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.
This exhibition covers Whitman’s entire career, from his beginnings in Brooklyn to his afterlife in contemporary art and literature. Drawing on the Morgan’s own holdings and loans from the Library of Congress, it includes more than ninety manuscripts, first editions, paintings, prints, and photographs. Among the highspots on display will be manuscript trial lines for Leaves [...]
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.
Celebrate the "father of free verse" on Father's Day! 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of poet Walt Whitman's birth and the Friends of Bon Echo will be celebrating with a weekend of Whitman-inspired activities, culminating in our third annual marathon reading of Whitman's epic poem Song of Myself.Thank you to our event sponsors, Perfect Books Ottawa and Canadian [...]
In “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman rejected conventions of uniform identity, famously declaring, “I contain multitudes.” Our second-annual LGBTQ & Friends party takes inspiration from this queer icon to celebrate the multiplicity of individuality and the true diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Enjoy live music, curator talks, a complimentary wine bar, after-hours access to our [...]
Matthew Aucoin with Ben Lerner In conjunction with the exhibition Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, composer and conductor Matthew Aucoin curates an evening of spoken word and music featuring Walt Whitman’s letters and poems with musical excerpts from Aucoin’s 2015 opera Crossing and works by John Adams and Leonard Bernstein. Featuring Matthew Aucoin, piano, Ben Lerner, poet/writer, [...]
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 [...]
The Guthrie is proud to present Leaves of Grass – Illuminated, written and performed by Patrick Scully, from the text by Walt Whitman. This unique event summons the spirit of Walt Whitman, revealing his many sides. From the furtive – changing genders to “straighten things up” – to the fierce – defying the censors while getting [...]
Aug 26th Artist Exhibition Opening and Benefit to Celebrate Walt Whitman's 200th Anniversary titled - "Robust American Love" A Portion Of The Proceeds From The Gallery Will Benefit The Walt Whitman Initiative To Help Landmark The Poet’s Brooklyn Home Please join us today, Monday August 26th; reception for the artist 6pm - 7:30pm. BlackBook Presents invites you to the opening [...]
United States Postal Service® will issue the Walt Whitman stamp (Non-denominated priced at the 3-ounce rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 120300). The stamp will go on sale nationwide September 12, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue. With this stamp, the 32nd issue [...]
Join us as we plumb the depths of Walt Whitman’s darker side. Bring a flashlight, lantern, or candle and walking shoes to be part of our roving, after-dark group reading of Whitman’s long night poem “The Sleepers” (1891/1892 Deathbed ed. of Leaves of Grass). Event starts outside High Street subway stop on Cadman Plaza West [...]
Read watery excerpts from Walt Whitman’s poetry in canoes at dawn on the Gowanus Canal – or listen from the historic Carroll Street Bridge. Presented with the Walt Whitman Initiative as part of the 2019 Walt Whitman Bicentennial. Readers should contact Brad.Vogel@gmail.com in advance to arrange selections. Readers arrive at the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse at [...]
2019 is the 200th birthday year of Walt Whitman (1819-1892), who is known today as one of the most influential poets of the nineteenth century. In addition to his work as a poet, Whitman is also remembered as a book designer and printer, essayist and journalist. Calling himself “the Bard of Democracy”, Whitman broke the [...]
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 [...]
The Providence Athenaeum will host a portion of the exhibition Walt Whitman: The Poet of the Body, which was on view at the Grolier Club in New York from May – July 2019. The display at the Athenaeum will celebrate the history of Leaves of Grass, featuring the Athenaeum’s rare first edition inscribed by Whitman along with items from the [...]
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 [...]
It’s a day full of all things Whitman! Drop in to celebrate yourself, the man of the hour, and the opening of the Poet of the Body exhibition with poetry, treats, music, and crafts for all ages. Curator-led tours of the exhibit will be offered at 11:30am and 1:30pm. – Take a turn on the press [...]
Focusing on a major new gift to our world-renowned collection of Chinese art, One: Xu Bing highlights the painting Square Word Calligraphy: Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Walt Whitman (2018) by one of China’s most important living artists. Created specifically for the Brooklyn Museum in consultation with curator Susan L. Beningson, the work celebrates Xu Bing’s close relationship with Brooklyn, [...]
How did a carpenter’s son, grammar school dropout, and sometime hack writer become America’s poet? Scholar Karen Karbiener traces the extraordinary transformation of Walter Whitman Jr. to “Walt Whitman, a kosmos, of Manhattan the son,” a saint-like Civil War nurse, and the iconic “Good Gray Poet.” Whitman’s story will be enhanced by discussions of highlights from the [...]
