Smith with a broadening smile on her face. "You're fantastic!"

Hmm. Maybe it was, "You're fabulous" I can't remember. But it was one of those two F-words -- either "fantastic" or "fabulous."

Aw shucks -- I'm sure I was blushing.

I was just thankful she didn't call for security to have me removed from the premises. Poetry, after all, is a serious business. Yes, I take my humor seriously, but I always hope that people don't think my parodies and funny-business aren't disdainful about third cousin Emily. On the contrary. We, too, at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum are in awe of Emily's work.

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The F-Word, Part 2

12/24/2018

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After Jen Bervin’s presentation on Jay Layde’s work, Martha Nell Smith, the president of the Emily Dickinson International Society, spoke about “an unintentional” lie she helped promulgate in her work in presenting her dissertation years ago. Before she confessed the lie, though, she asked those in attendance to keep a quote in mind – one in a letter to Susan Dickinson from Emily Dickinson:

"Dear Sue ~ With the exception of Shakespeare, you have told me of more knowledge than any one living -- To say that sincerely is strange praise.”

‘Twas then Ms. Smith divulged her lie – that Susan Dickinson was not all that important to Emily Dickinson.

To be honest, though, this view – that Susan’s role in Emily’s life was slight – was more a “false fact,” a belief accepted as truth in its day rather than a deliberate lie.

Ms. Smith then reminded the audience of her opening quote and took time to set the record straight. Interestingly enough, it was Jay Leyda who – when he learned that Ms. Smith researched the letters of Emily Dickinson – advised her to spend her career in righting this misconception, “for Susan Dickinson had been greatly wronged.”

In truth, Emily Dickinson wrote more letters to Susan than any other person with whom she corresponded (and we’re talking hundreds of more letters) – and the main culprit in creating and perpetuating this myth (an "alternative fact" in today's lingo) was none other than Mabel Loomis Todd, Austin Dickinson’s mistress.

Much of Smith’s work to undo the decades of tangled tales and perceptions is presented in her book Open Me Carefully, an insightful collection of some of Emily Dickinson's thirty-six year correspondences with her childhood friend, neighbor, and sister-in-law.

Slowly but surely, the record is being straight on Susan Hutchinson Gilbert Dickinson, who – in a letter to Curtis Hidden Page – noted that “Poetry is Sermon – Hope – Solace – Life.”

After Smith’s presentation there was a short panel discussion with Bervin, Smith, and Madeleine Olnek, the director of the new film “Wild Nights with Emily.”

Later in the evening was when Smith blurted out the “F-Word” (as I noted in Part 1) – but no no, no – NOT that “F-Word.” But more on that later. I promise to get to that in Part 3 of this review. Coming soon.

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The F-Word, Part 1

12/23/2018

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From Jim Asher, the world's leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request:

I attended the birthday tribute to Emily Dickinson at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC on December 10th, and there I conversed with Martha Nell Smith, the president of the Emily Dickinson International Society – and she used the “F-word.”

NO, NO, NO – not THAT “F-word.” A different “F-word.” But I’ll get to that later – perhaps in Part 2 of this post? For now, dear reader, read on about the event.

I arrived in the Capitol Hill area of Washington with little time to spare, so I had a quick dinner at the nearby Santa Rosa Taqueria. The restaurant’s Happy Hour special included chips and queso – and TWO margaritas. Yes, I was travelling alone, but what’s a poet to do? TWO margaritas.

Pictured at the right: The Happy Hour special at the Santa Rosa Taqueria included TWO margaritas!

“The Soul achieves — Herself (or “Himself, in my case) — To drink” ~ Emily Dickinson

I made it to the Folger Shakespeare Library with a little time to spare, and when I took my seat I was a bit perplexed by the set up on the stage – more specifically, by the information on the initial slide projected on the screen:

“Emily Dickinson’s 132 Birthday Tribute.”

Huh?

I wondered why the screen said “132 Birthday Tribute,” when December 10, 2018, marked Emily Dickinson’s 188th birthday.

Pictured at the left: My somewhat-blurry picture of the opening slide welcoming the audience to "Emily Dickinson's 132 Birthday Tribute."

Had the Folger Shakespeare Library been around that long? Was this the library’s 132nd tribute celebrating Emily Dickinson’s birth? No. I googled-search information about the library, and it was built in the 1930s.

Had the Poetry Society of America – a sponsor for the event – been around for 132 years or more? Was this their 132nd birthday tribute to the Belle of Amherst? No. I google-searched that too. The PSA was founded in 1910.

After some additional sleuthing I realized that whoever made the slide based the calculation of Dickinson’s age on the year of her death, 1886: 2018 – 1886 = 132.

Oops.

“We turn not older with year, but newer every day.” ~ Emily Dickinson.

On December 10, 2018, Emily Dickinson turned 188 years new: 2018 – 1830 (the year of her birth) = 188.

The main event for the evening included presentations by Martha Nell Smith, a founding board member and current president of the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS), and Jan Bervin, an editor of The Gorgeous Nothings, a full-color facsimile edition of Emily Dickinson's manuscripts as she wrote it on scraps of paper and torn envelopes.

Bervin spoke first and presented information on the work of Jay Leyda, a filmmaker and film historian who is also noted for his work on documenting the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Bervin showed slides of the original letters between Leyda and Theodora Ward and Thomas. H. Johnson (editors of The Letters of Emily Dickinson, the three volume edition published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University in 1958), Millicent Todd Bingham (daughter of David Peck Todd and Mabel Loomis Todd), Mary Landis Hampson (the last surviving resident at the Evergreens, the home of Austin Dickinson and his family), and more.

Bervin’s information proved that assembling complete and accurate volumes of Dickinson’s was no easy task for many reasons -- including working through the tangle of the Dickinson’s family history, deciphering the poet's handwriting, dealing with multiple versions of many of the poems, and more.

“This is a nasty business,” she said. “But there it is.”

Next up was Martha Nell Smith who promptly confessed that she based much of her early work and her dissertation on a lie, albeit, the unintentional telling of a lie. It was later in the evening that she used the “F-word.”

No, no, no – not THAT “F-word.”

But I’ll get to that next time! Watch for Part 2 of this post, coming soon!

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The F-Word, Part 3

The F-Word, Part 2

The F-Word, Part 1

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