Bethlehem, Pa.
Dedicated on September 8th, 2017
Partners: The Bethlehem Area Public Library and Lehigh University
The Bethlehem Area Public Library was designated a Literary Landmark in honor of poet Hilda Doolittle (1886 –1961). Doolittle was born and raised in Bethlehem, PA. Her childhood home was located across the plaza from the Library, where City Hall now stands. Doolittle’s experimental poetry and prose established her as a leading Modernist artist in the 1910s and 1920s.
The ceremony was held at the Main Library and featured readings from several of Doolittle’s works by Lehigh University staff, including associate professors Amardeep Singh and Seth Moglen, who read from Doolittle’s “Garden,” “The Gift,” and “Trilogy” at the dedication. Former Lehigh English department Chair Scott Gordon and Assistant Director of International Studies Jennie Hyest also read select verses from Doolittle’s work. Executive Director of the Library Josh Berk and Dr. Scott Paul Gordon of Lehigh University were also in attendance as guest speakers.
Hilda Doolittle died in 1961 and is buried in Bethlehem’s Nisky Hill Cemetery.
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