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Archive: May 2014 (7 Posts)

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Was Maya Angelou a Poet Laureate? Yes and No.

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The death of American poet, writer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou has been widely covered by mainstream media, and thousands of heartfelt tributes and expressions of sorrow from admirers worldwide continue to pour in through social media. While all aspects of Angelou’s varied career have been the subject of recent discussion—including her early performances …

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The PLC Launches “Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers”

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following is a guest post by Catalina Gómez, program coordinator in the Library of Congress Hispanic Division. As the program coordinator of the Library of Congress Hispanic Division, it’s my pleasure to announce the launch of an exciting online feature: “Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers,”  presenting interviews with contemporary American poets and prose writers …

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The Post-Final Grand Finale

Posted by: Robert Casper

Please forgive me—I couldn’t help that title! And I’m going to do a little bit of jumping around in this post. First, I want to let you know that tonight the final segment of “Where Poetry Lives” is airing on the PBS NewsHour. This segment brought our Laureate to Los Angeles, where she learned more …

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Tonight’s the Night!

Posted by: Robert Casper

It’s hard to believe that tonight Natasha Trethewey will conclude her laureateship. Just to remind you, here are the details: Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 PM POET LAUREATE FINAL LECTURE Natasha Trethewey will deliver her final lecture to conclude her second term as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and the spring literary season at the Library …

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Is your state laureate-less? You can help change that.

Posted by: Peter Armenti

Several readers submitted questions to me after my recent blog post on state poets laureate. They were surprised that their own state was one of only six—Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—that does not have a state poet position, and wanted to know how they could help establish one. While I can’t …

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Displaying the Future, Celebrating our Laureate

Posted by: Robert Casper

Last Monday at 10:00 AM, Poetry and Literature Center staffer Matt Blakley and I went down to the second floor of the Jefferson Building with a cart of materials—wedges and stands, signs and cards, and a few precious objects. There we met with Leslie Girard, the LC staffer in charge of the Library’s new Agile …