Blog posts by Jane Palmer

Walt Whitman: His Presence in America & Its Ongoing Presents

Jane Palmer,

Living for the moment is living for history when whatever tales are told become the stuff of legacy. Walt Whitman was a flaneur, a lover of walking. By his own admission he was a loafer. Throughout his transitory state he continued to hold onto what was dear to him. In time it became dear to others, affecting them and influencing forever what is considered the best of American culture. Such was the power of his poetry, fleeting thoughts that became a tangible reality. Today all of that and more is Whitman’s continuing gift. Brooklyn Public Library has in its collection works that consider the…

The Continuing Relevance of Arthur Rimbaud

Jane Palmer,

Portrait of Arthur Rimbaud at the age of seventeen Étienne Carjat [Public domain]
I was introduced to French poet, Arthur Rimbaud in the late 1970’s, during my college-interruptus phase when his poetry was cultural currency in the bar and coffee shop conversations of New Orleans. Rimbaud’s awesome, irreverent voice has renewed and retained its legendary status with each subsequent generation, continuing this tradition of speaking to the alienated and unaffiliated since its initial emergence on the Parisian scene in the 1870’s. Yet Rimbaud…

Reading for March: Women in the World Claiming Power

Jane Palmer,

Throughout history women have found ways to achieve power even when that power was not granted directly, often finding notoriety, fame, or historic precedence by navigating and negotiating from the limited options available. Women also claimed power through individual resistance, thereby redefining power in roles traditionally and narrowly viewed as the collective actions of men. Including the voices and perspectives of women writers has unquestionably expanded definition of power and Brooklyn Public Library has a wealth of books which explore the dynamics of this experience among women.…