YAWP WITH US!

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

The Walt Whitman Initiative (WWI) is delighted to announce our 23rd annual marathon reading of Whitman’s epic “Song of Myself”! All aboard the historic nineteenth-century Tall Ship Wavertree at South Street Seaport NYC on September 27th, 2026, 1pm – 4:30pm!

We’ve partnered with our friends at the South Street Seaport Museum to bring the Marathon back to Walt’s beloved Mannahatta for America’s 250th. Our ship won’t leave Pier 16, but our voices will sail as we enjoy the view of the Brooklyn Bridge, East River, and “beautiful hills of Brooklyn.”  The Wavertree is the largest iron-hulled sailing ship still afloat, a magnificent survivor of Whitman’s “City of Ships.”  Like Walt, it’s travelled round the world but is very much at home in NYC… and very much worth a visit!

We’re also thrilled by the positivity and green energy of this year’s poster, inspired by our friends at Bread & Puppet Press and Theater.  Please consider a scenic road trip to Glover, VT to experience a breathtaking performance in their paper mache cathedral, while enjoying the print shop’s beautiful and meaningful offerings — including Peter Schumann’s “Sing Grass” — from wherever you are.

The “Song of Myself” Marathon is free and open to all!  Everyone is welcome to listen, and we hope you’ll also consider reading and/or performing one of the 52 sections of this life- and self-affirming epic.  We encourage you to be creative: visit our YouTube channel or our website to enjoy recordings of past live and in-person “Song of Myself” Marathons.

If you’d like to yawp, please sign up using the link by September 20th specifying your favorite three sections of “Song of Myself” (using the 1891-’92 edition’s breakdown of 52 sections; you’ll find them neatly presented in several languages at the University of Iowa WhitmanWeb). Please reach out to us at songofmyselfmarathon@gmail.com if you have any questions about the Marathon; if you’d like to join us on our poetic good-will missions, please email us at waltwhitmaninitiative@gmail.com. Read on, fellow travelers!