If you are searching for Whitman-related events in the the New York area, please also check the Walt Whitman Birthplace website (we highly recommend the tours of the house Whitman Sr. built and Walt lived in for his first four years) and the Whitman House in Camden, NJ (step inside Walt’s home for his last decade).
If you have an event you’d like to list with us, please let us know: waltwhitmaninitiaitve@gmail.com.
As he was turning forty, Walt Whitman composed a sequence of twelve poems and compiled them in a small handmade book he entitled Live Oak, With Moss—but never exactly published them. The verses describe an unhappy love affair with an unnamed man and are considered among the most adventurous and homoerotic work he ever wrote. Whitman [...]
To kick off National Poetry Month in 2019, join us at Stony Brook University for a poetry reading and discussion examining Walt Whitman’s influence on the poetry and culture of the Americas. Stony Brook University professors and award-winning poets Rowan Ricardo Phillips and Cornelius Eady will address Whitman’s impact in the U.S. and Caribbean, and [...]
As he was turning forty, Walt Whitman privately wrote a series of poems entitled “Live Oak, with Moss,” portraying his most ardent explorations of same-sex love. Join Caldecott-winning illustrator Brian Selznick and Professor Karbiener as they present Live Oak, with Moss (Abrams, 2019), their new illustrated edition of this revolutionary collection that has remained largely unknown—until [...]
In honor of National Poetry Month, come and explore Walt Whitman as the “father of free verse,” the first true American poet, and his outspoken opposition to slavery and his work during the Civil War. Attendees will be part of an exciting and enlightening discussion, followed by a workshop conducted by Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan. Nuzzo-Morgan was [...]
"Starting from Paumanok: Whitman, Long Island, The World" is a half-day symposium at Stony Brook University that will explore Walt Whitman’s impact on literature, music, and the visual arts. Topics will include “Whitman’s Poetic Legacy,” “Whitman’s New York,” and “Whitman and the Civil War.” The event will culminate with a lecture and performance featuring 2018 [...]
This lecture and performance features 2018 MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin, composer and writer of the original opera Crossing, based on Whitman’s Civil War writings. The opera was performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2017 and by the Los Angeles Opera in 2018. This lecture-performance will offer a rare opportunity for audiences in the [...]
2019 marks UCLA’s centennial and the bicentennial of Walt Whitman, America’s first poet of democracy. Celebrating the radical optimism that links Whitman to UCLA, students from Writing Programs courses will present original scholarship at Undergraduate Research Week on issues related to the expression of self and community. Presentations by undergraduates from diverse majors will range [...]
On the eve of Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday, American troubadour Patti Smith and her daughter, Jesse Paris Smith, explore the enduring legacy of the great American poet through word and song. In conjunction with Whitman at 200: Art and Democracy. *Tickets required. Public tickets on sale April 9: Reserved seats: $75 public/$60 member Steps: $40 public/$32 [...]
Ecos del Gran Viejo: Latin American Poets Sing Walt Whitman, a bilingual reading of works by Latin American writers influenced by Whitman, UCLA Powell Library Rotunda, 2-4pm Beginning with poet and Cuban patriot, José Martí, and ending with Mexican poet and Nobel Prize Laureate, Octavio Paz, Ecos del Gran Viejo is a bilingual reading exploring one of [...]
As he was turning forty, Whitman privately wrote a series of poems entitled "Live Oak, with Moss", portraying his most ardent explorations of same-sex love. Join illustrator Brian Selznick and Whitman scholar Karen Karbiener as they discuss this revolutionary collection that Whitman never published and has remained largely unknown—until now.
Explore the influences of nineteenth-century America on Walt Whitman’s writing, from slavery and his witness of the Civil War to everyday life in New York City with David S. Reynolds, Distinguished Professor, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and author of Walt Whitman’s America: A Cultural Biography, winner of the Bancroft Prize [...]
Los Angeles women literary artists explore the complicated legacy of the father of American poetry. This lively mix of reading, discussion, and performance is part of Whitmania, the west coast’s largest celebration of Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday in 2019. Featuring Dominiqua Dickey, Cecilia Fairchild, Susannah Rodríguez Drissi, and Amber West. This reading is part of [...]
Live Oak, With Moss (Abrams, 2019) book launch celebration featuring New York Times best-selling and Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) in conversation with Whitman scholar, Dr. Karen Karbiener (New York University), Tuesday, October 15, 4-6pm in the East Rotunda of UCLA’s Powell Library. This event is free and open to [...]
Join poets and UCLA faculty members, Drs. Amber West and Susannah Rodriguez Drissi in honoring the legacy of the father of American poetry with a lively evening of original poetry, puppetry, and music by diverse Los Angeles artists including puppeteer Audrey Densmore and musical duo The Singer & The Songwriter, Fowler Museum, 6-7pm This performance [...]
“The Wound Dresser: Whitman and the Civil War” - Ian Maloney, St. Francis College The Walt Whitman Initiative is pleased to announce its inaugural Walt Whitman Lecture Series (WWLS) for Brooklyn Lifelong Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on the Brooklyn College campus offering diverse learning opportunities to adults. There is no age requirement, and you may enjoy all course [...]
"Walt Whitman and the Making of Leaves of Grass” - Matt Miller, Yeshiva University The Walt Whitman Initiative is pleased to announce its inaugural Walt Whitman Lecture Series (WWLS) for Brooklyn Lifelong Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on the Brooklyn College campus offering diverse learning opportunities to adults. There is no age requirement, and you may enjoy all course [...]
"The Commercialization of Walt Whitman in Modern Society” - Ed Centeno, Whitman collector The Walt Whitman Initiative is pleased to announce its inaugural Walt Whitman Lecture Series (WWLS) for Brooklyn Lifelong Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on the Brooklyn College campus offering diverse learning opportunities to adults. There is no age requirement, and you may enjoy all course offerings [...]
“Whitman's Poe: A Story of Literary Networks in Bohemian New York” - Ed Whitley, Lehigh University The Walt Whitman Initiative is pleased to announce its inaugural Walt Whitman Lecture Series (WWLS) for Brooklyn Lifelong Learning, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on the Brooklyn College campus offering diverse learning opportunities to adults. There is no age requirement, and you may enjoy [...]
WWI president Karen Karbiener explores the lifelong inspiration of Whitman's earliest land- and seascapes.
