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Celebrate the timeless poetry of Walt Whitman with John Kevin Jones’ tribute, Whitman in Love – Live Oak, with Moss & Other Poems. Jones, best known for his performances over the last 10 years in A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House, invites you to a summer garden party. Surrounded by nature, we’ll raise our glasses to the unrivaled legacy of “America’s Poet” in the Merchant House Museum’s charming garden.
Half a century after Whitman’s 1892 death, a secret notebook was discovered containing an early 12-poem series titled Live Oak, with Moss which had been heavily revised and incorporated into his later opus Leaves of Grass. Performed by Jones, the original series of unrevised poems reveals Whitman’s intimate emotions and his deep vulnerability as he daringly traces a searing romantic relationship with another man. This poem cycle confirms Whitman as a queer icon of his time, and Whitman in Love honors this hidden legacy of “America’s poet.”
Walt Whitman’s life in New York City brought him frequently to the neighborhood of the Merchant’s House. Whitman took nightly refuge at the bohemian Pfaff’s beer cellar, on Broadway at Bleecker Street, where he met his love Fred Vaughan, who inspired some of Whitman’s most romantic verse.
Half a century after Whitman’s 1892 death, a secret notebook was discovered containing an early 12-poem series titled Live Oak, with Moss which had been heavily revised and incorporated into his later opus Leaves of Grass. Performed by Jones, the original series of unrevised poems reveals Whitman’s intimate emotions and his deep vulnerability as he daringly traces a searing romantic relationship with another man. This poem cycle confirms Whitman as a queer icon of his time, and Whitman in Love honors this hidden legacy of “America’s poet.”
Walt Whitman’s life in New York City brought him frequently to the neighborhood of the Merchant’s House. Whitman took nightly refuge at the bohemian Pfaff’s beer cellar, on Broadway at Bleecker Street, where he met his love Fred Vaughan, who inspired some of Whitman’s most romantic verse.
Show Notes: Seating is strictly limited to 40 per performance. Wine and light beverages will be offered in the garden. In case of rain the performance will move indoors to the grand Greek Revival parlor.
COVID-19 Safety Information
Masks are optional but encouraged.
Performance Schedule:
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY @ 7 PM
