Two hundred years ago, the man who broke American poetry wide open was born in West Hills, Long Island. His house remains a shrine and place of pilgrimage for fans and poetry lovers from around the world. 

Cynthia Shor is Executive Director of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association. She’s responsible for the programming and operations and most importantly, the bicentennial celebrations. On today’s episode, we talk the history of the site, the life of Whitman, and the impact of his poetry.

Further Research

• Walt Whitman Birthplace
• So We Bought a Poet’s Shrine
• The Walt Whitman House (Camden)
• Walt Whitman (Poetry Foundation)
• Bob Keeler and the History of Newsday (Episode 61)