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About this Event
Join us at the Grolier Club for a revelatory in-person panel discussion on “Walt Whitman Between the Columns: Rediscovering the Poet-Journalist.” Interdisciplinary scholars from the Walt Whitman Archive will present new discoveries, (re)introducing Whitman’s contributions to a small Brooklyn newspaper and rethinking his contributions as a journalist. Stephanie Blalock (University of Iowa), Kevin McMullen (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Stefan Schöberlein (Texas A&M-CT), Jason Stacy (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville), and Zachary Turpin (University of Idaho) will explore the now-canonical poet’s newspaper work, which is still often treated as merely a “long foreground,” useful only for understanding the origins of Leaves of Grass (1855). Yet Whitman didn’t quit journalism when he became a poet, his journalistic output actually increased. The scholars will discuss their recent recovery of Whitman’s writings for the Brooklyn Daily Times (1856–1859) and beyond, outlining how these writings complicate, expand, and enrich our understanding of Whitman. As multitudinous as his poetry suggests, he covered a wide array of topics in a variety of voices: from moralizing editorials on the Sabbath and matter-of-fact police reporting to humorous health tips, even weighing in on public engineering projects. In terms of sheer volume, his reporting and editorializing on the construction of the Brooklyn Waterworks (1859) alone dwarfs the first edition of Leaves of Grass. The Whitman Archive team will contextualize their discoveries in Whitman’s biography and the history of nineteenth-century American journalism, with the aim of answering the question: What does it mean to think of Walt Whitman as a lifelong journalist?
Grolier Club Members
If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.
Public Support
We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For more than 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support that tradition, and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.
Accessibility
An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.
A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.
Environment
The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
