At the 2012 meeting of the Emily Dickinson International Society, a possible new daguerreotype was brought to light. If confirmed as authentic, it will stand as only the second image of Dickinson known to exist. If you would like to see it or the more well-known image that haunts Emily Beam, visit emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
From this excellent website, I gathered details for my story and checked facts. I also used Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family’s Feuds by Lyndall Gordon; My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson by Alfred Habegger; The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr (with Louise Carter); and a delightful children’s book titled, simply, Emily by Michael Bedard, with illustrations by Barbara Cooney.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (edited by Thomas H. Johnson) sat on my desk as I wrote. So thank you, Emily Dickinson, for your unforgettable voice and all of the words you have lent me.
I also extend my gratitude to
Jonathan Lyons, my hero-agent;
Michelle Poploff and Rebecca Short, my editors in shining armor;
Sally Hubbard Hawn, my go-to reader, always;
Polly Adkins, Stephanie O’Neill, Denise Stewart, and Ford Thomson, for their various inputs, as well as Alexandra King and the rest of the girls in Proal Heartwell’s 2011–2012 eighth-grade English class at Village School in Charlottesville, Virginia;
Jayne and Joel Hubbard, my parents;
and Steve Cobb, husband of gold, who makes my writing life possible.