“a poetic dialogue”

Commissioned by the Amherst Public Art Commission, this steel sculpture was created by artist Michael Versi in 1995 and dedicated May 5 the following year. “A Poetic Dialogue” gets its name from its two steel silhouettes, poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, who are shown to be deep in conversation. On the left side of each book by the sculpture is a brief biography of each poet.

Dickinson was a native to Amherst, born in 1830, where she attended school and wrote poetry. Noted for her wit, style, and irregular verse, her poetry has become world renowned. The town hosts a museum in her name, where you may visit her home and other notable buildings and locations in her life. The book next to Dickinson’s silhouette depicts her poem “I had a Jewel in My Fingers.”

Frost moved to Amherst at the age of 43 in 1917. Teaching English at Amherst College, Frost wrote one of his most famous pieces, “Fire and Ice.” Staying at Amherst until his wife's passing in 1938, Frost solidified himself as a cultural icon. The book next to Frost reveals his poem, “The Road not Taken.”