Walt Whitman: Song of Myself

Specials | Apr 27, 2018

"Walt Whitman: Song of Myself" explores how a 36-year old freelance journalist and part-time house-builder living in Brooklyn created his outrageous, groundbreaking work, Leaves of Grass. This collection of twelve poems that irrevocably altered the development of poetry and literature shattered existing notions of poetry, breaking all existing conventions in terms of subject matter, language, and style.

Hosted by Carl Hancock Rux, we join Whitman on a walk through the urban streets, imagining the sights, sounds and music, from Stephen Foster to Italian opera, that profoundly affected him and indelibly shaped his poetry. In this hour-long special, you will hear from writers, poets, musicians, and scholars who tell the story of this extraordinary, self-styled celebrity.

Guests include writers Michael Cunningham and Phillip Lopate; poets Martin Espada, hailed by some as a contemporary Whitman, and Ishle Yi Park, Queens poet laureate; composers John Adams and Ned Rorem; choreographer Bill T. Jones; Whitman scholars Karen Karbiener and David Reynolds; and many, many others. Also actors including Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giammatti share readings of Whitman's poetry.

Airs Friday, April 27 at 9pm on WNYC-FM

Airs Saturday, April 28 at 10pm on AM820 and NJPR

Airs Sunday, April 29 at 11am on AM820 and NJPR

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

WNYC Homepage - Top Stories

Why single domestic violence survivors can't get shelter in NYC despite empty beds

More than half the callers to the city’s domestic violence hotline are single people, but few are getting shelter.

Gothamist |

The History Wars and America at 250, with the Historian Jill Lepore

Three prominent historians discuss a national milestone arriving in the midst of a politically charged conflict over how Americans see the past. It’s a “goat rodeo,” Lepore says.

The New Yorker Radio Hour |

What Péter Magyar's Election in Hungary Says About 'Strongmen' Today

Andrew Marantz talks about the new prime minister of Hungary, and OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman.

The Brian Lehrer Show |

Mayor Mamdani says he's balanced NYC's budget

WNYC News |

How they handle crises in Brownsville, often without police

At least twice a year, nonprofit workers from the neighborhood spend a week calming disputes and responding to most 311 and 911 calls on certain blocks in the neighborhood.