The Krakow Cafe & Pub provides a dramatic introduction to the life and works of Walt Whitman.

Mitchell Santine Gould, curator of LeavesofGrass.Org, will play the new soundtrack for his 8-minute animated short-in-progress, This Beginning of Me, which is based upon As Nearing Departure, a little-known poem from the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass.

With licensed music from acclaimed composers Brian Keane and Pierre Langer; voice work by Disney and Universal veteran voice talent Ken Harrington; and startling sound effects designed by the animator, the soundtrack offers a tender, spooky, and epic view into the perils and triumphs of Whitman's poetic career.

Mitch--an internationally recognized Whitman scholar as well as an artist--will answer questions about his ongoing animation efforts, or about Whitman himself, and will be happy to read anyone's favorite passage from Leaves of Grass before the evening is over.

This is the perfect way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass--during National Poetry Month!