Born in 1830 in Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson lived in almost total physical isolation from the outside world and is now linked with Walt Whitman as founders of a unique American poetic voice... More >
Edgar Allan Poe
Born in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe had a profound impact on American and international literature as an editor, poet, and critic... More >
William Carlos Williams
Poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright William Carlos Williams is often said to have been one of the principal poets of the Imagist movement... More >
Walt Whitman
Born on May 31, 1819, Walt Whitman is the author of Leaves of Grass... More >
Whether you're heading to a party with a literary theme or simply trying to impress an English teacher this Halloween, here are a few inexpensive costume ideas worth trying on.
Though Emily Dickinson published fewer than a dozen poems over the course of her reclusive lifetime, she was an avid reader and writer, penning nearly 1,800 poems in her uniquely American style.
You Will Need
An old-school nightgown or simple white cotton dress
A ribbon
Hair pulled back in a modest bun
A fascicle (a small bundle of folded poems)
Also a practicing physician, William Carlos Williams sought to invent an entirely fresh—and singularly American—poetics, whose subject matter was centered on the everyday circumstances of life and the lives of common people.
You Will Need
A stethoscope
Medical gloves
Glasses
Brushed-back hair
Among the most influential poets in the American canon, Walt Whitman is often called the father of free verse. His major work, Leaves of Grass, aimed to reflect the experiences of everyday Americans.
You Will Need
A beard
A simple collared shirt
Rustic pants
A floppy brown hat
Extra Credit
Hide butterflies in your beard.
(In "Ode to Walt Whitman," Federico García Lorca wrote: "Not for a moment, Walt Whitman, lovely old man, / have I failed to see your beard full of butterflies")
Roll in the grass to complete the look: when someone asks what that is stuck to your shirt, you can reply as Whitman does in "A child said, What is the grass?"
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