MetaFilter posts tagged with laureate

Kay Ryan is the new Poet Laureate

Peach — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:31:51 -0800

My favorite poet, Kay Ryan has been named United States Poet Laureate. The job is a cheap thrill--it pays $35,000 for the year, and the previous laureate, Charles Simic, declined to repeat the honor for a second year because he needed more time to write. The original title was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, but the title was changed in 1985 to make it sexier. Poets Laureate tend to be accessible poets who write relatively clear poems, with Billy Collins perhaps the most controversial because his gentle, ironic verse is popular and sells well. But then poets don't tend to respect their peers. The first poem I read by her was Turtle; she specializes in very brief, compact, internally rhymed, wry poems. "It's kind of a thrill to go from nothing to this," she says. "This is probably going to keep me so occupied that it will discourage any contact with the deeper mind. But my deeper mind needs a break."

His object all sublime / He will achieve in time

Smart Dalek — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:45:11 -0800

Court Decision, re: Fisher v. Lowe, Feb. 1999. Car ends up in man's yard. Man sues driver. Judge administers poetic justice. [via]

kevincmurphy — Tue, 31 Oct 2000 09:45:29 -0800

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue : Gore hints on CNN that he'd consider appointing Bob Dylan as Poet Laureate. But there's no folk gap quite yet. "Times Are Changin' Back" scribe Senator Bob Roberts endorsed Dubya at a Nader rally two weeks ago.