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Category: Poetry

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Pic of the Week: Introducing Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd Poet Laureate

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

  Tracy K. Smith took the stage in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium on Wednesday night, September 13, for her inaugural reading as the 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. She read from each of her published works, concluding with poems from her forthcoming collection, “Wade in the Water.” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden hosted the …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Poetry 180: New Poems Added to the Mix

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Anne Holmes of the Library’s Poetry and Literature Center wrote this post, which first appeared on “From the Catbird Seat,” the center’s blog. Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry at the Library, will give her inaugural reading in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium this evening, marking the beginning of her laureateship. Like her predecessors, Smith …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Welcome to our New Poet Laureate!

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

(The following is a repost from the blog “From the Catbird Seat: Poetry and Literature at the Library of Congress.”) Today the Library of Congress announced the appointment of the 22nd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Tracy K. Smith. Following is an interview that Poetry and Literature Center digital content manager Anne Holmes conducted with …

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Pic of the Week: Poet Laureate Celebration

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The Library hosted a day of festivities on April 26 to honor Juan Felipe Herrera as he concluded his second term as poet laureate consultant in poetry. Titled “Speak the People/the Spark/el Poema,” the celebration began with a choral performance by the Fresno State Chamber Singers from Fresno, California, Herrera’s home town. In the evening, …

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Join the Celebration: Library to Livestream Events Honoring Poet Laureate

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The Library of Congress will honor Juan Felipe Herrera, who is concluding his second term as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, with celebratory events on Wednesday, April 26. The events will be streamed live on the Library’s Facebook page and its YouTube site. Titled “Speak the People/the Spark/el Poema,” the celebration will kick off at noon with a …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Pic of the Week: Two Poets Honored with Bobbitt Prize

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

              Poets Nathaniel Mackey and Claudia Rankine accepted 2016 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prizes for Poetry at an evening event at the Library of Congress on April 20. The Bobbitt Prize recognizes the lifetime achievement of an American poet or a distinguished book of poetry written by an American …

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New Online: The Walt Whitman Papers in the Charles E. Feinberg Collection

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following was written by Barbara Bair, historian in the Library’s Manuscript Division.) As a special collections repository, the Library of Congress holds the largest collection of Walt Whitman materials anywhere in the world. The Manuscript Division has already made available online the Thomas Biggs Harned Collection of Walt Whitman Papers and the Walt Whitman …