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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 …
Posted in: Poets Laureate
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 …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Guest Posts
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 …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
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 …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following is a guest post by Lavonda Kay Broadnax, a research specialist in the Library of Congress’s Digital Reference Section. The sesquicentennial of the U.S. Civil War is a wonderful time to celebrate and promote the literature written by African American women who lived during the Civil War. To help researchers explore the legacy …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Guest Posts, News and Events
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 …
Posted in: Poets 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 …
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The online magazine Slate recently featured a fascinating piece on the etymology of the word dude. Contrary to its modern usage as an informal word for your regular, Average Joe guy, in its original late-19th century context a dude typically referred to an effete, vacuous young man of affected manners and dress. In other words, …
Posted in: Digital Resources
Posted by: Peter Armenti
It’s been a while since I provided an update on current state poets laureate. As of this writing, forty-two states have an official position of state poet laureate, while two states, Alaska and Idaho, have a position for “State Writer Laureate” and “Writer-in-Residence,” respectively. The position of state poet laureate or state writer is occupied …
Posted in: Poets Laureate