Renowned Illustrator Brian Selznick to Visit Campus for Whitman Lecture
November 6, 2019 - 榴莲直播 Department of Theatre & Dance will host a presentation by illustrator Brian Selznick and world-renowned Walt Whitman scholar Karen Karbeinar Thursday, Nov. 21, from 1-2:20 p.m. at the UofM Mainstage Theatre.
Selznick is the creator of many beloved books, including The New York Times bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was the basis for Martin Scorsese鈥檚 Oscar-winning movie Hugo. Karbiener is an internationally recognized scholar of Walt Whitman and currently teaches at New York University.
鈥淲alt Whitman was one of our great American poets,鈥� said Sarah Brown, event organizer and professor of performance with the Department of Theatre & Dance. 鈥淗e celebrated the life of the spirit, the mind, and wrote with rich, controversial sensuality about the human form.鈥�
In 1859, Whitman handmade a small journal wherein he began to write a series of poems about his romantic and sexual attraction to men. He titled the series of poems 鈥淟ive Oak, With Moss.鈥� He told no one about these poems. However, he finally decided to immortalize them in a secretive way by taking them apart, editing them and intermixing them with poems that comprised the ninth edition of Leaves of Grass so they would remain hidden and their subject matter would remain disguised.
鈥淭hese poems, in fact, were hidden in Leaves of Grass for almost a hundred years,鈥� Brown said.
In 1953, these poems were discovered, and put back together in their original, unedited form by the scholar Fredson Bowers. In April 2019, the poems were published in a book also titled Live Oak, with Moss, and framed with poignant illustrations by Selznick, with an afterward written by Karbeiner.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect moment for these poems with the current national dialogue we鈥檙e having about diversity, safe zones and including everyone鈥檚 dream of love,鈥� Brown said.
The presentation will discuss the significance of the poems featured in Live Oak, With Moss as well as Selznick's illustrations and the relevance of this publication to the LGBTQIA+ community. Selznick and Karbeinar鈥檚 presentation will be preceded by a 10-minute dance performance directed by assistant professor of dance Michael Medcalf featuring six UofM dance majors in a visual response to Whitman鈥檚 poetry. Selznick will then present a lecture about his contributions to the book, followed by an additional lecture from Karbeiner on the relevance of Whitman鈥檚 work in modern times. The event will conclude with a Q&A session.