Whitman’s Legacies

Walt Whitman imagined a legacy for himself long before he actually had one, anticipating that his country would “absorb[] him as affectionately as he has absorbed it,” and that “poets to come” would fulfill the mission he began with Leaves of Grass. History has borne out Whitman’s prediction, often in unexpected ways. Poets from across the globe have responded to Whitman, as have filmmakers, musicians, novelists, and artists. Whitman has also had a (sometimes contentious) legacy in public spaces, as the naming of Philadelphia's Walt Whitman Bridge faced opposition from community members in 1955 who objected to the “revolting homosexual imagery” in his poetry, while in 2021 students at Rutgers University—Camden successfully petitioned to have a statue of Whitman moved to a less prominent location on campus due to the poet’s “white supremacist beliefs.” This panel seeks presentations that analyze Whitman’s legacy in the United States and abroad during moments from the late-nineteenth century to the present. We are interested in exploring his artistic legacy as a poet, as well as his social and political legacy as a cultural figure.

This is one of two guaranteed panels sponsored by the Walt Whitman Studies Association at the American Literature Association's Annual Conference in Boston from May 21-24, 2025. 

Please submit a proposal of 250-300 words to Edward Whitley (whitley@lehigh.edu) by Monday, January 13, 2025.