Lincoln Poetry December 5, 2009

As a part of the Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the Branigan Cultural Center, a special poetry reading will occur on Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m. Hosted by poet Wayne Crawford, the reading will include poetry by Lincoln, Lincoln’s favorite poems, poems written about Lincoln, and poems written to Lincoln while he served as President of the United States. Lincoln had a lifelong interest in both reading and writing poetry.

Local and area poets who will read include Sheila Black, Peter Brooks, Crawford, Billy Garrett, Joan Glicker, Michael Mandel, John Pate, Tim Staley, Dick Thomas, Joanne Townsend, and Ellen Roberts Young.

Among Lincoln’s favorite poems are Mortality by William Knox, (read by John Pate) The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe (read by Michael Mandel), The Last Leaf by Oliver Wendell Holmes, (Billy Garrett) and poetry from Macbeth. Lincoln ranked Shakespeare supreme, and commented that, “I think nothing equals Macbeth. It is wonderful.”

Poems about Lincoln include, A Farmer Remembers Lincoln by Witter Bynner (read by Peter Brooks), Lincoln by James Whitcomb Riley (read by Joan Glicker), The Emancipation Group by John Greenleaf Whittier (read by Joanne Townsend), The Martyr by Herman Melville (John Pate), The Death of Lincoln by William Cullen Bryant (Tim Staley), and When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed by Walt Whitman (Ellen Roberts Young).

Ordinary citizen wrote passionately about Lincoln and sent their poems to him at the White House. Lincoln read them all and commented on a few of them. They are as moving as those by better known poets. Among those that will be read are works by Anna Bache (1861) Lincoln at Springfield (read by Sheila Black), Appleton Oaksmith (1861) Song of the Union League (ready by Tim Staley), Frank Wells (1864) To President Lincoln (Lincoln called this “pretty fair poetry”) (read by Dick Thomas), and Hannibal Cox, March 1864 (Poem from a soldier in 14th U.S. Colored Troops) (read by Peter Brooks).

The event will begin with a poem written by Abraham Lincoln and read by Sheila Black.

info: wayne crawford 541-8073 or wayne1@zianet.com