ROOTED IN VERSE
July 22nd – August 24th
Jurors: Jack Canfora, Margaret Guardi, and Caitlyn Shea (bios below)
Caitlyn Shea Juror Bio: Caitlyn Shea began her love for Walt serving as the Birthplace Museum’s Events & Media Director in 2019. She departed the museum in 2022 to become Director of Northport Historical Society. In 2024, she was ecstatic to return to the Birthplace as Executive Director. Now, she is focused on planning new creative and inclusive programing. Walt said he “contains multitudes”. The museum celebrates his unique voice as an artist, inspirational spirit, and his Queer identity in the 1800s.
Shea is a visual artist and specializes in creative placemaking by painting murals that beautify businesses. She has served as a Juror for HAC twice and currently shows her work at Firefly Artists in Northport. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Art History from Adelphi University. She also attended Skidmore College, Pratt Institute, and New York’s School of Visual Arts.
Margaret Guardi Juror Bio: Margaret Guardi, current WWBA Curator and Historian, graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a post-graduate certificate in Secondary ed-English. She has filled many roles at the WWBA since she first volunteered in 1998, from Tour Guide to Tea Party Director, to Curator/Historian. For many years Margaret volunteered at the Huntington Historical Society where she was a Board member and Collection Committee member, and volunteers at the Davis Town Meeting House in Coram. Her knowledge of Walt Whitman, historic costume, and local history has enabled her to manage and exhibit WWBA’s collection, archives and library materials, and work closely with student interns to make the WWBA collection more accessible.
Jack Canfora Juror Bio: Jack’s Off-Broadway plays include Poetic License, (59E59 Theaters), hailed by the Associated Press as “White-hot entertainment,” and Jericho, (59E59 Theaters, a New York Times’ “Critic’s Pick”)
His regional productions include Place Setting (New Jersey Repertory), a finalist with plays by Teresa Rebeck, Elaine May and Edward Albee for Best Play, 2007, Newark Star Ledger, Tennessee Wiliams: A Life (w/ Harris Yulin) (Guild Hall), featuring Eli Wallach, Harris Yulin and Mercedes Ruehl, Jericho, (NNPN Rolling World Premiere: New Jersey Repertory Company, Phoenix Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, UpstART theater) The Source (NJ Rep), Poetic License (NJ Rep), and Fellow Travelers (Bay Street Theatre), which was optioned by the Shubert Organization for Broadway. Jack is the recipient of two Edgerton Playwriting Awards, for Jericho (2010) and The Source (2018). He won the 2016 Webby Award for Best Writing in a Web Series
Participating Artists: Stephanie Angelo, Toniann Bartscherer, Gwen Carfora, Kelly Clancy-Nill, Patty Elijaiek, Pavithra Eswar, Alicia Evans, Deirdre Faughey, Jim Finlayson, Sheila D. Fox, Ron Friedman, Barbara V. Jones, Anny Lamsifer, Pamela Laurence, Howie Pohl, Bernice Rausch, Bri Sander, Carol, Savoy, Kerry Sclafani, Bill Shillalies, Toxic/Nature Studios, Anne Thompson, Katherine M. Trunk, Marie Winn, Frederick Woodward.
