One of America's most influential and innovative poets, Walt Whitman (1819-92) worked as a teacher, journalist, and volunteer nurse during the Civil War. Proclaimed as the nation's first "poet of democracy," Whitman reached out to common readers and opposed censorship with his overt celebrations of sexuality. As a journalist, he was known to write under several pseudonyms, including Mose Velsor, the author of a newspaper series published in 1858 called "Manly Health and Training."

Bevin Vieweg-Lenz has worked as a journalist, freelance writer, editor, and educator. She received her B.A. in literature from The Catholic University of America and an M.S. in English education from Long Island University. Like Whitman, she lives on Long Island, where she is currently at work on her first novel.