Hilda Doolittle Plaque Dedication, Bethlehem Area Public Library, September 8, 4pm
The Bethlehem Area Public Library is being added to a national list of Literary Landmarks. A new plaque honoring the birthplace of the great 20th century poet Hilda Doolittle (1886 –1961) will be unveiled Friday, September 8th at a 4pm ceremony that will include readings of Doolittle’s work. The effort to get the location designated as a Literary Landmark is a result of a partnership between the library and Lehigh University’s English department and Humanities Center
Doolittle’s childhood home was located just across the plaza from the Library, where City Hall now stands. Her innovative and experimental poetry and prose established her as a leading Modernist artist in the 1910s and 1920s. She remains the Lehigh Valley’s most important literary figure.
The Literary Landmarks Association includes homes of famous writers (Tennessee Williams, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, William Faulkner), libraries and museum collections, literary scenes, and even “Grip” the Raven, formerly the pet of Charles Dickens and inspiration to Edgar Allan Poe and now presiding (stuffed) at the Rare Books Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
The event on September 8 is to be held at the Main Library, 11 W. Church Street.
For more information email jberk@192.163.192.201 or call the Main Library at 610-867-3761 x215.
