Rediscovering Sidney Lanier
This post is by Emily Schweich, a sophomore Broadcast Journalism major.
As Gran Wilson jogged through the streets of Baltimore, an unusual statue caught his eye. A man perched on a rock, holding a notebook and pencil. In a relief behind him, the muses of poetry and music walked along the shore as the sun set.
This man immortalized in bronze was flutist and poet Sidney Lanier, a Georgia native who came to call Baltimore his home. Appointed the first flutist of the Peabody Orchestra in 1873, Lanier also lectured at Johns Hopkins University and was known for his poetry depicting the beauty of the south. He battled tuberculosis throughout his life and died at the young age of 39.
Throughout his life, Lanier fought criticism and illness, but he prevailed over pain and continued to write art and poetry. Wilson found Lanier’s strength inspiring.
