Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Walt Whitman: Song of Myself
Here is some live promotional copy:
Walt Whitman was a rebel?a radical?and a he broke every convention of subject matter, language and style. But that?s just the beginning. Go below the surface of this fiercely American poet. Join host Carl Hancock Rux for ?Walt Whitman: Song of Myself.? A journey into the world of Whitman on the 150th anniversary of his groundbreaking ?Leaves of Grass.? Today at 3 on 93.9 WNYC.
Here is a sample press release:
(STATION) Presents
?Walt Whitman: Song of Myself,?
An Hour-long Special about America?s Most Radical Poet
Hosted by Carl Hancock Rux, Documentary Marks the 150th Anniversary of the Groundbreaking Leaves of Grass
?He was brilliant at eroticizing not only men and women but the city itself. He found a crowded street sexy. I mean, who doesn?t??
? Novelist Michael Cunningham
?It was Whitman who said that the duty of the poet was to cheer up slaves and horrify despots. How many of us are doing that??
? Poet Mart?n Espada
(DATE, LOCATION) -- One hundred fifty years ago, Walt Whitman published the first edition of Leaves of Grass, a collection of twelve poems that shattered existing notions of poetry and broke all existing conventions in terms of subject matter, language, and style. During Victorian times, Whitman broke taboos: he wrote about slaves, prisoners, prostitutes, sexuality, his love for men, and his vision for a utopian America. Today, we are still trying to understand who Whitman was and what he was telling us.
?Walt Whitman: Song of Myself,? an hour-long special hosted by writer Carl Hancock Rux, explores how a 36-year old freelance journalist and part-time house-builder living in Brooklyn created his outrageous, groundbreaking work that irrevocably altered the development of poetry ? and literature ? that followed. One of the nation?s first media hounds, he styled his image and his persona throughout his lifetime in search of fame and the broadest possible audience. He even hoped to heal a divided nation with this poetry, a lofty goal he could not but fail to reach. Despite never reaching a mass public during Whitman?s lifetime, his work?s tremendous impact is being felt a century and a half later.
?Walt Whitman: Song of Myself? features guests including:
Writers Phillip Lopate, who explains how the poet gave permission for him and others to ?go for broke,? and Michael Cunningham, who recently included Whitman in his novel Specimen Days; Poets Mart?n Espada, hailed by some as a contemporary Whitman; Ishle Yi Park, Queens poet laureate, who credits him with having a profound influence on her work; and Bob Holman, founder of the Bowery Poetry Club, where a giant Lite-Brite image of Whitman?s face is displayed; Composers John Adams and Ned Rorem, who have been moved to set his poetry to music; Choreographer Bill T. Jones, who appreciates Whitman?s open embrace of the body as well as the mind; Whitman scholars Karen Karbiener and David Reynolds; among many, many others.
Actors including Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giammatti read from Whitman?s poetry, which still astonishes and delights. We join Whitman on a walk through the urban streets, imagining the sights, sounds and music ? from Stephen Foster to Italian opera ? that profoundly affected him and indelibly shaped his work. The city transformed Whitman ? and Whitman in turn transformed the wild diversity and intensity of the city into a radical, passionate vision for America.
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Carl Hancock Rux is a multi-disciplinary writer selected by the New York Times Magazine as ?One of Thirty Artists Under The Age of Thirty Most Likely To Influence Culture Over The Next Thirty Years? (1994). Rux, a New York City Foster Care alumnus and Columbia University graduate, is the author of the critically-acclaimed novel, Asphalt, the Village Voice Literary prize-winning collection of poetry, Pagan Operetta, and the OBIE award-winning play, Talk. Rux's poetry, fiction, plays and essays have been published in numerous anthologies and journals here and abroad, and he has collaborated with artists and companies including Robert Wilson, Bernice Johnson Reagon, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Urban Bush Woimen, Marlies Yearby's Movin' Spirits Dance Theater, Jane Comfort & Co., and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co. His CDs include Rux Revue (Sony/Epic) and Apothecary Rx (Giant Step). This Fort Greene resident has been a guest host of WNYC's Soundcheck and an occassional host for WNPR, as well as a contributing commentator on XM radio?s The Bob Edwards Show.
?Walt Whitman: Song of Myself? was produced by Curtis Fox; Elena Park was editor and executive producer. The program was made possible, in part, by a grant from Joshua Feigenbaum and by the listeners of WNYC, New York Public Radio. The special will be distributed nationally early next year.
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WNYC, New York Public Radio, is New York's premier public radio station, comprising WNYC 93.9 FM and WNYC AM 820. As America's most listened-to public radio stations, reaching over one million listeners each week, WNYC FM and AM extend New York City's cultural riches to the whole country and air the best national offerings from affiliate networks National Public Radio and Public Radio International. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a broad range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. For more information, visit www.wnyc.org.
