Start here · Essential guide
Walt Whitman in Camden: The Poet and the City
An overview of Walt Whitman's final nineteen years in Camden, New Jersey, from his arrival in 1873 to his death in 1892, and why they matter to the city.
Place and Past
Walt Whitman and Literary Camden
The poet last home and the writing culture of the region.
Ferry Crossings in Whitman Writing
How river crossings appear in Walt Whitman's poetry and prose, from Crossing Brooklyn Ferry to his notes on the Delaware during his years in Camden.
Harleigh Cemetery and the Whitman Tomb
Harleigh Cemetery in Camden as a historic landscape and a place of literary memory, including the granite tomb Walt Whitman planned for himself and his family.
Horace Traubel and the Conversations Recorded in Camden
Who Horace Traubel was and how his daily notes of conversations with Walt Whitman in Camden became the multi-volume work With Walt Whitman in Camden.
How Place Names Carry Memory
How streets, schools, bridges and other places named for people preserve local memory in Camden and beyond, and how to research where a name came from.
Leaves of Grass and Its Many Editions
An introduction to Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and how he revised, expanded and reissued it from 1855 until the final edition he oversaw in 1891-92.
Literary Societies and Writers Tied to the Region
How reading groups, fellowships and literary societies help keep the writing history of Camden and the Philadelphia region alive, with Whitman as one example.
Poetry Readings and Open Mic Culture in General
What to expect at a poetry reading or open mic night anywhere, how the formats differ, how to find events, and etiquette tips for first-time attendees.
Reading Whitman: A Starter Path
A suggested order for first-time readers of Walt Whitman, from short, approachable poems to Song of Myself, Specimen Days and the 1855 preface, with tips on editions.
The Walt Whitman House and Why Writers Homes Are Preserved
Why writers' houses are preserved, what the Walt Whitman House on Mickle Street in Camden represents, and how to approach visiting a historic house museum.
Related topics
More in place and past
History and Heritage The past of Camden from river founding through industrial decline. The Waterfront The Delaware riverfront past and present. Neighborhoods and Living Housing, neighborhoods and daily life. Colonial Era and River Origins How the Delaware shore became a settled ferry town before the city existed. Industry and Shipbuilding The factories, yards and railways that made Camden a manufacturing city.