The First Leaves of Grass

May 15: On this day in 1855 Walt Whitman registered the title Leaves of Grass with the clerk of the United States District Court, New York, clearing the way for the first edition, published seven weeks later.

The Blessings

The death of John Blessing reverberates through his tangled North Philly clan in a big-hearted family saga from novelist Elise Juska. A Discover Great New Writers selection.