Walt Whitman Exhibition, Lecture, and Reception at Wood Memorial Library

The Commercialization of An American Original

Guest Speaker: Karen Karbiener, Ph.D.

Walt Whitman Scholar
New York University, Columbia University

Guest Reader: Edward J. Zagorski, Connecticut Poet

At The Wood Memorial Library & Museum

A library where history, nature, and the arts come alive

783 Main Street, South Windsor, CT 06074 April 18, 2015

Lecture 3–4 p.m., Reception 4–5:30 p.m.

In honor of National Poetry Month, The Wood is teaming up this April with one collector and many local poets to celebrate the life and work of Walt Whitman.

For the past 25 years, collector Ed Centeno has assembled a considerable compilation of Whitman memorabilia.     He says, “My objective in collecting and specializing in the commercialization of Walt Whitman is to enrich my experience with the past, acquaint myself with the phenomenon of Whitman’s popularity, and preserve this aspect of the Whitman experience for future generations. I stress that it is not my intention to make a critical appraisal of his writing, but rather to generate curiosity among those not familiar with Whitman’s work.”

The exhibit features first editions, art works, philatelic ephemera, advertisements, buttons, and much more. The eclectic collection shows how ubiquitous Walt Whitman is in our daily lives, infiltrating every aspect of popular culture and day-to-day activities.

Our spring exhibition will celebrate this incomparable poet through Centeno’s objects, texts, and best of all poetry contributions from the South Windsor community!

Poets of all levels of experience are invited to submit original poems inspired by Whitman’s work. These submissions will become part of the exhibition and on view at The Wood all spring. For more information about submitting a poem contact us at director@woodmemoriallibrary.org.

Join us for a lecture and reception celebrating the exhibition on Saturday, April 18th from 3 – 5:30 p.m. For more information, please call 860-289-1783.