Fail Better: Emily Dickinson

How do we define success in the face of public opinion? Although widely considered as one of the greatest poets in English Literature, Emily Dickinson is just as well known for being something of a proud outsider. Often typecast as a recluse, Dickinson’s choice to remain unmarried and childless was wildly radical for a woman of her time. Instead, Dickinson chose poetry, an occupation which required her undivided attention, and with it a degree of isolation. She was bold and unwavering in this choice, and in many other aspects of her life. Never tiptoeing around difficult topics, she stood firm in her confrontation of such issues as pain, dread and death, and the startling candidness and humour with which she tackled such taboos is one of the reasons she is so well-loved today. Through an evening of live poetry and discussion we celebrate Dickinson’s approach to finding strength in the face of critique, and explore how numerous contemporary artists have also rejected societal classifications of failure and success and instead defined their own.