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Proudly Present Bard:
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Walt Whitman !
featured work:
Song of the Open Road, (excerpts)
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Born on Long Island, New York, May 31, 1819, Walt Whitman left school at age 14 to labor as a newspaper typesetter, quickly working his way up to reporter and then editor. In the early 1850's he retreated from the distractions of the newspaper business to build houses with his father, Walter; and to write Leaves of Grass, (read here) - (download free) which would eventually become the most popular book of poetry ever written. Whitman's style was romantic and sensitive at a time when the US Civil War raged across the land with all its brutality and suffering. He greatly loved America, nonetheless, volunteering to tend the wounded in Washington, D.C., and writing a popular tribute to Abraham Lincoln, "O Captain! My Captain!." A favorite of presidents ever since, Whitman wrote poetry praising America and touting the virtues of democracy. For an indepth look at the life and poetry of Walt Whitman see: Long Island Globalink
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Also see this call for a modern poetry revolution: Whitman Revisited: Manifesto Poetry Review
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