Armstrong Browning Library Celebrates Love at Valentine's Day Extravaganza

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Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (Feb. 6, 2014) - "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett..."
Such were the words of Victorian poet Robert Browning to his future wife and fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning in his first of many love letters.
Elizabeth was 38 years old and confined to her bed due to a recurring illness when she and Robert fell in love. Her widower father expected none of his children to marry, for they would be disinherited if they do so. But marry she did--secretly--and the couple escaped to a life in Italy.
Baylor's Armstrong Browning Library (ABL) will have a presentation of the couple's love letters, which are housed at the library, at its sixth annual Valentine's Day Extravaganza Saturday, Feb. 8.
This celebration of love, organized by ABL's artist-in-residence Carlos Colón, will also feature elegant desserts and music by Train, Journey, The Beatles, the theme from Downton Abbey and various classical pieces. Vocalist Jonathan Burleson will be accompanied by piano and strings.
The Valentine's Day Extravaganza will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the McLean Foyer of Meditation in the ABL, 710 Speight Ave. General tickets are $50 per couple or $30 per individual; student tickets are $35 per couple or $20 per individual. Tickets may be purchased by calling 254-710-4968.
The ABL is a world-renowned repository of research materials devoted to the study of the lives and works of Victorian poets, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. ABL houses the world's largest collection of books, manuscripts and artifacts related to the Brownings, as well as a substantial collection of materials on and from the Victorian era. The letters in the ABL collections range from sources that offer literary impact to seemingly insignificant social notes, but each item gives a unique perspective on the lives of the two eminent Victorian poets.
by Rachel Miller, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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The Baylor University Libraries support excellence in teaching and learning, enhance research and discovery, and foster scholarship and success. Through its Central Libraries and special collections - Armstrong Browning Library, W.R. Poage Legislative Library and The Texas Collection - the Libraries serve as academic life centers that provide scholarly resources and technological innovation for the Baylor community and beyond.