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Remembering Our Laureates

Posted by: Robert Casper

As this year comes to an end, and a new one begins, I want to take a moment to remember a few people dear to the Poetry and Literature Center that passed away. Today I want to focus on two former Poets Laureate, Maxine Kumin and Mark Strand. I had the good fortune of meeting …

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A Marathon Celebration of Emily Dickinson

Posted by: Peter Armenti

Emily Dickinson was born 184 years ago today. To celebrate, the Library of Congress invited poetry lovers this Monday to enter “A fairer House than Prose” with a marathon reading of Emily Dickinson’s poems and a special display of Dickinson materials from its Rare Book and Special Collections Division. The event, held in Room 119 …

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500 Columns and Counting: Celebrating Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry Project

Posted by: Peter Armenti

In the first-half of the 20th century, “newspaper poets” such as Edgar A. Guest and Anne Campbell published massively popular syndicated poetry columns that touched the lives of millions of readers. In succeeding decades the written poem, subject to a variety of cultural and technological changes, gradually faded from the pages of mainstream print media …

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A Terrific Beginning

Posted by: Robert Casper

On Thursday, September 25th, Charles Wright officially began his term as the 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress with a reading in the historic Coolidge Auditorium. There was a host of media coverage before and after the reading, including the following: A preview of the reading, by Book World editor …

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Coming Soon: the Opening Moment

Posted by: Robert Casper

In just a couple of days, 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Charles Wright will give his opening reading at the Library of Congress. I was thrilled to see Ron Charles at The Washington Post help spread the word, and even suggest that the Laureate wear a suit! Rumor has it that the acclaimed poet …

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Program Offers Fresh Take on Gatsby’s Greatness

Posted by: Peter Armenti

The following is a guest post by Abby Yochelson, English and American Literature Reference specialist at the Library of Congress’s Main Reading Room, Humanities and Social Sciences Division. Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air and a lecturer and critic-in-residence at Georgetown University, has been a consummate researcher at the Library of Congress over …

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The Post-Final Grand Finale

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 …

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Tonight’s the Night!

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 …