Discover Walt Whitman’s remarkable life and the timeless poetry he created.

Cast and Crew

Andrew D. Kaplan (Producer, Writer, Director) is a documentary filmmaker, nonfiction author, and adjunct professor of journalism. He holds a Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Maryland and works as a writer-editor for the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the U.S. Department of Justice. Previous works include the documentary film In Search of Thoreau about the life and writings of Henry David Thoreau and the book The Hidden Light that explores the intersection of religion and spirituality. He is currently working on a film about the life and work of famed author and poet Edgar Allan Poe.

Alfred Robert Hogan (Historical Consultant, Film Advisor, and Script Editor) is a longtime science journalist and media historian based in Maryland. Hogan’s pieces on space exploration, environment and climate, health, veganism, animal rights, and history have appeared in myriad newspapers and magazines. In 2005, he earned a University of Maryland master’s degree in journalism, and he is now striving toward his PhD, focusing on the history of radio and television space coverage from 1922 to the present day. After contributing to more than 10 books, Hogan is researching and writing an in-depth bio book on teen environmental champion, “science nerd,” and ethical vegan Greta Thunberg and the climate emergency’s underlying science. He is also assisting Andrew D. Kaplan with his forthcoming documentary on Edgar Allan Poe.

Richard S. Rose (Voice of Walt Whitman) has a multi-faceted career. Audio drama work currently includes the role of Mac in “Mac (and Bonnie’s)” and Lord Jarno in Visionaries. On film, he was the lead character Jake in “I Love You For Awhile,” and on stage he has performed in dramas and musicals, including as Felix Unger in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” and Herb Tucker in Simon’s “I Ought to be in Pictures.”  He received a NYFA playwriting fellowship for his play “By Any Other Name,” and wrote the musical (he has an M.A. in music composition) “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors (A Subway Musical and Romance).” With a degree in American Studies from George Washington University, Walt Whitman is a particular passion for him.

Penny Lee (Editor) is an independent Television/Film Editor who has completed thousands of hours of original programming for television cable networks, independent film producers, government agencies, corporations, trade associations, and non-profit organizations.  These genres range from long and short documentary films, reality television series, promotional infomercials, educational videos, and entertainment productions. Edited-project clients include Discovery Channel, TLC, National Geographic Television, Travel Channel, HGTV, and the Cooking Channel, to name a few.

The documentary showcases these four leading experts on Whitman:

  • Ed Folsom, PhD, the Roy J. Carver Professor of English at the University of Iowa, and Co-Director of the Walt Whitman Archive.

 

  • Garrett Peck, Author of Walt Whitman in Washington DC, Historian, and Whitman Tour Guide, Washington DC.

 

  • Kenneth M. Price, PhD, the Hillegass University Professor of American Literature, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Co-Director of the Walt Whitman Archive.

 

 

  • Rosemary Winslow, PhD, poet and retired associate professor of English, Catholic University of America, Washington DC.