Walt Whitman Birthplace

WWBA is delighted to share the distinguished voice of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Natasha Trethewey.  She was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2013. In her second term as United States Poet Laureate, Trethewey’s signature project was a PBS NewsHour Poetry Series, “Where Poetry Lives.” In this series, Trethewey traveled with Senior Correspondent Jeffrey Brown to […]

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association is delighted to announce our 36th annual Student Poetry Contest. 2022 Poet-In-Residence Natasha Trethewey will officiate the afternoon. GRAND CHAMPIONS 2022 Category Name Poem School Category A Riya Golia “The Joy Flower” The Laurel Hill School Category B Alicia DiGiambattista “Realization & Renewal” Great Hollow Middle School Category C Charlotte Huang […]

Help the “Leaves of Grass” grow! Roll up your sleeves and participate in outdoor spring cleanup of the Walt Whitman Birthplace, as part of a statewide initiative to maintain parks. Walk-ins welcome. Rain date: May 21st. Bring your own gardening tools. Lunch, Birthplace tours, and free t-shirt provided. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/YxbiuDak7cX4t6oYA

As part of our Intersections: African American Voices of Democracy Series, WWBA welcomes creative scholars to discuss the poetry, life, and legacy of Langston Hughes and connections to poetry by Walt Whitman. Presenters include educator, dancer, and singer Peter Brooks and educator and author Ivy Wilson. Hughes (1901-1967) wrote his famous poem, “I, Too” which […]

WWBA collaborates with community members to interpret Jupiter Hammon’s poetry in historical contexts. Hammon (1711-ca. 1806) is known as a founder of African-American literature. Born into slavery, Hammon published his first poem, “An Evening Thought. Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries,” at 50 years of age. He gained wide circulation and used his Christian biblical foundation to criticize the institution of slavery. Robert Hughes, […]

The Gwenn A. Nusbaum / WWBA Poets To Come Scholarship Committee has selected Hua Xi (they/she) as the 2022 Scholarship recipient. Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) founded the Gwenn A. Nusbaum / WWBA “Poets To Come” Scholarship Award. This $1500 scholarship is offered in the spirit of Walt Whitman’s poem, “Poets to Come: POETS to come! / Not to-day […]

Join us in person on July 27, 2022 at 7PM for a poetry reading with Nancy Keating and Deborah Hauser, and open mic night.  Open Mic – Registration at the door, first come, first serve basis. A fellow poet has written: “Nancy has worked tirelessly to promote poetry in Babylon Village.  Her poetry reflects her life, […]

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association will be burying a Time Capsule on Friday, August 5, 2022, at 1PM at the Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site. The ceremony will also commemorate William T. Walter, Ph.D. (1931-2020) for his long-time leadership and lasting contributions to WWBA as Trustee, Officer, and Member (1981-2020). The Time Capsule will contain […]

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) presents  Poetry in Performance: Walking With Whitman, hosted by Writer-in-Residence George Wallace. The signature series continues to bring the most intriguing figures in contemporary literature on the national scene paired with local poets on the Walt Whitman Stage. Friday September 2nd, Walking With Whitman will feature Nicholas Samaras, the author of “Hands […]

Signature Series “Poetry in Performance: Walking With Whitman”  – Live Poetry Readings Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) presents  Poetry in Performance: Walking With Whitman, hosted by Writer-in-Residence George Wallace. The signature series, now in its 12th season, continues to bring the most intriguing figures in contemporary literature on the national scene paired with local poets on the […]

Six consecutive Thursday evenings starting  October 13th, 6:30 – 8:30PM EST WWBA is delighted to present our Fall Humanities Book Series, “Land, Liberty, and Loss” focusing on the land and liberties lost by Native Americans in the early years of America’s expansion. Participants will together read, “Why You Can’t Teach United States History Without American Indians,” a volume […]

As part of our Intersections: African American Voices of Democracy Series, WWBA reprises the successful Favorite Poem Project created by US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. Community members of all ages are invited to bring and read their favorite African American poetry. Additionally, WWBA Trustee Dr. Susan Fishbein coordinates with Dr. Nicolette James, the chair of […]