PARIS & EDIS AFTERS - report and pics

'Between my finite eyes -' Emily D.

I was at the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS) Conference this past weekend in Paris, which was, of course, trés jolie: Emily and Paris, two of my favourite things all wrapped up together. We enjoyed the 'blue and gold' of Emily D's June - the sun shone often - though there was more than the odd 'curious Cloud' too.

Butte aux Cailles graffiti & Juno

Fondation des États Unis

The conference took place at the Cité Universitaire, in the 14th arrondissement, in a trio of beautiful old buildings, full of oak and marble and delicate murals. Our hotel (a bit cruddy, tbh) was a 20 minute walk from the uni, through residential streets and Parc Montsouris. The park held one of two Clark Lunberry art installations, inspired by Emily D.

Clark Lunberry ED text on the pond at Parc Montsouris

It's always lovely to reconnect with fellow Emily fans and I even managed to overcome shyness and talk to some ;) The theme of this year's conference was 'Experimental Dickinson' (apt) and I heard papers on Emily's letters (especially those to her beloved SIL, Susan, as well as to her friend, and posthumous editor, Thomas Wentworth Higginson).

Dr Emily Seelbinder with Juno, both sporting Emily D T-shirts

Also, some great papers on teaching Dickinson, including a fascinating one from North Carolina-based scholar Emily Seelbinder, who challenges her students to create an objet d'art using Dickinson's poetry as a jump-off. (My kind of class). The students have produced fantastic work, everything from art books, to fortune cookies containing Dickinson aphorisms, to a boardgame: 'Dickinson Dash to the Death', and a T-shirt connecting Kanye to Emily :)

Georgiana Strickland's paper was about the discography she is compiling of interpretations/versions of Emily's poetry that have been set to music. We were treated to various extracts from different composers, including Aaron Copeland and, my favourite, Craig Hella Johnson.

Natasha et Linda

That paper set us up nicely for Saturday evening's concert 'The Poet and the Muse: Dickinson in Song', with soprano Linda Mabbs and pianist Natasha Roqué Alsina. It was fascinating to hear, for example, four different composers' versions of 'Will there really be a "Morning"?', performed one after the other. Linda Mabbs is a beautiful singer and her interpretations were moving and funny, and her explanations of the arrangements were really informative.

ED and Celebrity panel: Paul, Páraic & Elizabeth

I went to a panel on ED's dealings with literary fame - her own and others'. It was great to hear papers by Elizabeth Petrino, Páraic Finnerty and Paul Crumbley that looked at different aspects of 19th C literary celebrity and where ED saw herself within it all. And how she may have had a firm eye on posthumous celebrity. Fascinating stuff. (Páraic Finnerty has just reviewed my novel about ED, Miss Emily, in Breac - a wonderful review, I am honoured.)

Lunberry 'Written on Air' installation - Fondation des États Unis, Cité Universitaire

There was a lot of overlap as ever with the content and themes that people chose to present on. Emily D's penchant for concealment and revelation came up a lot, the known/unknown nature of her life and work.

Me and Ju, on our way to the concert and banquet

Banquet bread and wine :)

Lovely people: EDIS President Martha Nell Smith with conference organiser Antoine Cazé

We had the conference banquet on Saturday night in the Fondation Deutsch de la Meurthe in the gorgeous, balconied, wood-lined Grand Salon. Despite making it known we were vegetarians in advance, there was little for us to eat. Even the ratatouille contained fish (why? why?). So we ate bread and drank wine and, sure, what else would you need?! Juno was delighted to meet other EDIS members' children and had a ball with them, outside the fondation building, running about and chatting. (I must add, though, that the lunches at the conference were outstanding - the choccie tart! The cheesy puffs! The salads! All very delicious.)

View from the Tour Eiffel

We had four full days and two half days in Paris and, apart from the conference, we managed to squeeze in a lot: shopping, sightseeing, scoffing, walking, art etc. The area we stayed in, the Butte aux Cailles, is gorgeous. I had stayed there before and loved its olde worlde charm. It's full of sweet bars and restaurants and there is the most incredible graffiti/wall art everywhere.

Skaters outside Notre Dame - they were brilliant

Finbar at Notre Dame

The Seine

Deyrolle window display

We visited the famous Deyrolle in St Germain to see the taxidermy. No photos allowed inside, but I took one of the window display. You can buy a stuffed bison, lion, piglet or duckling, depending on your budget. Though a duckling costs about €200... I made do with a vintage map/poster of vegetables annotated in French.

Forlorn and covetable dolly at the marché in Vanves

We went to the marché aux puces at the Porte de Vanves. We wandered for ages, buying nothing, only to have a flurry at the end. I bought a blue enamel brooch by Bretaudeau Paris; a silver tone pendant with opalite and turquoise stones by Miracle (both for €20), and a turqouise, floral Japanese pot for a tenner. Juno bought yet more Playmobil (and was ripped off) but I am nonsense at haggling myself, so I said nothing.

'Standing Girl Nude, Turned to the Left with Arms Crossed' - Paula MB

We also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower - such joy to see Juno's delighted face. And we stumbled on the fact that there was a temporary exhibit of Paula Modersohn Becker's paintings at the Palais de Tokyo. I wrote an (unpublished) novel about Paula years ago, so it was great to re-connect with her and see some work that I have never seen because it is privately owned. That was a real bonus.

Grass jelly drink, anyone?

What else? Oh yes, we went to Chinatown for a look around but it was pretty grey and grim, apart from the great Asian supermarkets, like Tang Frères.

And we watched the Ireland vs France match in a bistro in St Michel, having failed to get into two jam-packed Irish pubs. That was fun until our team were hammered. We consoled ourselves in Notre Dame Cathedral: mass in progress, hymns being sung, candles twinkling. Heaven felt near, as Emily D. might say.

Falafel, Le Grenier style

More consolation, then, in our favourite Parisian veggie restaurant, Le Grenier de Notre Dame. Drool. Followed by dark choc from the gelateria next door. Slurp. Le Grenier has poshed up a bit, mind you, since we were last there. As has Shakespeare and Co., which feels a bit Disneyish now, I hate to say, though I bought an Emily D. book I don't have - JCO's Essential Dickinson. (Husb also brought Juno to Disneyland Paris; thankfully I escaped that torture. I did my bit years ago with my two older kids. Once was quite enough.)

George Sand's house - tea garden roses
'Nobody knows this little Rose -
It might a pilgrim be...' ED

George Sand's house

We also went to George Sand's house, Musée de la Vie Romantique. Well, it was Ary Scheffer's house but George lived there with him. They have an incredible collection of her jewellery and some fine portraits by Ary. And there's a tea garden where I had the best chocolate mousse of my life.

I wanted one of these so badly. Too pricey, though :(

Métro station ads are the best

So, it was a marvellous trip, all thanks to the Arts Council for funding me. It's great to be home too, though I'll have to get used to no more pain au chocolat for brekkie and no more nightly booze.

And at some point I guess I will stop feeling exhausted out of my brains and start some proper work. I have rewrites on novel #4 to tackle and class prep for Saturday's IWC class. For now, I will just let myself feel I still have one foot in Paris. With Emily and all those who love her.

The EDIS conference poster

'I've seen a Dying Eye
Run round and round a Room —' ED

EMILY DICKINSON'S BEDROOM RESTORED

Pic: Emily Dickinson Museum

Emily Dickinson's bedroom in The Homestead in Amherst, Massachusetts, has been restored. I have visited Emily's room three times in the last couple of years and each time there was progress. Once our Emily Dickinson International Society meeting in August was finished - the house is extremely busy for it - the team hung the specially made wallpaper, reconstructed from scraps. It was lovely to see the room almost done but I felt a pang at not seeing the finished effects. I will just have to go back asap.

I had seen a scrap of the wallpaper while researching the novel and I described it like this, in Emily's voice: 'Under its foliage and roses, my wallpaper is filled with arrows, each of them pointing the same way around the walls of my room, from east to west and on eastwards again. The arrows tell me to complete my circle as I begin it. For life – and writing – is a never-ending loop of begin, push on, end, begin again. I usually take comfort from the arrows’ instruction on the inevitability of beginnings and endings, but today has not been like any day I have had before.'

You can read more about the two-year restoration project at the Emily Dickinson Museum's site here.

AMHERST AFTERS

Emily's house - side view

Eleanor Heginbotham of EDIS

I had a great time at my first meeting of the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS) in Amherst, Massachusetts, last weekend. It was brilliant to meet so many other Emily nuts. It is amusing how nerdy it all gets when it comes to people who love Emily and her circle - we spoke about them all day, every day: at the sessions, over lunch, at the banquet etc. There were experts, PhD students, poets, fiction writers and general enthusiasts present, and I learnt loads and enjoyed having more time in Amherst to womble around and soak it all in. I stocked up on postcards and magnets to give away here next year, when the book comes out, so stay tuned for that. It will appear in late July in the US and Canada with Penguin, and in August in the UK, Ireland and Australia. (I will announce who the UK publisher is asap.)

Black-eyed Susan in Emily's garden

The mural at West Cemetery is under threat (building being knocked) - but it will most likely be saved

Note on Emily's grave

My mini St Brigid's cross on Emily's grave

Susan Gilbert Dickinson's grave - Em's friend and SIL

I enjoyed spending time with my friend Jeff Morgan, a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum, who gave me sneak-peek tours into off-limits parts of both Emily and her brother Austin's houses. As well as a trip to Wildwood Cemetery where Austin, his wife Susan and their family are buried. I also went back to Emily's grave in West Cemetery twice and left a tiny St Brigid's cross there (in my novel Ada, the maid, gifts one to Emily).

Amherst History Museum

The real ED dress

Another highlight was the Amherst History Museum to see the real Emily D white dress. (The one in the ED Museum is a replica.). The curator in the Hist Museum brought me behind the scenes to show me paintings and screens by Mabel Loomis Todd (Austin's long-term lover) and even a dress of hers (black with intricate braid trimmings). The generosity of the guides at all the museums is incredible. They love Emily and co. and are only too happy to share their knowledge, and the artefacts in their care, with fellow enthusiasts.

A quiet corner in the Book Mill

The Book Mill and the Alvah Stone restaurant, Montague

Marcy browsing, me musing - the Book Mill

My dear friend Marcella Brown lives in Colrain, Western Mass, and she drove me around to other spots near Amherst to show me places I hadn't been. Places like Montague with its fantastic riverside Book Mill and restaurants. We enjoyed two visits there, browsing, drinking, eating and generally having a fabulous, relaxed time.The Book Mill's slogan is 'Books you don't need, in a place you can't find.' Marcella also brought me to an outdoor performance of 'Shahrazad, A Tale of Love and Magic' by Double Edge Theatre Company on their farm in Ashfield. Stunning performance, where we followed the actors through gardens to streams and tents, and they ate fire, stiltwalked, swung from trees, swam etc. We weren't allowed take pics but you can check out their website.

Marcella, Nuala, Suzanne

Suzanne with Irish pottery and local flowers

I also met up with another friend, writer Suzanne Strempek Shea, whose latest book is This is Paradise, about Irish woman Mags Riordan who founded a medical clinic in Malawi. Look out for Suzanne's Irish appearances in September in Dingle, Howth, Galway (Charlie Byrne's) and at Clifden Arts Festival.

Amherst is great for food, lots of fresh, healthy fare available in cute cafés and at the Saturday farmers' market. Suzanne, Marcy and I had a delicious meal in Judie's, followed by fabulous desserts.

Molten chocolate Bundt Cake at Judie's - mmmmmm

I had a wonderful time overall and I look forward to returning to Amherst next summer for my second EDIS meeting.

Emily shared my airbnb bed!

#AMWRITING

#amwriting so therefore not blogging much. Thank the stars. With all the edits and trips lately I was starting to wonder if I would ever have the time or headspace to write again. I am at that lovely madly-excited-by-the-research stage. Glued to my desk. I had a chat with my agent about the two projects I had in mind and she favoured one over the other (for now) so I am happily re-ensconced in the 19th Century.

I will have to unstick myself from my desk for next week's trip to Massachusetts (the hardship!) My first meeting of the Emily Dickinson International Society which, coincidentally, takes place in Emily's homeplace, Amherst. It will be great to be back there again - I loved it last year when I went over for final research. Can't wait! I plan to use all the long boring airport and aeroplane hours for research on Novel #4. (Mind you, it is much more likely that I will listen to my new First Aid Kit album and watch several films back-to-back on the flights...)

If I don't get back here in the meantime, see you on the other side. Happy writing!

SILLY SUMMER DAYS & GALWAY FRINGE READING AFTERS & KINDNESS

Magical John Kindness work at the Arts Festival in Galway

I am having a stupid few days - people (a usual suspect included) attacking me on Facebook over changing my name for my forthcoming novel in the USA; lots of general nit-picking over nitpicky things from various literary quarters; kids being pains. Blah blah blah. And I have no energy for any of it.

On the bright side, there's been news about a further publication opp for Miss Emily (more anon) and I am going to Massachusetts again next week, to lovely Amherst, for my first meeting of the Emily Dickinson International Society.

Also the auld blog has been longlisted for the Blog Awards Ireland in the Best Arts and Culture Blog category - thank you kind nominators!

Órfhlaith Foyle

I read at the Galway Fringe Festival on Saturday, and was introduced by my dear friend Órfhlaith Foyle whose story collection will be out in September from Arlen House. It's called Clemency Browne Dreams of Gin. Lovely!

Thanks to all who joined us, especially my cousin-in-law Cathleen, all the way from Manhattan.

Reading from The Closet of Savage Mementos at the Fringe Festival

 The Galway Arts Festival was still on and we saw this John Kindness wonderfulness from his Odysseus show