For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you

February 18, 2017 8:24 PM

For two years, filmmaker Jennifer Crandall has crisscrossed this deep Southern state, inviting people to look into a camera and share a part of themselves through the words of Walt Whitman. The 19th century poet’s “Song of Myself” is a quintessential reflection of our American identities.

Welcome to Whitman, Alabama.

Whitman, Alabama: an introduction
Verse 1, read by Virginia Mae Schmitt, age 97

posted by Lexica (15 comments total)

In an age of division, Alabamians star in new documentary series uniting us all
posted by Lexica at 8:27 PM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

I love Walt Whitman, and this is delightful.

[edit] oh no, it looks from part of the video that Virginia Mae Schmitt has passed. If so, then: .
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 8:47 PM on February 18, 2017

Saw this one when stumbling over birmingham.com (I like seeing how local newspapers cover a relevant national event) to see how they viewed Sessions. This feature was on their front page. Then, I saw how beautiful "Song of Myself" was -- the portions I read -- it's pretty long and I will have to digest it slowly one day. Then I read all about Whitman. Then I felt good about the Philadelphia area and Quakerism since that's where I live. And, I didn't read a lick about Sessions and was able to forget about politics for a bit. The internet is good. Glad you posted here. :)
posted by skepticallypleased at 9:17 PM on February 18, 2017 [4 favorites]

Once, when I was a weird kid, hanging out with my little group of weird kid friends and reading poetry together as you do, I was reading from Song of Myself but feeling like the other young weirdos just weren't paying attention. If I had ever sworn in front of anyone but family before, it certainly hadn't been anything stronger than the Big D. But there I was, with the afternoon's recitation.

"Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you, you fuckheads."
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:13 PM on February 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

Oh, this is beautiful.

The judge in his intro to Verse 37 recounting words said to him: John, you have an important job, a very important job, but you are not an important person. Don't ever forget that. Kinda profound, don't you think? And I loved the sharing of the verse between the judge and the attendees in his drug court. Poetry in and of the People. Thank you.
posted by Thella at 10:25 PM on February 18, 2017

I needed this.
posted by persona au gratin at 11:19 PM on February 18, 2017

W.W. (my star, my perfect silence) was also definitely one of the best Dead Authors Podcast episodes!
posted by anarch at 1:10 AM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

WOW!
posted by Edward L at 6:49 AM on February 19, 2017

this was impressive
posted by PinkMoose at 9:34 AM on February 19, 2017

well. that was achingly beautiful and now I can't stop crying. Thanks?

Yah. Thanks.
posted by pjsky at 10:24 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

And, I didn't read a lick about Sessions and was able to forget about politics for a bit. The internet is good. Glad you posted here. :)
posted by skepticallypleased
Eponydelighted
posted by gusandrews at 11:14 AM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hah, when you subscribe to be updated for future videos, the captcha says "confirm humanity -- we need to confirm you are human"

Look, captcha, I'm the one subscribing to Walt Whitman documentaries, I don't see you doing that
posted by gusandrews at 11:18 AM on February 19, 2017 [6 favorites]

that on some level describes how I felt the entire time I first read Leaves Of Grass all the way through, which involved taking long breaks because it was too emotionally raw for me to re-approach quite so quickly.

I once sang a piece with lyrics taken from "War Dreams." I ended up giving an absolutely terrible performance, because I couldn't keep my voice from shaking.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:42 PM on February 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

One of the things I loved about my class in early American writing was the idea that until about Walt Whitman, Emerson, and Emily Dickinson, America existed, and there were people in America writing, and people reading what they wrote, but there wasn't a solid shared feeling that could be described as truly American. A lot of early American literature still carries on after the British writing of the time, and it wasn't until about the 1850s that a national voice and a truly American literature started to appear, carried by Whitman and Dickinson. Man, I loved that class.

More than likely, there are people that will claim Hawthorne was great, or that Poe should be in there. I would be willing to listen about Poe, but seriously fuck Hawthorne.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:55 PM on February 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d. I stand and look at them long and long.
posted by ReginaHart at 11:40 AM on February 20, 2017