Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy

In “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman rejected conventions of uniform identity, famously declaring, “I contain multitudes.” Our second-annual LGBTQ & Friends party takes inspiration from this queer icon to celebrate the multiplicity of individuality and the true diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.

Enjoy live music, curator talks, a complimentary wine bar, after-hours access to our exhibitions, and special spoken word performances curated by Nuyorican Poets Cafe in J. Pierpont Morgan's Library.

Ted Widmer, Distinguished Lecturer, Macaulay Honors College, CUNY

Sal Robinson, Assistant Curator, Literary and Historical Manuscripts

David S. Reynolds & Zachary Turpin

Matthew Aucoin, Ben Lerner, and John Moore

Susan Howe & Shane McCrae
In conjunction with the Morgan’s exhibition Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy award winning poets and authors Susan Howe (My Emily Dickinson, The Birth-mark, and Debths, among others) and Shane McCrae (Mule, In the Language of My Captor, and The Gilded Auction Block) will read their favorite Whitman poems as well as some of their own, reflecting on his poetic legacy and influence on their practice. Co-sponsored by the Morgan and Poetry Society of American.