The following is a guest post by Caitlin Rizzo, staffer for the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. This year the United States Postal Service unveiled a new series of “forever” stamps commemorating ten of the most enduring American poets. The list includes quite a few Poets Laureate and Consultants in Poetry―from …
The Library of Congress’s acquisition of Carl Sagan’s papers in late June presents researchers with new opportunities to learn about the noted astronomer and scientific communicator’s life and work. While the majority of research will presumably focus on his scientific activities, the Library’s initial release of several digitized items from the collection demonstrates that many …
As part of a multiyear “Celebration of the Book,” on Monday the Library of Congress launched the exhibit “Books That Shaped America.” The centerpiece of the exhibit is an initial display of 88 books deemed by the Library to be of cultural significance to America. You can view the list of books here. The list …
Last Wednesday, the Poetry and Literature Center hosted its final program of the 2011/2012 year: a reading with Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai. Like many of our readings this past year, this one was co-sponsored by another division in the Library and featured a moderated discussion run by an LC expert—in this case, our co-sponsor was …
Yesterday was a very important day for the Poetry and Literature Center—the Library announced the selection of a new Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Natasha Trethewey. Our previous laureate, Philip Levine, served in the position magnanimously and with a great sense of openness. The power of his term will continue to resonate inside and …
The following is a guest post from Camila Escobar-Vredevoogd, the 2012 Junior Fellow at the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center. I arrived here fresh from the University of Virginia, where I earned my undergraduate degree in English and Psychology. My love for poetry brought me to the Library of Congress this summer, and …
The following is a guest post by Donna Urschel, public affairs specialist in the Library of Congress Office of Communications. This originally appeared in abridged form as an article in the Library of Congress Gazette, Volume 23, No. 19. In the evenings of 1942 on the outskirts of Detroit, a 14-year-old Philip Levine frequently wandered …
NOTE: Follow this link on Friday, May 4, at 3 p. m. Eastern Time, to watch the live video conference with Philip Levine. Philip Levine concluded the Library’s literary season last night with a lecture to a packed audience in the Coolidge Auditorium. Levine’s talk, “My Forgotten Poets,” was a self-effacing tribute to the poets …
Today’s theatrical release of James McTeigue’s The Raven, inspired by the life and writings of Edgar Allan Poe, is noteworthy for the ease with which it casts one of America’s best-known poets and writers as an action star. While other major poets during the past decade have been featured in serious biopics, including Allen Ginsberg …
Less than two weeks from today, the Coolidge Auditorium will fill with people eager to see our 18th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Philip Levine, close out the Library’s spring season. The Poet Laureate will follow up his hugely successful opening reading last October with a talk entitled “Forgotten Poets of My Youth.” I …