During the Great Paper Shortage from 1835 to 1847 which was brought on by the North American Wood Pulp Blight, Emmett Lee Dickinson and many other poets were highly distraught as there was little to no paper available for them to use.
"How can I write my poetry?" moaned Dickinson.
His sister Pythagoria replied dryly, "Use a bit of scrap."
With that, Dickinson began digging through the garbage, and he pulled out many and sundry scraps of paper and bits of trash on which he recorded his ideas, possible lines of poetry, and even full poems. He called this collection of debris his "garbaged somethings."
This October the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts in conjunction with the Folger Coffee Company will present an extraordinary event at the Folger Coffee Company plant in historic Washerst, PA (birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson) to celebrate Dickinson's collection of "The Garbaged Somethings."
The Folger Shakespeare Library will host a similar event in December to celebrate Emily Dickinson's collection of scraps and bits of paper now referred to as "The Gorgeous Nothings."
Below left: The Emmett Lee Dickinson Birthday Tribute celebrating The Garbaged Somethings will be hosted by Starbuck's new robot known as "Servi-Tron" and actress and Dickinson aficionado Meryl Streep. Below right: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC will host a related event in December to celebrate The Gorgeous Nothings.
Below left: The October birthday tribute to Emmett Lee Dickinson will be held on his birthday, October 12, at the Folger Coffee Company plant in historic Washerst, PA, the birthplace of American's greatest poet. Below right: The December birthday tribute to Emmett Lee's third cousin Emily will be held on her birthday, December 10, at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.
For more information on the gathering of DOPEs this October to celebrate the birthday of Emmett Lee Dickinson, click HERE.