Poetry - especially the work of nineteenth-century American poet Emily Dickinson - helps people mourn losses and inspires hope, says Dr. Cindy MacKenzie, an instructor in the Department of English at the University of Regina.

MacKenzie believes Dickinson's biographers and critics alike have shown how she used her writing and her own experience with pain to reach out to all those who suffer. 

"Reflecting on our response to her poems with thoughts on the emotional, spiritual, and physical healing power gained from reading them, we discover how they enter into the core of our consciousness and how we draw strength from them," says MacKenzie.      

She will deliver the latest lecture in the Coffee House Controversies Series on Thurs., October 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Chapters bookstore behind the Southland Mall (2625 Gordon Road).

MacKenzie is best known for her compilation entitled A Concordance to the Letters of Emily Dickinson and her book, Wider Than the Sky:  Essays and Meditations on the Healing Power of Emily Dickinson.  She is an active participant and board member of the Emily Dickinson International Society and of the American Literature Association.

Coffee House Controversies speakers give an informal 20-minute talk focusing on a controversial topic of interest to the general public. The talks are intended to encourage the open exchange of ideas. Twenty minutes of discussion follows each talk, during which members of the general public can ask questions or raise issues with the speaker or other audience members.

The events are free and open to the public. Contact the Faculty of Arts at 585-4226 for more information.