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Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
Yesterday marked the 100th birthday of Robert Hayden, who was the first African American to be named to the Library of Congress Consultant in Poetry position–what we today would call the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry–in 1976. NPR commemorated Hayden’s birthday by featuring an archived recording: “In His Own Words.” Over at the Los Angeles …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
The Bank of England announced last week that beginning in 2017 Jane Austen will replace Charles Darwin on the 10-pound note. The Times asks the question: which American authors would you choose to grace the dollar bill? You might want to start with a perusal of the Library’s Books That Shaped America beforehand. Wouldn’t want …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
Last Saturday was Cormac McCarthy’s birthday, and BookRiot celebrated with “A Beginner’s Guide to Cormac McCarthy.” We don’t have all the YouTube videos, but the Library does have quite a stash on Mr. McCarthy. You can come listen to Cormac read from The Crossing or just follow the links to the sample text here for …
Posted in: Interviews, News and Events
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
According to the Smithsonian’s “Surprising Science” blog, a life of reading and writing can help you stave off mental decline as you age. This is fantastic news for us at the Poetry and Literature Center, or was until we read the part about reaching peak mental agility at 22. On the plus side, our non-peak …
Posted in: News and Events
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
Last Friday, Julio Cortazar’s groundbreaking novel Hopscotch turned 50. For a slightly late Monday morning celebration, Cortazar fans should head to the Los Angeles Review of Books to read Ted Gioia’s essay “How to Win at Hopscotch.” Of course, if you’ve only read Cortazar’s short story collection you received for Christmas two years ago, you …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
In case you missed it, Bookriot’s Sunday Diversion “Guess These Books by the Catalog Cards” featured Library of Congress subject headings in a game to test your literary chops. Check out the Library’s catalog to create your own literary diversions. The New Yorker’s PageTurner announced last week that Tom Wolfe’s upcoming book will be based …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
Last Thursday, second lady Jill Biden came to the Library of Congress to read her children’s book Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops to the sons and daughters of military families. I usually spend my time at the Library focusing on promoting literature to adults, but on that day I thought about its impact on …
Posted in: News and Events
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
Were she alive, today would have been the 202nd birthday of one of our nation’s most important cultural figures: Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe is best known for writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an incredibly popular novel that challenged the nation’s understanding of the effects of slavery and the importance of the abolitionist movement. Legend has it …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events
Posted by: Caitlin Rizzo
This week we’re happy to announce the newest (and most adorable) addition to our team here at the Catbird Seat —blogger Peter Armenti’s baby boy! While Peter and his new family will be on a little hiatus from our blog, I’m celebrating the next generation of librarian with a nod to some of my favorite …
Posted in: Collections, Digital Resources, News and Events