Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Dickinson's creative writing seeds were planted as a kid. Back in the day, creative writing wasn't taught in school. However, Amherst Academy, where Dickinson was first educated, encouraged original writing and made it a part of their regular curriculum. (Source: The Emily Dickinson Journal, Issue 18. "Dickinson's Early Schooling as a Scholar")
Dickinson's poems were so good, they started a family feud. When it came time to publish Dickinson's poems after her death, her sister and her sister-in-law battled over who would be in charge. In the end, they both lost to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Dickinson's literary mentor. (Source: The Cambridge Companion to Emily Dickinson, "The Emily Dickinson Wars.")
Dickinson liked riding bikes! But she sure didn't ride what Lance Armstrong rides around on today – she rode something called a bone-shaker, which weighed 40 lbs! (Source)