Walt Whitman

Stories to Go In this week's podcast, listen as contemporary writers, including novelist Allan Gurganus, poet and essayist Martin Espada, and former Poet Laureate Billy Collins, read excerpts from Leaves of Grass. Watch Preview Visit the web site for a sneak peak at Walt Whitman. Quicktime and Windows Media video formats offered. Whitman's New York No place influenced Walt Whitman like the city he called home. Explore 19th-century New York, and learn about the places that inspired some of Whitman's most famous poetry and prose. Learn More Read more about Whitman's inspiration, his views on race and the Civil War, and his signature work, Leaves of Grass. On TV Monday: Walt Whitman Walt Whitman is one of the most-recognized figures in American history: poet, patriot and faithful advocate of democracy. But in his own time, critics denounced him as a "lunatic raving in pitiable delirium." They pronounced his signature book of poetry, Leaves of Grass, "slimy," "vile," and "beastly." Whitman's mission was simple, yet grand: to be the voice capable of uniting a polarized nation on the brink of Civil War. On Monday, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres Walt Whitman, a two-hour documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Mark Zwonitzer featuring Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper as the voice of America's first great poet. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, novelist Allan Gurganus, poet and essayist Martin Espada, and former Poet Laureate Billy Collins appear to recite some of Whitman's most important works, and reflect upon his enduring influence. The broadcast coincides with the Academy of American Poets' National Poetry Month.   Coming Up Next: Roberto Clemente On December 31, 1972, Roberto Clemente, a thirty-eight-year-old baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, boarded a DC-7 aircraft loaded with relief supplies for survivors of a catastrophic earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua. Shortly after take off, the overloaded aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, just one mile from the Puerto Rican coast. Roberto Clemente's body was never recovered. On Monday, April 21, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres Roberto Clemente, a one-hour documentary about an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian, who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball's first Latino superstar.   THE PRESIDENTS Online. On TV. On the Go. How do you end a war? Can the President abuse his power? When is it okay to lie? What do you think? Log on to THE PRESIDENTS Online and watch film clips from the biographies of seven 20th century presidents: FDR, Truman, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and coming in May, George H.W. Bush. Then, register for free to participate in the online discussion, and read comments from fellow viewers.     Make sure your voice is heard on Election Day Still need to register to vote in your state's spring primary or the general election? Just visit the League of Women Voters' elections website, VOTE411.org, to get started.  Features include the only nationwide polling place locator, an online registration tool, important deadlines, absentee and overseas ballot information, candidate information, and specific details about voting in your state.