Commemorating both the American Civil War and National Poetry Month, Wallingford Public Library welcomes actor Stephen Collins and his one-man show “An Evening with Walt Whitman” Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m.

The show opens with Collins portraying Whitman on the evening of his seventieth birthday. As he begins to reminisce about his life, he transforms into a young man retelling the experiences that led to the creation of "Leaves Of Grass," his lifetime work.

In the second part of the performance, Whitman's life is changed forever by the occurrence of the Civil War. It is here that he finds "... the most important work of my life..." nursing the wounded soldiers in the hospitals. Through poetry and reading of actual letters, the audience will experience Whitman's movement from selfishness to selflessness and his growth into a mature artist who is at peace about "himself, God and death."

Please contact the library at (203) 265-6754 for more information and to reserve a seat.