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Posted by: Peter Armenti
Among the many materials in the Library’s Rare Book and Special Collections Division that focus on book design and fine printing are nearly two-dozen small chapbooks popularly known as Robert Frost‘s “Christmas Cards.” The chapbooks, first issued in 1929 and annually from 1934-1962, are collectible curiosities. While you might expect each one to feature a …
Posted in: Collections, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
‘Tis the season to be jolly, especially if you’re a poetry lover in North Carolina or Ohio! Five months after Valerie Macon resigned as North Carolina poet laureate due to a controversy over her qualifications and the process through which she was appointed, a new North Carolina laureate has been selected. Governor Pat McCrory announced …
Posted in: State Poets
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following guest post, part of our “Teacher’s Corner” series, is by Rebecca Newland, Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress. Developing skills in written expression is as important a life skill as it is a school skill. One step in developing writing skills is drafting. Students are sometimes reluctant to revise work after …
Posted in: Guest Posts, Teacher's Corner
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Emily Dickinson was born 184 years ago today. To celebrate, the Library of Congress invited poetry lovers this Monday to enter “A fairer House than Prose” with a marathon reading of Emily Dickinson’s poems and a special display of Dickinson materials from its Rare Book and Special Collections Division. The event, held in Room 119 …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events
Posted by: Peter Armenti
From the Catbird Seat is excited to launch a new monthly series, “Teacher’s Corner,” by Rebecca Newland, Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress. “Teacher’s Corner” will highlight ways that K-12 teachers and librarians can effectively use poetry- and literature-related primary sources from the Library in the classroom. Bringing primary sources into the poetry …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Guest Posts, Teacher's Corner
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following guest post is by Amber Paranick, a librarian in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room. I got the idea for this post by quite literally stumbling on it. I was running to catch my bus and tripped and almost fell. I looked down at my feet and much to my admiration was …
Posted in: Guest Posts
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following is a guest post by Megan Armenti, Specialist, Congressional Research Service. When I first met my husband and From the Catbird Seat blogger–Peter Armenti–I was immediately drawn in by his sincere smile, warm personality, and quintessential shy librarian nature. I soon discovered that he held a deep-seated love for poetry, one that I didn’t fully …
Posted in: Guest Posts
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following is a guest post by Rebecca Newland, Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress. It is cross posted on the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog. One way for teachers to engage students with poetry is to connect poems and poets to historical events. Students gain a deeper appreciation of poets …
Posted in: Collections, Digital Resources, Guest Posts
Posted by: Peter Armenti
In the first-half of the 20th century, “newspaper poets” such as Edgar A. Guest and Anne Campbell published massively popular syndicated poetry columns that touched the lives of millions of readers. In succeeding decades the written poem, subject to a variety of cultural and technological changes, gradually faded from the pages of mainstream print media …
Posted in: Digital Resources, News and Events, Poets Laureate