The Vault is a new conversational space on the Looking for Whitman website aimed at stimulating public discussions about Walt Whitman and his work. Although vaults connote closed, secure spaces, we’ll be thinking of this as a new kind of vault for the 21st century: one that is open and accessible, and that takes openness […]

I am indebted to Other Sam for drawing my attention to this very moving detail.  One of the best things I saw at the Library of Congress was Whitman’s letter of December 29, 1862 (that is, exactly 106 years before the day I was born), to his mother about finding George in Fredericksburg.  We were […]

I am indebted to Other Sam for drawing my attention to this very moving detail.  One of the best things I saw at the Library of Congress was Whitman’s letter of December 29, 1862 (that is, exactly 106 years before the day I was born), to his mother about finding George in Fredericksburg.  We were […]

Immediacy is something the Reverend talks about as a benefit of the blog, social networking technologies, and the great digital experiment that is Looking for Whitman.  Presence.  Accessibility.  These are words we use a lot.  So this week a question has been dogging me while I process Digital Whitman’s Saturday field trip to Washington City.  […]

Virginia Scott, at UMW, recently blogged about an impressive video poem produced for the American Experience series on PBS about Walt Whitman. Enjoy!

I’ve mentioned this podcast from Nate DiMeo at the memory palace before.  I find it pretty poignant.  It’s about the Booth brothers, especially John Wilkes’ older brother Edwin.  Listen for a shout-out to Our Man Whitman [OMW]: Edwin Booth BOOST Here Edwin is looking pensive (or moping about his footwear): And here is a famous […]

I’ve mentioned this podcast from Nate DiMeo at the memory palace before.  I find it pretty poignant.  It’s about the Booth brothers, especially John Wilkes’ older brother Edwin.  Listen for a shout-out to Our Man Whitman [OMW]:
Edwin Booth BOOST
Here Edwin is looking pensive (or moping about his footwear):
And here is a famous photo we saw […]

flow on, river! flow with the flood-tide.  and ebb with ebb-tide! frolic on, crested and scallop-edg’d waves! gorgeous clouds of the sunset! drench with your splendor me, or the men and women generations after me! cross from shore to shore, countless crowds of passengers! stand up, tall masts of mannahatta! stand up, beautiful hills of brooklyn! […]

flow on, river! flow
with the flood-tide.  and
ebb with ebb-tide!
frolic on, crested and
scallop-edg’d waves!
gorgeous clouds of the
sunset! drench with your
splendor me, or the men
and women generations
after me! cross from shore
to shore, countless crowds
of passengers! stand up,
tall masts of mannahatta!
stand up, beautiful
hills of brooklyn!
throb, baffled and
curious brain! throw out
questions and answers!
-walt whitman-

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These passages from Walt Whitman are […]

I was reading in yesterday’s Washington Post in a piece called “Beyond ‘Great,’ to Exemplary” that Whitman’s “O Captain!” is one of about five works identified by the National Standards Initiative as it tries to give guidance to high school teachers about what students should know– with Austen, Morrison, and a few others, it was […]