The Long Island roots of Walt Whitman, long considered one of America’s most important poets, were closely tied to many of the renowned works he created across his lifetime.
In keeping with that spirit of the historic poet, the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association annually selects a local writer as its “Long Island Poet of the Year.
For 2025, that honor has been presented to Jesse Curran, a lecturer in the English Department of SUNY Old Westbury.
Along with her teaching, Curran is an accomplished poet and essayist. Her creative work has appeared in dozens of literary journals, including “About Place,” “Blueline,” and “Ruminate.” She has also authored two chapbooks of poems and a lyric novel, “A Handful of Earth.”
Her recent book project, a collection of poems and essays, turns to the North Shore of Long Island and explores the metaphorical resonance of local landmarks, using as her centerpiece landscapes and other works by Arthur Dove and Helen Torr, mid-20th Century artists who called Long Island home and often used its geography as inspiration for their art.
The Long Island Poet of the Year award is an annual award given by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, Inc., to honor a notable and distinguished local poet who actively promotes poetry on Long Island. Awarded since 2002, the Poet of the Year has been awarded to nationally recognized poets who champion poetry and through their writing, teaching and support of the Long Island poetry community.
Founded in 1949, the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association is a not-for-profit organization first established to preserve Whitman’s birthplace and then, in 1957, led the successful effort to designate the birthplace a New York State Historic Site. In 1985, the property was listed on the NYS and National Registers of Historic Places. Today, the Association operates the historic site in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.