The Daily Bulletin

Join director Jennifer Chang Crandall for a screening and discussion of Whitman, Alabama today, September 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Tower Auditorium. This event it free and open to the public.

Filmmaker Jennifer Chang Crandall describes Whitman, Alabama as an experiment in using documentary and poetry to reveal the threads that tie us together—as people, as states, and as a nation. She crisscrossed the state of Alabama interviewing diverse residents and asking them to recite verses from Walt Whitman’s great poem “Song of Myself.” The results are uniquely beautiful and moving. This evening, she will screen eight of the short films and discuss them, joined by

• Karen Karbiener, founder of the Walt Whitman Initiative and professor of English at New York University
• Curtis Lovell, artistic director of Ujima Company, composer of songs, and director of films based on Whitman poems
• Sam Magavern, senior policy fellow, Partnership for the Public Good, and founder of the Calamus Project

Additional Events:

Walt Whitman’s Open Road (Virtual Event)
Thursday, September 19, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Professor Karbiener will offer an interactive introduction to Whitman and his great poem “Song of Myself.” Participation via Zoom is free and open to the public; register online. 

Embracing Earth: Burchfield & Whitman Guided Tour 
Thursday, September 19, 4:00–5:00 p.m.
A guided tour of the exhibition Embracing Earth: Burchfield & Whitman at the Burchfield Penney Art Center with co-curators Nancy Weekly and Sam Magavern. Free and open to the public.