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Archive: November 2018 (7 Posts)

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U.S. Poet Laureate: Poetry Leads to ‘Profound Conversation’

Posted by: Anne Holmes

The following post is by Ryan Woodard, communications consultant for the South Dakota Humanities Council. This post originally appeared on the South Dakota Humanities Council blog following Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s “American Conversations” visit to South Dakota from October 5-6, 2018.  According to legendary playwright/poet Oscar Wilde, memory is “the diary that we all carry about …

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“American Conversations” in South Dakota

Posted by: Anne Holmes

The following guest post is by Guy Lamolinara, communications officer in the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. This post accompanies online content just added to the “American Conversations” website for Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s visit to South Dakota from October 5-6, 2018.  For my second “American Conversations” trip with Poet …

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Check Out “The Slowdown” Podcast Series Now

Posted by: Robert Casper

Big hoorays for our laureate—“The Slowdown” podcast officially starts today! Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media released a teaser episode with the October announcement of the series, but just minutes ago they released the first weekday episode (featuring Aja Monet’s poem “564 Park Avenue”). If you haven’t already, please do subscribe to the podcast. And …

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In Defense of Close Reading with Robert Frost

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. Some of my favorite poems are those I shared with students year after year. These are poems I know as friends through making a personal …

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Literary Treasures: Margaret Atwood reads her poetry at the Library of Congress, 1970

Posted by: Anne Holmes

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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The Bread, the Knife, and the Source of Billy Collins’s Poem “Litany”

Posted by: Peter Armenti

As the poetry specialist in the Library’s Researcher and Reference Services Division, I receive my fair share of questions about U.S. poets laureate. Most often, people ask about the history of the laureateship, or about the activities of a particular laureate during his or her term. Very rarely, though, do I receive questions about specific …

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Poetry of America: Denise Levertov and Gwendolyn Brooks

Posted by: Anne Holmes

Here’s some good news for your Thursday: We’ve added two new recordings to our online “Poetry of America” series. Join Juan Felipe Herrera as he reads and discusses Denise Levertov’s poem “Making Peace,”  and Patricia Spears Jones as she reads and discusses Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell.” The …