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Posted by: Peter Armenti
From the Catbird Seat is pleased to announce a new poetry display at the Library launched to coincide with National Poetry Month. The display, titled Poetry on High: 80 Years of Poets Laureate, is designed to celebrate and commemorate the history and 80th anniversary of the position of U.S. Poet Laureate. It can be viewed …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
April is always a big month for poetry programming at the Library of Congress. Among the many on-campus events scheduled for the month of note, one standout occurs on April 13 at 7 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium, when Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera will celebrate the conclusion of his term as Laureate. To complement …
Posted in: News and Events
Posted by: Peter Armenti
“I am a nerd.” With that admission, Gene Luen Yang launched into a humorous, inspirational, and self-illustrated talk in the lead-up to his inauguration yesterday as the 5th National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Yang is the first Asian American and first graphic novelist to serve as the National Ambassador. The mission of the position, …
Posted in: News and Events
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Delaware’s poetry lovers could be excused for doing a double take Wednesday evening. After all, Governor Jack Markell had just made an unprecedented announcement: identical twins Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Albert Mills, known as the Twin Poets, would share the title of 17th Poets Laureate of the State of Delaware. The appointment marks the first time …
Posted in: News and Events, State Poets
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The following is a guest post by Rob Casper, head of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. I write you now, still recovering from Juan Felipe Herrera’s first couple of weeks as our 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. His laureateship kicked off at the National Book Festival, where he read …
Posted in: News and Events, Poets Laureate
Posted by: Peter Armenti
The poems of Pablo Neruda are among the most frequently translated works in the English language. While the Chilean poet has for many years enjoyed a huge readership in the United States, thanks to the widespread availability of English-language editions of his poetry, few people are aware of the integral role played by the Library …
Posted in: Collections, News and Events
Posted by: Peter Armenti
Today marks the publication of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, the manuscript that Lee, with the help of editor Tay Hohoff, shaped over the course of several years into the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This publication event, although tinged with controversy, provides us with an opportunity to remind social studies and …
Posted in: Digital Resources, News and Events
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
Listen: Robert Frost interview with Randall Jarrell, May 19, 1959. From the Catbird Seat is excited to announce the online launch of a selection of recordings from the Library of Congress’s Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, a series of audio recordings of renowned poets and prose writers reading from their work. Available as …
Posted in: Collections, Digital Resources, News and Events, Poets Laureate