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Archive: 2017 (25 Posts)

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Literary Treasures: John Ashbery Reads (1975)

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following post is part of our monthly series, “Literary Treasures,” which highlights audio and video recordings drawn from the Library’s extensive online collections, including the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. By showcasing the works and thoughts of some of the greatest poets and writers from the past 75 years, the series advances the …

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State Poets Update: Does Your State have a New Poet Laureate?

Posted by: Peter Armenti

It’s been nearly a year since my last update on state poets laureate. Since then, ten states have welcomed new poets laureate, four of which have been appointed since May 1: Beth Ann Fennelly started her term as Mississippi Poet Laureate on August 10, 2016; Michael Erdelen was named Premiere Poet of Indiana in October …

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Pirates of English Literature

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following is a guest post by Mark F. Hall, a research specialist with the Library of Congress’s Digital Reference Team. Over Memorial Day weekend, Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) and the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will sail into theaters across the country.  While the storyline, special effects, …

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Reading Whitman

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following guest post was written by Barbara Bair, historian in the Library’s Manuscript Division. In this month celebrating the work of poets, we can honor Walt Whitman—the poet of democracy and nature, of sexuality and modernity, of globalism, nationalism, and mysticism—as both the people’s poet and the poet’s poet. The Library of Congress’s recent …

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Rewriting Novels and Stories as Epic Poems

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following guest post, part of our “Teacher’s Corner” series, is by Rebecca Newland, a Fairfax County Public Schools Librarian and former Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress. Epic poetry is often a regular part of the high school English curriculum. Among the epic poems most frequently taught in classrooms are Homer’s Greek …