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Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
For poets, verse is their work. But for poet Philip Levine, work is the stuff of poetry. Levine — named the 18th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2011-2012 today by the Librarian of Congress — has been known for decades as the bard of the “working stiffs,” the people who actively toil for their …
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Kay Ryan, the 16th Poet Laureate of the United States (2008-2010) and a person of wry wisdom, today won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Hear, hear! Specifically, the prize was for her book “The Best of It: New and Selected Poems” (Grove Press). The Pulitzer people described the book this way: “a body of work …
Posted in: National Book Festival, News, Poetry
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
As America prepares to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday later this month, the Library of Congress also will have two offerings in February in commemoration of African American History Month. On Feb. 3, the Library will launch a new online exhibition about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Collections, Education, Events, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Manuscripts, News, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Today Katherine Paterson, the author of “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Jacob Have I Loved,” “The Day of the Pelican” and more than 30 other children’s books, was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. She summarized her platform for the reading-promotion post in four words: “Read for your life.” …
Posted in: Books, Education, Events, National Book Festival, News, Thomas Jefferson Building, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
The authors’ lineup for the National Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26 went public today–what star-power! Bestselling authors David Baldacci, John Grisham, John Irving, Julia Alvarez, Judy Blume, Ken Burns, Gwen Ifill, and Jodi Picoult–as well as celebrity chef Paula Deen–will be among scores of authors and illustrators presenting at the festival, organized and sponsored …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Events, Libraries, National Book Festival, News, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Let’s take a little test. I’m going to say a word, and you’re going to say the next word that leaps into your mind. OK, here goes: Nabokov. You said “Lolita,” right? Of course. Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” published in 1955 and made into a film directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, is the work most …
Posted in: Books, Collections, News