NEA - Big Read: Pain has an element of blank: Emily Dickinson and Illness

The NEA Big Read, builds community through the shared experience of reading, discussion, and creative exploration. Join us for the 2026–27 programming season, no previous experience with poetry or the works of Emily Dickinson is required. In this talk, participants will learn about Dickinson’s illnesses, read/discuss 2-3 Dickinson poems about illness/pain, and (re)examine those poems through both Dickinson’s biography and their own lived experience with illness/pain.