Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) presents Walking With Whitman: Poetry in Performance, hosted by Writer-in-Residence George Wallace.
The signature series, now in its 15th season, continues to bring the most intriguing figures in contemporary literature on the national scene paired with local poets on the Walt Whitman stage.
Event begins at 7:00pm. Light refreshments served.
There is a $12 entry fee for this event that will be collected at the door (no registration is required)
Performers
Adah Hetko is a Yiddish singer/songwriter, dance-leader, translator, and educator based in Boston, MA. She leads Yiddish song ensemble Levyosn (Ashkenazi Hebrew for “Leviathan”), which released their debut album, “Levyosn’s Lullaby,” through Borscht Beat records in 2023. “Levyosn’s Lullaby” has been described as “one of those special recordings that brings joy and a smile each time it is heard” (Ari Davidow) and “a warm Yiddish blanket [to] calm your frayed nerves” (Rokhl Kafrissen). She also performs with ensembles Soloveychicks and Eight Foot Babka. Adah is a regular faculty member at Yiddish New York, and has studied Yiddish song with leading Yiddish singers and songwriters including Judy Bressler, Ethel Raim, Daniel Kahn, and Josh Waletzky. adahhetko.net
Hussein Habasch is a poet from Afrin, Kurdistan. He currently lives in Bonn, Germany. Born in 1970 in Şiyê town. His poems have been translated into English, German, Spanish, French, Persian, Uzbek, Albanian, Russian, Romanian, Italian, Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Vietnamese, Nepali, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tajik, Bengali, Turkish, Berber (Amazigh), Bosnian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Chinese, Greek, Mandarin (the language of Taiwan) and Tzotzil (the language of the Mayan peoples of Mexico), and has had his poetry published in a large number of international poetry anthologies, more than 150 anthologies. His books include: Drowning in Roses, Fugitives across Evros River, Higher than Desire and more Delicious than the Gazelle’s Flank, Delusions to Salim Barakat, A Flying Angel, No pasarán (in Spanish), Copaci Cu Chef (in Romanian), Dos Árboles and Tiempos de Guerra (in Spanish), Fever of Quince (in Kurdish), Peace for Afrin, peace for Kurdistan (in English and Spanish), The Red Snow (in Chinese), Dead arguing in the corridors (in Arabic) Drunken trees (in Kurdish), Boredom of a tired statue (in Kurdish), Flor del Espinillo (in Spanish) A Rose for the Heart of Life, selected Poems (in English) and Olvido (in Spanish), La harde de cerfs meurt de soif (in French). He participated in many international festivals of poetry including: Colombia, Nicaragua, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Morocco, Ecuador, El Salvador, Kosovo, Macedonia, Costa Rica, Slovenia, China, Taiwan, Cuba, Sweden, New York City, Sarajevo, Greece, Albania, Cyprus, Uruguay and India. Recipient of the Great Kurdish Poet Hamid Bedirkhan Award, awarded by the General Union of Kurdish Writers and Journalists. As well as the International “Bosnian Stećak” award for Poetry, awarded by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Writers Union. Kathak International Literary Award from Bangladesh given to him at the World Thinkers and Writers Forum for Peace in Kolkata, India.
Josie Bello’s music is pure Americana— blending folk, country & blues to tell stories with lyrics and melodies that have resonated with listeners across the U.S. and in Europe. Her vocals and songwriting style have been compared to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Lucinda Williams. Her music can be heard on YouTube and Spotify– and you can learn more about her at JosieBello.com
