People who board the trolley during the next Amherst ArtWalk will find the town’s most famous poet — or someone who looks very much like Emily Dickinson — at the wheel.
And once these art lovers are in their seats, they will be further entertained, as they travel from venue to venue, by poets reading aloud a variety of Dickinson’s works.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, the Amherst Business Improvement District, the Emily Dickinson Museum and the ArtWalk are teaming up on the concept of adding poetry to the April 7 event, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at numerous locations throughout downtown Amherst.
The three organizations were inspired, in part, by Lois Kackley, the trolley driver and Dickinson aficionado who has a white dress similar to Dickinson’s iconic 19th-century garment.
“I will have on a white vintage dress and an auburn wig to have as much fun with Emily Dickinson driving the trolley as I can,” Kackley said.
Brooke Steinhauser, program director at the Dickinson Museum, said in an email that two volunteers will ride the trolley to speak Dickinson’s words.
“We want to entice participants to ride the trolley with Emily Dickinson in the hopes that the experience will add a bit of whimsy to their evening, and bring focus to the artistic medium of poetry at this celebration of all things art,” Steinhauser said.
Alla Katsnelson will be reading for the first two hours, with Megan Wilson taking over for the last hour. They will have an assortment of poems and letters by Dickinson, and possibly some original compositions to narrate.
The collaboration means viewing poetry as an important art medium — just as important as painting and music — says Jane Wald, executive director of the Dickinson Museum.
“This is a fine way to bring it into the ArtWalk journey,” Wald said.
The trolley will complete each loop in 15 to 20 minutes, each time beginning at the PVTA bus stop on the East Pleasant Street side of Kendrick Park, said Ann Tweedy, marketing and communications director for the Amherst BID.
The first riders can catch the trolley at 5 p.m., with drop-offs and pick-ups at 5:05 p.m. at the bus stop in front of Saint Brigid’s Church at 122 North Pleasant St., at 5:10 p.m. at Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave., and at 5:15 p.m. at 383 Main St., across from the LumberYard restaurant.
The trolley will begin the loop again at 5:25, 6, 6:35 and 7:20 p.m.
Sarah la Cour, executive director of the Amherst BID, said getting the trolley more engaged in events is an objective.
“This is something a little different,” la Cour said. “We’re trying to have a little fun with the ArtWalk.”
“Besides being fun and promoting the participants in ArtWalk, it’s also a practical solution to ride the trolley instead of filling up the streets with cars,” Kackley said.
The museum and the BID have been partners in the Amherst Poetry Festival, and Wald suggests this could become a regular endeavor.
“If it proves to be appealing and effective, we’d love to continue with it,” Wald said.
Kackley said the love for poetry in Amherst is demonstrated by monthly poetry discussions, including one she leads at the Jones Library, and another put on by the Dickinson Museum at Amherst College’s Frost Library.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
