Top of page
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819. Although From the Catbird Seat just highlighted a “lost” Whitman poem recently discovered at the Library, we decided that Whitman’s multitudes should not be contained by a single post, or even two posts, in the lead-up to his birthday. The best way to honor Whitman, we thought, …
Posted in: Collections, Digital Resources, News and Events
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Walt Whitman enthusiasts were treated to a surprise last December when news broke that Wendy Katz, an associate professor of art history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, had discovered a new poem by Whitman. The poem, titled “To Bryant, the Poet of Nature,” was uncovered by Katz in May 2014 as she examined penny press …
Posted in: Collections
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. One way to engage students with poetry is to provide multiple ways to experience a poem and show how it can have a far-reaching influence. Written by John McCrae on May 3, 1915, …
Posted in: Teacher's Corner
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Since my last update on state poets laureate back in December, new laureates have taken up office in six states. Just yesterday, Carmen Tafolla was invested as Texas State Poet Laureate. Here are the five other changes since the new year began: Kimberly Blaeser started her term as Wisconsin Poet Laureate on January 6; Shelby Stephenson …
Posted in: State Poets
Posted by: Matt Blakley
Sad to say, but National Poetry Month is officially over. But, hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t reminisce about it together! So put down your book (only for a little while) and check out some of the poetry-related posts that were featured across the Library’s many blogs: “Francis Scott Key: the Lawyer-Poet,” written by Jennifer …
Posted in: Digital Resources
Posted by: Robert Casper
Tonight is one of the biggest nights of the year for us. Back in September, a standing-room-only crowd filled the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium to mark the beginning of Charles Wright’s term as the 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry; tonight we will gather in the same room to mark the end of Wright’s term. He …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Matt Blakley
With April marking the bard’s 451st birthday, the Center decided to commemorate Shakespeare’s special month by asking several of our Poet Laureate Consultants in Poetry for their favorite Shakespeare poem. Difficult task, we know! The results are below. But before you get to that: let us shout a loud, collective HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! Robert …
Posted in: Digital Resources, Poets Laureate
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. Last month I offered some ideas for bell ringers for reading poetry. Below are three ideas for engaging students with bell ringers or warm ups for writing poetry. 1) Let the Music Move …
Posted in: Teacher's Corner
Posted by: Robert Casper
Yesterday we posted a blog about the launch of the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. We are also excited about press publicity for the archive in Hyperallergic, The New York Times, and Open Culture. For this post we want to give you a behind-the-scenes sense of how the archive came to be. Below are …
Posted in: Collections, Digital Resources, From the Archive, Guest Posts, News and Events