In conjunction with the Morgan Library & Museum’s exhibition Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, two poets who are passionate about Walt Whitman’s work will read favorite poems of his and some of their own, reflecting on his poetic legacy and influence on their own practice and oeuvre. Susan Howe is the recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s Frost Medal awarded for lifetime achievement in the art among many other honors including the Bollingen Prize in American Poetry from Yale University and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her recent books of poetry and essays include Debths, The Quarry, The Birth-mark, Spontaneous Particulars: The Telepathy of Archives, and That This, all published by New Directions. Shane McCrae’s most recent books are The Gilded Auction Block and In the Language of My Captor, which won the 2018 Anisfield-Wolf Prize for Poetry, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the William Carlos Williams Award. He has received a Lannan Literary Award, a Whiting Writer’s Award, and a fellowship from the NEA. He is the Poetry Editor at Image, teaches at Columbia University, and lives in New York City. Co-presented by the Morgan Library & Museum and Poetry Society of America Tickets: $15 general admission. $10 for Morgan Library & Museum and Poetry Society of America Members. Seating is limited.