Walt Whitman only spent 10 years living in Washington, but the city is going all out for the 200th anniversary of his birth with a slew of events celebrating the famous American poet (and inspiration for the words that grace the Dupont Metro escalator).
The 12-day Walt Whitman 200 Festival, sponsored by HumanitiesDC, includes dozens of events directly and indirectly inspired by the poet’s work. Day one of the festival on Thursday, for example, features a session of improvised chair yoga based on poems by Whitman and Pablo Neruda.
Meanwhile, the Library of Congress is in the midst of its Whitman Bicentennial series. The Library is highlighting its collection of Whitman materials—the most extensive in the world—with a display that includes the poet’s handwritten drafts, published poems, original letters, portraits, and other rarely seen items. This display, housed at the Thomas Jefferson Building, runs through Aug. 15.
Whitman, who was born in New York on May 31, 1819, originally came to the D.C. area in 1862 looking for his brother, George Whitman, a member of the Union Army. George’s name had appeared on a casualty list following the battle of Fredericksburg, says Barbara Bair, a historian in the manuscript division of the Library of Congress.
Whitman found his brother alive, but wounded at a Virginia army camp. Moved by the sight of the sick, wounded, and dying soldiers who needed supplies and moral support, he relocated here to look after them, Bair says.
“He was seeking them out, and just basically being a companion talking to them telling them stories, finding out if they need anything,” Bair says.
He’d stand by if a soldier needed a leg amputated or another serious medical procedure, she says. He’d comfort them as they were dying, and would sometimes write letters to soldiers’ families notifying them of soldiers’ deaths. He primarily assisted Union soldiers, but did help out some of Confederate soldiers in those hospitals as well, Bair says. Whitman was against slavery, but had sympathy for both Union and Confederate soldiers.
“He was a great admirer of how strong and good ordinary people can be under duress,” Bair says.
He loved walking around Washington D.C. and taking the streetcars. It was in D.C. that he met Peter Doyle, a streetcar conductor and former Confederate soldier, and the two became close, intimate friends for the rest of Whitman’s life, Bair says.
Whitman also served his country as a federal employee. He started out working in the Army paymaster’s office, then moved to the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the U.S. Department of the Interior, and later secured a job in the attorney general’s office.
Whitman had a stroke in 1873 and relocated to Camden, N.J., to live with his brother George. Later on, friends like Mark Twain raised money to help Whitman buy his own house in Camden, Bair says. Whitman died there in 1892, but his legacy still lives on in D.C. 200 years after his birth.
“The Washington years were extremely important,” Bair says.
Here’s the best of what’s going on during the festival, which runs through June 3.
“Song of Myself” Marathon Reading
Busboys and Poets Mount Vernon Square, May 23, 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m., free entry
As the official kickoff to the festival, the restaurant will host an hours-long reading of the famous poet’s lengthy poem “Song of Myself.” The public can volunteer to read sections of the piece in any language. Busboys’ food and drinks are available for purchase.
Dearest Queerest Body Electric: A Reading of Epistolary Poems
National Postal Museum, May 30, 6 p.m., FREE
Inspired by Whitman’s own love letters, a selection of queer poets will present their own epistolary work—meaning poems written in letter form—about love.
Walt Birthday Concert and Poetry Reading
Arts Club of Washington, May 31, 12 p.m. FREE
Whitman’s poems turn into music at this free concert, with songs performed by soprano Jennifer Piazza-Pick and pianist R. Timothy McReynolds. Kim Roberts, co-editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly, will also perform original Whitman-inspired poems. The concert will be followed by a three-course lunch. (Tickets for the lunch, which must be reserved in advance, are $30.)
Walt Whitman’s Birthday Party
Library of Congress, June 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., FREE
To celebrate Whitman’s big day, the Library of Congress is hosting a family-friendly birthday party that includes a discussion with the author of “O Captain, My Captain: Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War,” a butterfly craft, and a chance to participate in “By the People,” a crowdsourcing project from the institution. Visitors can help transcribe Whitman’s works—several thousand in total—to make them more accessible on the internet.
Walt Whitman Open House
Library of Congress, June 3, 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m., FREE
In addition to the materials in the Library of Congress’ bicentennial display, this special selection of items includes even more of the library’s extensive collection of the famous poet, including a rare edition of “Leaves of Grass,” and a cane that was a gift to the poet from nature writer John Burroughs.
