Fwd: LOA LIVE Recording: Walt Whitman’s Vital Political Prose
Dan Wilcox
From: Library of America <webm...@loa.org>
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Subject: LOA LIVE Recording: Walt Whitman’s Vital Political Prose
To: dwl...@gmail.com <dwl...@gmail.com>
|
No images? Click here  LOA LIVE: If you missed the event (or would like to watch it again), we’ve posted the full recording online. 
On Tuesday, June 2, celebrated critics and scholars David Bromwich, Mark Edmundson, and Karen Karbiener joined LOA LIVE for a deep discussion of Walt Whitman’s powerful writings on democracy. Despite his outrage at the course of American politics and the malfeasance of its politicians, this great poet maintained an ineradicable faith in the role of individuals to shape the future of the nation, in ways that continue to resonate today. You can watch the full program now on our YouTube channel (a podcast version will be available in the coming days on New Books Network). 
FEATURED VOLUME Introduction by David Bromwich Few writers have condemned America’s moral failures as harshly as Walt Whitman. At the same time, he maintained a steadfast faith in democratic ideals and a belief in the individual to resist the falsehood, greed, and maladministration he saw rampant in national affairs. “The Eighteenth Presidency!,” a scorching unpublished screed written during the presidential election of 1856, registers Whitman’s growing anger at the inability of the contesting parties to meet the constitutional crises confronting the nation. In Democratic Vistas, Whitman assumes the mantle of the poet-prophet of a better America and articulates his notion of American “personalism”—a kind of individual identity that blends the one and the many into a deeper commonality. The short essay “Origins of Attempted Secession” and vivid extracts from the autobiographical Specimen Days find Whitman interpreting the headlong rush to civil war and his own firsthand experience of its heavy toll within the framework of America’s larger democratic aspirations. Looking for more online programs and presentations? Check loa.org/events for details on upcoming events and classes, and you can find an archive of past talks and panels on our YouTube channel. LOA LIVE is made possible by contributions from friends like you. Consider becoming an LOA Member for discounted or free tickets to future courses and special virtual programs, as well as a host of other perks. Banner Image: Walt Whitman examining a butterfly (Public Domain)    
|
