This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal

Henry David Thoreau, Surveyor of the Soul

Director: Huey Coleman

(2017, 114 minutes)

Laura Dassow Walls

Join Laura Dassow Walls, author of the forthcoming Henry David Thoreau: A Life, for an illustrated presentation on the profound, inspiring complexity of Henry David Thoreau. Drawing on Thoreau’s copious writings, published and unpublished, Walls presents a Thoreau with all his quirks and contradictions: the young man shattered by the sudden death of his brother; the ambitious Harvard College student; and the ecstatic visionary who closed Walden with an account of the regenerative power of the Cosmos.


Commissioned by New Thread Quartet and composed by David Morneau, this world premiere of Not Less Than the Good simulates a sunrise by combining the meditative playing of the saxophone quartet with ambient synthesizers and sounds recorded during the pre-dawn and early morning hours at Walden Pond. The hour-long performance is punctuated by readings of excerpts from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden performed by poet J. D. McClatchy.

A guided visit of the exhibition, This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal, with Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator, Literary and Historical Manuscripts, is coupled with a bird spotting walk through Bryant Park in this special before-hours event. Explore Thoreau’s handwritten notebooks and the spyglass he used to observe and document the birds at Walden Pond then set out with Gabriel Willow of New York City Audubon to discover the surprising variety of birds living in the heart of New York City. Presented in collaboration with New York City Audubon.

A guided visit of the exhibition, This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal, with Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator, Literary and Historical Manuscripts, is coupled with a bird spotting walk through Bryant Park in this special before-hours event. Explore Thoreau’s handwritten notebooks and the spyglass he used to observe and document the birds at Walden Pond then set out with Gabriel Willow of New York City Audubon to discover the surprising variety of birds living in the heart of New York City. Presented in collaboration with New York City Audubon.

Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator, Literary and Historical Manuscripts


All gallery talks and tours are free with museum admission; no tickets or reservations necessary.

Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator, Literary and Historical Manuscripts


All gallery talks and tours are free with museum admission; no tickets or reservations necessary.