The Library of Congress appointed Philip Levine as its 18th Poet Laureate. Levine will begin his duties in the fall. He succeeds W. S. Merwin.
Wesley McNair is Maine's poet laureate.
Just what does a poet laureate do? The Librarian of Congress appoints the United States Poet Laureate after consulting former appointees. The Library actually assigns very few specific duties to the poet laureate, giving the appointee freedom to work on their own projects. The appointee is expected to help foster a greater appreciation of both the reading and writing of poetry. Some past projects include Ted Kooser's weekly newspaper column and Charles Simic taught a master class for poets at the Library of Congress.
Although April is National Poetry Month, take time to celebrate the art of poetry every month. Your library has several books to help you create your own poetry. Or come in and check out a published poets writing, just browse through the stacks in the 811s. One of my favorite books is "Committed to memory; 100 best poems to memorize" (808.81 Com). Take the challenge and commit a poem to memory today.
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