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Poetry in America
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman
Season 2
Episode 8
In 1855 Walt Whitman declared “The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” Join host Elisa New as Poetry in America celebrates the 200th anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, playwright Tony Kushner, poets Mark Doty and Marilyn Chin, and a chorus of National Student Poets, discussing Whitman’s powerful and timeless work.
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25:11
Tony Kushner, David Strathairn & more read Whitman’s “The Wound-Dresser” with Elisa New.
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26:49
Williams' poem “This is Just to Say” is only 28 words and ireads like a refrigerator note.
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27:01
Explore the mingled beauty and horror of war, with this Yusef Komunyakaa poem.
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26:46
Stephen Sondheim blends lyrics and music in his poem "Finishing the Hat".
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26:46
In Doty's poem “This Your Home Now,” a barber shops sparks a meditation on love and more.
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26:46
Explore Moore’s great poem of marine life, with Al Gore, Jorie Graham, and others.
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26:46
Katie Couric, Mary Chapin Carpenter and others explore Elizabeth Bishop's poem "One Art".
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26:46
Maxine Hong Kingston, Randy Komisar and others explore Marilyn Chin's "Urban Love Poem".
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25:27
Contemplate the physical—and figurative—journeys charted by all immigrants.
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25:45
Explore the transformation of America’s long tradition of urban verse by hip hop artists.
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25:26
Explore Galway Kinnell's poem with E.O. Wilson, Robert Hass, Laura McPhee and other guests
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25:26
Explore Gwendolyn Brooks's poem with John McCain, Anna Deavere Smith, and other guests.