In-Person Panel: Poet-Journalist Walt Whitman Between the Columns

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?

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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.

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