Influence and Homage: When Walt Whitman Met Oscar Wilde

It’s hard to imagine a meeting between two celebrities like Whitman and Wilde. However, history is full of surprises. During his stay in America, the youthful Wilde met with the aging poet Whitman. This meeting between Whitman and Wilde made a lasting impression on Wilde and how he handled his celebrity status. David M. Friedman’s New Republic article “When Walt Whitman Met Oscar Wilde” examines the Whitman-Wilde meeting in 1882 and Wilde’s status before and after his time in America.

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El Portal

Eastern New Mexico University’s literary magazine, El Portal, offers a venue for the work of writers, artists and photographers. ENMU students, national, and international writers are welcome to submit their original, previously unpublished short stories, plays, poetry and photography. No entry fees are charged. Cash prizes are awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in each category (only ENMU students qualify). El Portal is published each semester at Eastern thanks to Dr. Jack Williamson, a world-renowned science fiction writer and professor emeritus at ENMU who underwrote the publication. El Portal has been published since 1939.