Some upcoming events of note.…
Thursday, April 19 at 6:00 pm
Graveside observance for Walt Whitman's great love, Peter Doyle. Meet at the cemetery gates, for a reading and to place flowers for the 100th anniversary of Doyle's death. Led by Dan Vera, presented by the Washington Friends of Walt Whitman. Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE, DC. (202) 543-0539.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cyberwalt/
April 19 - May 19.
The Big Read. Celebrating Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, this city-wide festival and reading project, coordinated by the Humanities Council of Washington, includes readings, parties, walking tours, book discussions, film, workshops, a writing competition, and more. The celebration starts with a Kick-Off party at MLK Library and Busboys and Poets. Other events include a reading by Hurston's niece, Lucy Hurston, author of Speak So You Can Speak Again, a film festival on films related to the book, discussion groups at DC branch libraries, a WritersCorps performance at Gala Hispanic Theater, a discussion on race, class and Hurricane Katrina at the Hip Hop Caucus Institute, a dance performance by Step Afrika!, a mother's day tea at Chapters Literary Books, and two guided walking tours of Zora Neale Hurston's Washington (see below).
http://wdchumanities.org.
Saturday, April 21 and 28 at 10:30 am
Guided walking tour: "Zora Neale Hurston's Washington," led by Kim Roberts (additional tour group on the 28th led by Judith Bauer). Presented as part of The Big Read, by the Humanities Council of Washington. The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and involves quite a bit of walking. Wear comfortable shoes!
Free, but reservations required. Meet in front of the Founders Library, Howard University campus, Georgia Avenue at Howard Place NW, DC. (202) 387-8391.
http://wdchumanities.org.
Saturday, April 21 at 1:00 pm
"Every Cot Had Its History: A Look at Walt Whitman and His Soldiers," a panel with Brian Spatola, anatomical collections manager of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Martin Murray, founder of the Washington Friends of Walt Whitman, and Rosemary Winslow, of Catholic University, discussing several unique anatomical specimens in the museum and their relationship to Whitman's works of the Civil War era
Free admission and parking. National Museum of Health and Medicine, Walter Reed Army Medical Center Campus, 6900 Georgia Ave. and Elder St. NW, DC. (202) 782-2200.
