Walt Whitman (1819-1892), the 19th-century poet and mystic, will visit Walpole soon, through the acting talents of Stephen Collins. Collins has previously delighted audiences in town with his Shakespeare and “Irish Voices” presentations. His sensitive impersonation of Whitman, based largely on the author’s poetry, will begin at 7:00 on Monday evening, October 16, in the Community Room of the Walpole Public Library.
Whitman is counted among the most influential American poets, and is often dubbed the father of free verse. In his time, his work was very controversial, not only because of its radical approach to poetic form, particularly in his collection ‘Leaves of Grass’, but also for its overt sexuality, then considered obscene.
Stephen Collins conceived and performs “Unlaunch'd Voices: An Evening with Walt Whitman,” written and directed by Michael Keamy. It relies largely upon Whitman’s poetry, which in any event stands on its own, and on as much of Walt's actual words and dialogue as possible. A portion of the text was gathered from the priceless source, ‘Walt Whitman In Camden’, a six-volume collection of daily conversations with Whitman, written by his friend and neighbor, Horace Traubel. These books contain records of daily visits with Whitman over a period of five years leading up to the poet's death. The volumes are filled with anecdotes, stories, and memories, as well as important historical data. Whitman's own prose works, including “Specimen Days,” were also a valuable source.
Stephen Collins grew up in Cambridge, and received a B.A. in Literature from UMass Boston. After twenty-plus years in a sales career, he is back doing what he truly loves: performing and teaching. Recently he has been teaching seminars on Whitman, Hardy, Shakespeare, Frost, and Contemporary Poetry at various locations throughout the country.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Walpole Public Library, admission is free and all are welcome. More details are available at www.walpolelibraryfriends.org.
