A Road Scholar Program by Brian (Fox) Ellis

A Road Scholar Program by Brian (Fox) Ellis Lincoln was a fan of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, having read excerpts to clients in his Springfield law office, although upon taking the book home one night, Mary Todd threatened to burn it! Two of Whitman’s most well-known poems, “Oh Captain, My Captain” and “When Lilacs Last Bloomed,” were written in elegy for the martyred President. After Lincoln’s assassination, Whitman gave regular lectures on Lincoln to rave reviews. In this program, Brian “Fox” Ellis recreates a program Whitman delivered on the life of Lincoln, interwoven with some of his Civil War poems and a recollection of a morning meeting during the war.

Brian “Fox” Ellis is a storyteller, author, and naturalist and has worked with The Field Museum, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, and countless smaller county museums to provide docent and teacher training, develop curriculum, and present public programs. He is the Artistic Director of Prairie Folklore Theatre, a unique theatre company that celebrates ecology and history through original musical. Brian is also the author of eight books including, Learning From the Land: Teaching Ecology Through Stories and Activities, (Libraries Unlimited, 1997) and a new children’s picture book, The Web at Dragonfly Pond, (Dawn Publications, 2006).

This event is Free and Open to the public. For more information, please contact Richard Sumrall, 217.732.8878.