A standing room only crowd spilled from Java Monkey’s patio and onto Church Street in Decatur on Saturday night for the “non-stop” reading of poet Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Hosted by Poetry Atlanta, the event was held to mark Whitman’s 195th birthday.

Host Rupert Fike opened the reading of "Song of Myself."
Host Rupert Fike opened the reading of “Song of Myself.”
Theresa Davis reads standing next to the torpedo the late poet and performance artist Deacon Lunchbox used in his shows.
Poet Theresa Davis reads standing next to the torpedo the late poet and performance artist Deacon Lunchbox used in his shows.
Author Charles McNair
Author Charles McNair
Atlanta INtown editor, poet and novelist Collin Kelley.
Atlanta INtown editor, poet and novelist Collin Kelley.
Poet Jericho Brown
Poet Jericho Brown
Buckhead Library manager and host of Writers In Focus James Taylor and his wife Lynn catch the Whitman spirit.
Buckhead Library manager and host of Writers In Focus James Taylor and his wife Lynn catch the Whitman spirit.
The reading marked Whitman's 195th birthday and his most famous work.
The reading marked Whitman’s 195th birthday and his most famous work.
The "set list" for the reading.
The “set list” for the reading.

 

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.