PBS 'American Experience' highlights Walt Whitman

[thoreau]

Thanks danbearnyc for the heads up.

Visit PBS's media-rich web site for more info

Bookmark this link, PBS will be streaming on the web after tonight. (how cool is that?) So you can watch it at your leisure.

My affinity for Whitman goes back to high school - and has been part of my intellectual/emotional repetoire my entire life. I even changed my LJ handle for about a year to 'isitandlookout' (after the poem I Sit and Look Out by Whitman). For folks overseas that might not have been exposed to Whitman - he was the first great American poet. Whitman's poetry depicts love and sexuality more earthy and individualistic than any other writer in American poetry. While most biographies refer to him as bisexual - I read his poetry - and hear the longing of a man way ahead of his time. Singing the siren song of sexual and emotional freedom - one hundred years before Stonewall or the modern definition of gays and lesbians.

I know that being exposed to his writing as a young man - changed my understanding of the world.

Comments

[bukephalus.livejournal.com]

Bisexual, hah! He was a total gazelle.

Thanks for posting this. Very cool!

[drevilmoo.livejournal.com]

TiVo is all set to catch it!

[joebehrsandiego.livejournal.com]

Robert - many thanks for the heads-up on 'DaddyWaltDenver'!

ah yes - Daddy Walt!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

ah yes - Daddy Walt!

Re: ah yes - Daddy Walt!

[joebehrsandiego.livejournal.com]

Does he have a profile on BearCiti now, too? ;-)

Re: ah yes - Daddy Walt!

[annoyinghandle.livejournal.com]

The logical place for him would be DaddyHunt.....

Re: ah yes - Daddy Walt!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

precisely. not that I'd know about Daddyhunt at all. being pure and all.

Re: ah yes - Daddy Walt!

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Pity DaddyWalt doesn't know the difference between "know" and no."

[sierrabiker.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

yer welcome!!

[timzilla.livejournal.com]

I love to wax poetic.

Whitman is a favorite. I have this quote posted in my office:

Whoever degrades another degrades me,
And whatever is done or said returns at last to me. - Whitman

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

we still need to do that cuppa coffee!

[annoyinghandle.livejournal.com]

MWAH! Thanks!

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

I caught the last 45 minutes of it on HD. Thanks!

[nudewoody.livejournal.com]

I'll have to catch it online. Do they talk about what an influence Whitman was on nineteenth century men who had same-sex feelings but were completely isolated or without information? It really is amazing the breadth of his influence in that regard.

[whiskerfish.livejournal.com]

I forgot how much of a fop Whitman was in his younger days.

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

Okay, to be very honest, this is a blank in my gay historical education. I'm not much into poetry, but is there a GOOD biography that you would strongly recommend??

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say that being into poetry is necessarily gay (wink) - perhaps happy :)

as for Whitman biopics? I'll ask septimuswarren - he's teaching Whitman currently and made have some good leads.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

I asked Brett septimuswarren and he said

"If he’s looking for a very thorough biography of Whitman and his age that is very scholarly, he can read Walt Whitman’s America. I’m trying to make my way through it, but it’s hard even for me. But it is very thorough and very well written. There is also a book called Drum Taps, about the men with whom he had personal and sexual relationships during the war. I have another book at home called something to the effect of Walt Whitman’s Gay America."

I think you might get a real eye opener from exposing yourself to Whitman.

Grand exposition...

[capy.livejournal.com]

Were he alive, I'm sure I'd greatly enjoy exposing myself to Whitman, scruffy l'il thing...

Re: Grand exposition...

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

(little girl voice)
yourrrrrrrr naughtyyyyyyy

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

The irony of this is as I was coming out of the Metro at Dupont Cicle this mornine, low and behold, carved into the wall overlooking the escalators is a quote from ...
Whitman. It was from 1865 and it expressed his sorrow at what he saw when he visited a Civil War hospital.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

the program (a biography of whitman on PBS) is now available on streaming at

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/whitman/program/

Thanks...!!

[capy.livejournal.com]

Didn't know about this PBS special; really appreciate the notice! :)

Re: Thanks...!!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

its worth watching over the streaming. thats what I'm doing tonight :)

Re: Streaming...

[capy.livejournal.com]

Streaming... isn't that yellow hankie talk?

*g*

I'm looking forward to finals simply so I can live my life in real-time again...

Re: Streaming...

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

yellow hank talk? sweet innocent moi?

Re: Mellow Yellow

[capy.livejournal.com]

oui oui!

(tee hee)

Re: Mellow Yellow

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

don't hate me because I'm a pervert - you'll find other reasons. (giggle)

[badgerpdx.livejournal.com]

I saw a picture of Walt Whitman in his younger years: 30-40...dreamy eyes. I fell like a brick... I had the biggest crush on him before I even knew what gay was... I just wanted to lie on his chest under an apple tree in the tall grass. sigh.....

Walt

[poodler.livejournal.com]

He was born just 15 minutes up the road from us. His birthplace http://www.waltwhitman.org/ stands across a busy highway from the, snark, Walt Whitman Mall. I've always loved Leaves of Grass, particularly the homoerotic parts.