By Whitman, Bi-weekly! Song of Myself, continued

A Discussion led by Dame Kghia Gheardi of the works of Walt Whitman

By Whitman, Biweekly!
Tuesday May 19th at 4pm SLT
Caledon Library, on the Hub in Victoria City
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/160/117/23

Discussion led by Kghia Gherardi

Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is one of the works at the foundations of American poetry. Its expansive attempt to capture the spirit and landscape of the 19th century United States has influenced an entire culture's self-concept, and its rich language continues to inspire readers today as it has for the century and a half of its existence.

"By Whitman, BI-Weekly" will provide an opportunity to look closely at this beloved work. Each time we'll spend an hour discussing its context and examining the poetry of the 1855 first edition.

The series will also give those who love Leaves of Grass, and those who would like to learn more, an opportunity to explore Whitman's vigorous and heartfelt poetry together.

This week, we will continue our discussion of "Song of Myself," the first poem to Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." We'll begin with the stanza

"The smoke of my own breath,
Echos, ripples, and buzzed whispers . . . . loveroot, silkthread, crotch and vine,
My respiration and inspiration . . . . the beating of my heart . . . . the passing of blood
         and air through my lungs,
The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore and darkcolored sea-
         rocks, and of hay in the barn,
The sound of the belched words of my voice . . . . words loosed to the eddies of
         the wind,
A few light kisses . . . . a few embraces . . . . a reaching around of arms,
The play of shine and shade on the trees as the supple boughs wag,
The delight alone or in the rush of the streets, or along the fields and hillsides,
The feeling of health . . . . the full-noon trill . . . . the song of me rising from bed
         and meeting the sun. "


Schedule:
May 5 & 19
June 2 , 16, & 30
July 14 & 28
August 11 & 25
September 8 & 22
Oct 6 & 20
Nov 3 & 17
Dec 1, 15, & 29