A 19-year marathon, still running

On Friday, October 2^nd, for the 19^th year running, students, faculty, and community members will gather on the Fabiano Botanical Garden lawn beside the fountain to read Leaves of Grass by American poet, Walt Whitman. Beginning at sunrise, the Annual Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass Marathon Reading draws students, faculty, and community members, who come and go, stopping throughout the day to take turns reading from this American classic.

All are welcome to this free event, and as a testament to this American bard’s thematic reach, students and faculty members from a diverse array of programs have attended in the past, as Whitman’s work has wide appeal. The event has geographical reach, too, as recent attendees have traveled from Detroit, Ann Arbor and other Michigan cities, having seen the event notice on Facebook. Visitors are welcome to come and enjoy the reading at any time throughout the day, for as long as they’d wish to stay.

Robert Fanning, a Professor of English, hosts the marathon, bringing coffee, bagels, donuts, and fruit as well as blankets and chairs for visitors. In addition, he brings several copies of the text, for readers to pass around as they read.

“All you need to bring to enjoy the poetry is your spirit, your heart, and your mind,” Fanning said, “but I recommend a lawn chair or a blanket, too.”

Whitman’s life work, Leaves of Grass was composed, edited, and published in several versions throughout his life, culminating in the 1892 “Deathbed Edition,” which is the version attendees read from at the marathon. If you don’t have a physical copy of the book, you can follow along online at the Walt Whitman Archive. In addition to celebrating nature and human life, the poems in Leaves of Grass provide a powerful portrait of our nation’s young democracy as it grappled with the Civil War, in which Whitman served as a nurse. For many readers throughout history, Whitman’s work is not only a profound celebration of being alive and of the power of American democracy, but also a uniquely philosophical examination of the spirit, the body, and the power of both individuality and community.

For some, the Whitman marathon reading is a don’t-miss event. “I’ve had several former students tell me that this was their favorite day each year in their time at CMU,” Fanning said, “and I share that sentiment.” Richard Rothaus, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, agrees, and is known to clear his calendar to be in attendance for most of the day. 

If it rains, the event will be rescheduled for the following Friday, October 9, in the same place. Check out this video filmed at the 17^th Whitman marathon for a preview of the reading and visit the Department of English Language and Literature for more information about programs and events.