Author Archives: Kaitlin Mcknight

War, in the history of humanity, is a uniting and dividing force.  War is desperate, and sickening things occur during wartime.  The people who participate either seem to fall under the weight of it all or grow stronger because of … Continue reading →

The relationship between Yusef Komunyakaa, Walt Whitman, and war is simple at an initial glance, but becomes more in depth as you look further in to the specifics of their individual experiences.  Komunyakaa has experience as a participant of war, … Continue reading →

To think a poem is a decidedly difficult task.  You could probably write pretty things on a page and some would call it a poem.  Robert Creeley makes many observations and statements about George Oppen’s approach to poetry, but one … Continue reading →

From Brooklyn to Harlem and Back Ginsberg notes that his process for the start of “Howl” is that he “wouldn’t write a poem, but just write what I wanted to without fear, let my imagination go, open secrecy, and scribble … Continue reading →

Walt Whitman received many letters from his brother, George Washington Whitman, during the Civil War.  George, as a member of the Thirteenth New York, also kept a diary that was sent to Walt and his mother upon George’s capture on … Continue reading →

In 1918, Thomas B. Harnard, a literary executor for Walt Whitman, gave to the Library of Congress a 3,000 item donation.  This donation included many of Whitman’s possessions such as small, personalized notebooks, and interestingly enough, a small cardboard butterfly.  … Continue reading →