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Meet Our New Poet Laureate–Online

Posted by: Robert Casper

With Wednesday’s announcement of Juan Felipe Herrera as the Library’s 21st Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, hundreds of articles and spotlights appeared–more than any one person could go through! Of course, the best place to start finding out about Juan Felipe is on the Library’s website–here’s his LC Web Guide, courtesy of fellow “Catbird” blogger …

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A Day Like This

Posted by: Robert Casper

Every year or two, I have a day like this: when the new Poet Laureate is announced. There’s a lot of build-up–from the many months that go into the selection process, and the weeks of publicity-related work after the Librarian of Congress has made his decision. We even do a “Laureate Orientation,” with the Laureate-to-be, …

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“Pins of Myself”: Library of Congress Launches Walt Whitman Pinterest Board

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, …

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Keeping the Conversation Going

Posted by: Robert Casper

Tonight is one of the biggest nights of the year for us. Back in September, a standing-room-only crowd filled the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium to mark the beginning of Charles Wright’s term as the 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry; tonight we will gather in the same room to mark the end of Wright’s term. He …

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Library Launches Online Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature

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 …

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“Poetry Nation”: March/April Issue of Library of Congress Magazine Dons Laurels

Posted by: Peter Armenti

Finding it hard to scratch that poetry itch during the lead-up to National Poetry Month? We’ve got the balm you need! The March/April issue of Library of Congress Magazine (LCM), released online today, shines a spotlight on the Library’s poetry-related activities, services, and collections. Among the topics of the articles and features in the poetry-themed …

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Fighting For Literacy, Through Poetry

Posted by: Robert Casper

Every season, the Poetry and Literature Center’s calendar includes one or more programs we’ve never tried before. The first such program of the spring will take place next Tuesday, with a symposium on poetry and literacy. It is the latest effort by the Library’s Literacy Awards Program, which for the two years has given three …