October 17th - Philip Levine

Philip Levine will give an Inaugural Reading as U.S. Poet Laureate, Monday, October 17th, at 7p.m. in Coolidge Auditorium, Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Links
Library of Congress News Page (www.loc.gov).

Philip Levine as Poet Laureate

Philip Levine has become the new Poet Laureat of the United States for 2011-12, as announced by the Library of Congress librarian James H. Billington.  Congratulations to the poet, a perfect choice.

Links:
Being Named as Poet Laureate
Jon Michaud, "Philip Levine, Laureate," New Yorker (August 11, 2011).
Edward Byrne, "Philip Levine New U.S. Poet Laureate," One Poet's Notes (August 10, 2011).
Dwight Garner, "Making Rare Appearance: People and Their Appetites," New York Times (August 9, 2011).
Charles McGrath, "Voice of the Workingman to Be Poet Laureate," New York Times (August 9, 2011).

About Philip Levine
Jennifer Kilgore-Caradec, "Out of the Acids of Rage: Philip Levine's Poems about Detroit," Belgrade Bells 2 (2010), pp.167-186.  Link to pdf format of Belgrade Bells 2.
Bio-bibliography of Levine, with poems, from the Academy of American Poets (www.poets.org).

Also, this, discovered thanks to Neil Astley:

And the Laureate is a She

Congratulations to Carol Ann Duffy who has just been named Poet Laureate of Britain.  This is an honor of a particular kind for Duffy who is a woman (first ever for this position) and a Scot, residing in Manchester. I think this may mean that she does not necessarily speak with Received Pronunciation.

One Duffy poem that haunted me was "Salome" which begins (from memory, so probably with error), "She's done it before and she'll do it again."  It is a remarkable poem in word play and general  playfulness around a solemn subject.

In her interview with Charlotte Higgens in the Guardian she expressed joy at being able to represent women who have revolutionized poetry over the last forty years.  

Links:

Rachel Cooke, "'I still haven't written the best I can,'" Observer (May 3, 2009).

Charlotte Higgens, "Carol Ann Duffy: 'A celebration of great women poets' Guardian (May 1, 2009).

Sarah Lyall, "After 341 Years, British Poet Laureate is a Woman," New York Times (May 1, 2009).

Tributes to Gwendolyn Brooks

After Gwendolyn Brooks died in 2000, Chicago Public Radio Broadcast a show (December 4, 2000) lasting over an hour about her life, and including a rebroadcast of her 1961 interview with Studs Terkel.  You can find a podcast of the show here.

Donald Hall turned 80 yesterday

To celebrate, here's Hall reading and expounding on his work.

Hear an NPR podcast where Hall describes his choices for the series of recordings from the Poetry Foundation, Essential American Poets.  He remarked being "shocked and educated" by hearing Ezra Pound read his poems.

See and hear more from Donald Hall from the Library of Congress:

2006 National Book Festival podcast and biography.

2005 National Book Festival biography of Hall.

Hall is featured in the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.

Other links from Library of Congress.

Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate of the USA

Coming after Charles Simic, Kay Ryan was appointed the new Poet Laureate of the United States in July.

Edward Byrne at Valparaiso Poetry Review published a piece on her recent collection The Niagara River in February 2007 as well as a description about Ryan on his blog.

http://edwardbyrne.blogspot.com/2008/07/kay-ryan-poet-laureate-of-united-states.html

http://edwardbyrne.blogspot.com/2007/02/kay-ryan-niagara-river.html

The Library of Congress features a bio-bibliographical sketch here.