Walt Whitman Birthplace Association (WWBA) congratulates the student poets in this anthology for their writing excellence Each student explored Whitman's themes of connection, isolation, and the search for meaning in a vast world. Inspired by the spider's quiet persistence in casting its web, students wrote original poems that captured their own experience, imagination of reaching out, connecting, and seeking purpose. We invite you to step into their world through the vision, words, and images of the talented honorees of our 40th Annual Student Poetry Writing Contest.