If you feel inclined to lounge on the lawn today, we encourage you to crack open a copy of ‘Leaves of Grass,’ the life’s work of American poet Walt Whitman, whose birthday is May 31. When ‘Leaves of Grass’ was first released in 1855 it was considered controversial for its imagery of sexuality among other wide-ranging topics. Expressed as a form of free verse without rhyme and with ever-changing meter and rhythm, Whitman’s style was highly personal, but also expansive, meant to reflect the limitless possibilities of Americans and the United States itself. He spent years revising and adding to the compilation of poems and today is regarded as one of the most important of American poets. He once said, "Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you."
Leaves of Grass
Today in History
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Aw shucks, it’s oyster season in Galway
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Diamond Beach, Iceland
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Bryce Canyon National Park turns 100
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Siblings Day
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American bison
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A ‘circus of chaos’ for Stravinsky
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Wanderin Wawayanda
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Pups of the prairie
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Happy Star Wars Day!
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Frost on autumn leaves
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International Day of Peace
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Great horned owl near Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
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The forecast calls for blooms
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It s National Camera Day. Get the picture?
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Poinsettia Day
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Spot on for International Cat Day
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Big Bend National Park turns 78
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Keep watching the skies
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It’s Canada’s national day
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Flowers by the sea
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Point Reyes National Seashore
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National Mushroom Month
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Happy Thanksgiving
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Are you older than this lake?
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Lunar eclipse
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Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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Sand dunes in the Sahara, Algeria
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Indigo bunting
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Celebrating 200 years of statehood