Whitman on Walls: Seven Tupelo Poets Wrestle with “Song of Myself”
During the pandemic, the theater group Compagnia de’ Colombari created seven short films based on Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” In the films, actors and musicians around the globe bring Whitman’s words to life in startling and beautiful new ways. As the pandemic eased, Colombari director Karin Coonrod decided that, rather than simply screening the films, she would create interactive events: something she dubbed Whitman on Walls (WoW!). In each city where WoW! takes place, seven poets respond to the films by reading original works that converse and wrestle with Whitman. On May 3, 2025, Tupelo Press joined with Colombari to present WoW! at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, featuring seven poets who have published with Tupelo Press or Tupelo Quarterly. Before the event, the poets formed a small community over Zoom, sharing thoughts about “Song of Myself” and workshopping each other’s draft poems. Here are the final results—each one “containing multitudes.”
Sam Magavern is the founder of the Calamus Project, which celebrates Walt Whitman’s poetry with films, performances, and songs. www.Calamusproject.org.