Lit on the Lawn

Imagine it’s sunrise on a beautiful October Friday morning on a quiet CMU campus. Fabiano Botanical Garden glistens with dew as the stream burbles and the pond reflects the still dark morning sky. And there, beside the pond, huddled under blankets and cupping steaming cups of coffee, a professor, some students, and some community members stand, books in hand, reading Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

Later that morning and into the afternoon, as the grass dries and blankets are spread out on the lawn, more students, faculty and staff members and community members come and go—some for half an hour, some spending hours, taking turns reading from the several copies of Whitman’s book stacked on the picnic table.

Maybe such an idyllic scene sounds too good to imagine, but for nearly two decades running, the English Department’s annual Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass Marathon Reading has not only been a reality—but a cherished day for its attendees. The 18^th annual event is scheduled for Friday, October 3, beginning at sunrise (7:39 a.m.), with a rain date of Friday, October 10. Attendees take turns reading from the text and read typically into the late afternoon.

English Professor Robert Fanning and two of his students started the event in 2008, his first year of teaching at CMU, and he decided to make it an annual event. At this point, several alumnae and others from around the state and country attend the event online, as Fanning streams segments of the reading throughout the day.

“My grandmother kept a copy of Leaves of Grass at her bedside,” Fanning said, “and it is a thrill to re-read the book every year. It is an incredibly vital and ever-relevant work of American literature.” 

Whitman’s life work, Leaves of Grass was composed, edited, and published in several iterations throughout the poet’s life, with the final, “Deathbed Edition” appearing in 1892. In addition to celebrating nature and human life, the poems also provide a powerful historical 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 and power of both individuality and community.

Richard Rothaus, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, a frequent attendee of the marathon, is known to clear his calendar for the day.

“I love gathering outside to read Leaves of Grass; it's visceral reading,” he said. “We project our words as we share the changes in light from sunrise to the end of the day. And we feel the leaves of grass in our feet, our hands, our bodies.”

For Oscoda junior Autumn Cleary, an English major and Creative Writing minor and certificate candidate in LGBTQ+ Studies, it’s an event not to be missed.

“The Walt Whitman Marathon is not only a relaxing and educational event,” Cleary said, “it also provides a thriving communal space for poets and poetry-enjoyers alike to kick back and experience an iconic piece of artistic history.”

You don’t need to be a poet or even a regular poetry reader, either. All are welcome to this free event, and as a testament to this American bard’s wide thematic reach, students and faculty members from a wide 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.

Corby Blem, a local artist and Administrative Office Assistant in Student Employee Services, has attended the event several times.

“This event is so unique in its communal appeal and challenge,” Blem said. “Because of the October timing, it’s so wonderfully autumnal as our incantations float with the falling leaves. Poetry is best when read aloud and Whitman’s over-the-top drama makes it easy to participate. His work is a quick grab, especially for anyone less familiar. Plus, there are always snacks, so c’mon, what’s not to love?”

If you wish to attend this year’s Whitman Marathon, just show up anytime between sunrise and late afternoon next to the Fabiano Botanical Garden pond and you, too, can enjoy the poetry and the early autumn air.

For more literary events happening this semester, visit the Department of English, Language and Literature website.