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Archive: June 2013 (6 Posts)

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The Caged Bird Sings: Paul Laurence Dunbar at the Library of Congress

Posted by: Peter Armenti

Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of the first African-Americans to develop a national reputation for his poetry,  was born on this day in 1872. To celebrate his life and work,  the Library held a literary birthday reading earlier today featuring noted poets Holly Bass and Al Young, who read selections from Dunbar’s poetry and discussed his …

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Lit Links for the Work Week

Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo

In case you missed it, Bookriot’s Sunday Diversion “Guess These Books by the Catalog Cards” featured Library of Congress subject headings in a game to test your literary chops. Check out the Library’s catalog to create your own literary diversions. The New Yorker’s PageTurner announced last week that Tom Wolfe’s upcoming book will be based …

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“I am a Military Family”

Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo

Last Thursday, second lady Jill Biden came to the Library of Congress to read her children’s book Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops to the sons and daughters of military families. I usually spend my time at the Library focusing on promoting literature to adults, but on that day I thought about its impact on …

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A Very Happy 202nd to Harriet Beecher Stowe

Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo

Were she alive, today would have been the 202nd birthday of one of our nation’s most important cultural figures: Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe is best known for writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an incredibly popular novel that challenged the nation’s understanding of the effects of slavery and the importance of the abolitionist movement. Legend has it …

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Stay Gold: Robert Frost and First Poems

Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo

Today’s guest blog post is by Jennifer Harbster, a research and reference specialist in the Library’s Science, Technology, and Business Division. This is a special post for both of us: Jen is also a blogger for the Library at the Inside Adams blog, which swapped bloggers this week with From the Catbird Seat to pay …

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The First Publication of “Casey at the Bat”

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The Library of Congress Blog yesterday celebrated the 125th anniversary of Ernest L. Thayer’s iconic baseball poem “Casey at the Bat” by featuring a recording of the poem made for the occasion, by Washington Nationals radio broadcaster Dave Jageler. Fans of the poem definitely will want to compare Jageler’s interpretation to the classic 1909 recording …