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43-959: The four-day celebration of poetry has been called “poetry heaven” by the 1995–1997 US Poet Laureate Robert Hass , “a new Woodstock ” by the Christian Science Monitor , and “Wordstock” by The New York Times . The festival has been sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in even-numbered years since 1986. The festival immerses audiences and more than five dozen internationally acclaimed poets in discussions, readings, and conversations focusing on poetry. Events are held all day and evening in performance venues accommodating anywhere from 100 to over 2,000 people. Each day, ten or more separate stages simultaneously offer different activities. The 13th biennial festival took place in Newark, New Jersey at NJPAC , Newark Symphony Hall , and other venues around

86-753: A National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in 1974, and in 1997 he was named the United States Poet Laureate and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress; he was the first poet to be named to three terms. As Poet Laureate, Pinsky founded the Favorite Poem Project , in which thousands of Americans of varying backgrounds, all ages, and from every state share their favorite poems. Pinsky believed that, contrary to stereotype, poetry has

129-475: A B.A. from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey , and earned both an M.A. and PhD from Stanford University , where he was a Stegner Fellow in creative writing. He was a student of Francis Fergusson and Paul Fussell at Rutgers and Yvor Winters at Stanford. Pinsky married Ellen Jane Bailey, a clinical psychologist, in 1961. They have three children. Pinsky taught at Wellesley College and at

172-712: A Fula maabo , was appointed as the court poet of the Songhai chief Mossi Gaidou in Dargol, Niger . Poets Laureate of Nigeria include Obo Aba Hisanjani and Niyi Osundare . Mamman Jiya Vatsa was the inaugural poet laureate of Abuja, Nigeria . Tanure Ojaide was the Poet Laureate of the Niger Delta . During the 18th century in Rwanda 's history, Semidogoro was the official court poet of Mibambwe III Mutabazi II Sentabyo . Sekarama

215-814: A Young People's Poet Laureate, unconnected with the National Youth Poet Laureate and the United States Poet Laureate . The office is also popular with regional and community groups. Examples include the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, which is designated by a "Presenting Partners" group from within the community, the Minnesota poet laureate chosen by the League of Minnesota Poets (est. 1934), the Northampton Poet Laureate chosen by

258-455: A cycle off from the biennial Festival as you have known it and, depending on how things turn out, we may need to 'reinvent' the Festival on either a more affordable scale or in a more affordable venue. (Unfortunately, over the last three Festivals, the production costs have more than doubled, and a mere 20% of the Festival budget went toward hiring the poets at the very center of the event.)" Among

301-647: A different approach to our poetry activities in 2009 and 2010." Specifically, and most importantly, the Foundation announced that it would be unable to produce a Poetry Festival in September 2010 on the scale of past Festivals. The announcement noted that "We will maintain much of our work with New Jersey teachers of poetry this spring, and we will actually expand our efforts to make the audio and video archives of past Festivals readily available via YouTube and other means for all who want to enjoy them. Yet we must at least take

344-742: A dozen national governments continue the poet laureate tradition. In Algeria , during the 11th century, Ibn Sharaf al-Qayrawani was the court poet of the Zīrids . Al-Thaghri Al-Tilimsani was appointed as a court poet during the Zayyanid dynasty . Boûbacar Tinguidji, a Fula maabo , was appointed as the court poet of the Ruler of Dori . Poets Laureate of Cameroon include René Philombé . Poets Laureate of Cape Verde include Eugénio Tavares . Ahmed Shawqi became Egypt 's Poet Laureate in 1894. Poets Laureate of Eritrea include Reesom Haile. In Ethiopia ,

387-491: A strong presence in the American culture. The project sought to document that presence, giving voice to the American audience for poetry. The Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, D.C. commissioned Pinsky to write a free adaptation of Friederich Schiller's drama Wallenstein . The Shakespeare Theatre presented the play, starring Stephen Pickering in the title role, directed by Michael Kahn, in 2013. Premiering on April 17 of that year,

430-482: Is a series of special programs for high school students and for teachers at all levels, elementary through college. More than 4,500 students and 2,000 teachers from throughout the country participate in conversations and readings designed specifically for them during the first two days of the festival. The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival has been extensively featured in four PBS television series with Bill Moyers . The acclaimed eight-part The Language of Life series

473-622: The animated sitcom The Simpsons TV show, " Little Girl in the Big Ten " (2002), and appeared on The Colbert Report in April, 2007, as the judge of a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" between Stephen Colbert and Sean Penn . Since 2000, Farrar, Straus and Giroux have published four books of his poetry Jersey Rain (2000), Gulf Music (2007) Selected Poems (2011) and At the Foundling Hospital (2016). In 2012, Circumstantial Productions released

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516-458: The 10th century, Muhammad ibn Hani al-Andalusi al-Azdi was appointed as the chief court poet to the Fatimid Caliph al-Mu'izz . Also, in the 10th century, Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi was the court poet of Fatimid caliphs al-Qa'im , al-Mansur , and al-Mu'izz . Poets Laureate of Tunisia include Qasim Shabi. Poets Laureate of Uganda include Akena Adoko. Ginyilitshe Hlabangana was

559-852: The CD, PoemJazz by Robert Pinsky and Laurence Hobgood . In 2015, House Hour: PoemJazz II was released. Pinsky served as editor of the 25th anniversary volume of The Best of American Poetry anthologies called The Best of the Best of American Poetry (2013), and is the former poetry editor of Slate . He edited Singing School (2014), The Mind Has Cliffs of Fall: Poems at the Extremes of Feeling (2019) and The Book of Poetry for Hard Times (2021). In 2023, W.W. Norton published Pinsky's memoir Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet . Pinsky has received honorary doctorates from numerous institutions such as Northwestern University (2000), Binghamton University (2001),

602-714: The Northampton Arts Council, and the Martha's Vineyard Poet Laureate chosen by ten judges representing the Martha's Vineyard Poetry Society. In ancient Greece , the laurel was used to form a crown or wreath of honour for poets and heroes. The custom derives from the ancient myth of Daphne and Apollo (Daphne signifying "laurel" in Greek), and was revived in Padua for Albertino Mussato , followed by Petrarch 's own crowning ceremony in

645-470: The Republic of Liberia have included Roland T. Dempster , Melvin B. Tolson (1947), and Patricia Jabbeh Wesley . Libya -born Callimachus was appointed as an imperial court poet to Ptolemy II Philadelphus . Poets Laureate of Madagascar include Jacques Rabemananjara . Poets Laureate of Malawi include Jack Mapanje . Poets Laureate of Mali include Ban Sumana Sisòkò. Mohamed Ould Taleb

688-544: The University of California at Berkeley, and since 1989 has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts , and teaches in the graduate writing program at Boston University. Early on, Pinsky was inspired by the flow and tension of jazz and the excitement that it made him feel. As a former saxophonist, he has said that being a musician was a profoundly influential experience that he has tried to reproduce in his poetry. The musicality of poetry

731-671: The audience hall of the medieval senatorial palazzo on the Campidoglio on April 8, 1341. Because the Renaissance figures who were attempting to revive the Classical tradition lacked detailed knowledge of the Roman precedent they were attempting to emulate, these ceremonies took on the character of doctoral candidatures. In Persia, the poet laureate ( amīr- or malek-al-šoʿarāʾ ) carried artistic authority and were provided sources of income. Since

774-938: The chief. In the Xhosa language , Imbongi YeSizwethe can be translated to mean either "poet laureate" or " national poet ". Similar to what is expressed in the Xhosa term, some poets have been dually noted as "poet laureate" and "national poet" depending upon the source: Kazi Nazrul Islam ( Bangladesh ), Rabindranath Tagore ( India ), José Craveirinha ( Mozambique ), Mahmoud Darwish ( Palestine ), Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame 'Hadrawi' ( Somalia ), Edwin Thumboo ( Singapore ) and Taras Shevchenko ( Ukraine ). This contrasts with other figures such as Shamsur Rahman ( Bangladesh ), Thomas Moore ( Bermuda ), Francisco Borja da Costa ( Timor–Leste ) and Haji Gora Haji ( Zanzibar ) —who are conferred an "unofficial poet laureate" status due to their poetical works. As of modern times, over

817-453: The city. The 14th festival took place in the city October 11–14, 2012. The 11th festival, held from September 28 through October 1, 2006, at Waterloo Village in Stanhope, New Jersey , attracted nearly 17,000 people. The 12th festival took place from September 25 to 28, 2008. Soon after, on January 13, 2009, the Foundation announced that financial challenges were forcing the Foundation "to take

860-522: The first to be crowned poets laureate after the classical age, respectively in 1315 and 1342. In Britain, the term dates from the appointment of Bernard André by Henry VII of England . The royal office of Poet Laureate in England dates from the appointment of John Dryden in 1668. In modern times a poet laureate title may be conferred by an organization such as the Poetry Foundation , which designates

903-417: The idea that people's individuality would fill out the poem, he has said, "The poetry I love is vocal, composed with the poet's voice and I believe its proper culmination is to be read with a reader's imagined or actual voice. The human voice in that sense is not electronically reproduced or amplified; it's the actual living breath inside a body—not necessarily an expert's body or the artist's body. Whoever reads

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946-493: The office of poet laureate has become widely adopted, the term "laureate" has come to signify recognition for preeminence or superlative achievement ( cf. Nobel laureate ). A royal degree in rhetoric , poet laureate was awarded at European universities in the Middle Ages . The term therefore may refer to the holder of such a degree, which recognized skill in rhetoric, grammar, and language. During England 's seventeenth century,

989-550: The official poet laureate (or Imbongi YeNkosi ) for the Ndebele Kingdom (now called Matabeleland, Zimbabwe ). During the 10–11th century, Unsuri was made poet laureate by Sultan Maḥmūd of Ghazna . Modern Poets Laureate of Afghanistan include Abdullah "Malik al-Shu'Ara" Qari, Sufi Abdul Bitab, and Ustad Khalilullah Khalili . Poets Laureate of Armenia include Avetik Isahakian and Hovhannes Toumanian (1970). In 1502, Azerbaijan -born court poet Habibi earned

1032-460: The officially designated Laureate includes Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin . Tsegaye's award was granted in 1966 by His Majesty, Haile-Selasie II. Poets Laureate of The Gambia include Lenrie Peters . Poets Laureate of Ghana include Atukwei Okai . Muyaka bin Haji al-Ghassaniy was the Poet Laureate of Mombasa, Kenya . Poets Laureate of Lesotho include Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa . Poets Laureate for

1075-635: The play had a sold-out run, in repertory with Coriolanus . Pinsky also wrote the libretto for Death and the Powers , an opera by composer Tod Machover . The opera received its world premiere in Monte Carlo in September 2010 and its U.S. premiere at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theater in March 2011. Pinsky is also the author of the interactive fiction game Mindwheel (1984) developed by Synapse Software and released by Broderbund . Pinsky guest-starred in an episode of

1118-456: The poem aloud becomes the proper medium for the poem." Pinsky observes 'the kind of poetry I write emphasizes the physical qualities of the words' for poetry to Pinsky, is a vocal art, not necessarily performative, but reading to one self or recalling some lines by memory. Pinsky comments 'all language is necessarily abstract' . No aspect of a poem, he observes, is more singular, more unique, than its rhythm, for there are no rules. He received

1161-431: The poet laureate served as the "court poet" of royalty, and was often called upon to celebrate state occasions until that role was abolished during the early 1800s. The skald in ancient Scandinavia often spent their careers too serving as the court poets of Norway 's kings. Just like the first English poet laureates, ministers during China 's feudal era presented "commanded poems" at royal events and were beholden to

1204-606: The poet laureate. During the Tang dynasty , He Zhichang was appointed as the poet laureate of Emperor Ho Kwei. Zhou Boqi was a court poet appointed during the Yuan Dynasty . During the 19th century, after the Turks invaded Cyprus , Mufti Hilmi Efendi was appointed the poet laureate of Sultan Mahmud II . In 1980, the World Academy of Arts and Culture awarded Cyprus -born Costas Montis

1247-1120: The poets who have participated in past festivals are Chinua Achebe , Taha Muhammad Ali , Claribel Alegría , Yehuda Amichai , Jimmy Santiago Baca , Amiri Baraka , Coleman Barks , Ekiwah Adler-Belendez , Robert Bly , Gwendolyn Brooks , Marilyn Chin , Lucille Clifton , Billy Collins , Bei Dao , Toi Derricotte , Mark Doty , Rita Dove , Stephen Dunn , Nikki Giovanni , Allen Ginsberg , Jorie Graham , Linda Gregg , Donald Hall , Robert Hass , Tony Hoagland , Linda Hogan , Edward Hirsch , Galway Kinnell , Carolyn Kizer , Yusef Komunyakaa , Stanley Kunitz , Kurtis Lamkin , Li-Young Lee , Linda McCarriston , W. S. Merwin , Andrew Motion , Taslima Nasreen , Naomi Shihab Nye , Joyce Carol Oates , Sharon Olds , Alicia Ostriker , Grace Paley , Linda Pastan , Octavio Paz , Marge Piercy , Robert Pinsky , Adrienne Rich , Sonia Sanchez , Gary Snyder , William Stafford , Gerald Stern , Ruth Stone , Sekou Sundiata , Brian Turner , Ko Un , Derek Walcott , Anne Waldman , Richard Wilbur , Adam Zagajewski , and Daisy Zamora . An essential component of each festival

1290-703: The ruling class. In Japan , the poet laureate ( keikanshijin ) was also imperially appointed and were often called upon to read at the annual Utakai Hajime . Comparatively, in Africa , kingdoms such as the Kuba in the Belgian Congo (modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo ) appointed bards that served as both the royal historian and poet laureate. In addition to being known as poet laureates, bards were also referred to as "praise-poets" due to their special function of venerating

1333-401: The title "king of poets" from Safavid king Ismail I . Poets Laureate of Azerbaijan include Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh . Bahrain -born Muḥammad Sharīf al-Shībānī served as the poet laureate of the court of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (c. 1967). During the 15th century, Zainuddin was appointed the court poet of Bengal while under the patronage of Prince Yusuf Khan . Yusuf-Zulekha

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1376-479: The title of Poet Laureate. Heraclius II of Georgia appointed Sayat-Nova as his poet laureate at the court of Tblisi . In India , poet laureates were maintained at the royal courts beginning in ancient times. For instance, in Ancient India , Harisena was designated poet laureate by Emperor Samudragupta . During the 7th century, Emperor Harsha proclaimed Bāṇabhaṭṭa as the poet laureate. Jayamkondar

1419-453: The university named him a William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, the highest honor bestowed on senior faculty members who are actively involved in teaching, research, scholarship, and university civic life. Pinsky was born in Long Branch, New Jersey , to Jewish parents, Sylvia (née Eisenberg) and Milford Simon Pinsky, an optician. He attended Long Branch High School . He received

1462-440: Was a Paramama court poet. In the mid-11th century, Nannaya was the poet-laureate of Rajaraja Narendra . In the 15th century, Cherusseri Namboothiri was the court poet of Udaya Varma. During the 15th-16th centuries, Allasani Peddana was the poet laureate of Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara . In the 16th century, Shaikh Gadai Kamboh was the poet laureate in the court of Sultan of Sikandar Lodhi. In 1665, Nusrati

1505-425: Was and is extremely important to his work. Additionally, Pinsky revealed in a 1999 interview with Bomb Magazine that he enjoys jazz for its "physical immediacy, improvisation and also the sense that a lifetime of suffering and study and thought and emotion is behind some single phrase." Pinsky has acknowledged that his poetry would change somewhat depending on the particular subjectivity of each reader. Embracing

1548-609: Was appointed as the official court poet during Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz 's presidency in Mauritania . Poets Laureate of Mauritius include Édouard Maunick . In the 13th century, Abdelaziz al-Malzuzi was the court poet of Abu Yahya ibn Abd al-Haqq . During the 16th-17th centuries in Morocco 's history, Abd al-Aziz al-Fishtali was appointed as the poet laureate of the Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur . Burkina Faso -born Boûbacar Tinguidji,

1591-553: Was filmed at the 1994 Festival providing a look at the overall activities of the Festival and in-depth conversations with the featured poets. More recently, Fooling With Words offered television audiences a front-row seat at the 1998 Festival. Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate ) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) of Arezzo were

1634-483: Was made a poet laureate by Sultan ʿAlī II ( r.  1656–1672) of the ʿĀdil-Shāhī dynasty . During the Mughal Empire , Emperor Akbar made Birbal the poet laureate. In the aforementioned empire's later history, Taleb Amoli was Emperor Jahangir 's poet laureate from 1618–1627, and Emperor Shah Jahan appointed Jagannatha Panditaraja as the poet laureate during his reign. In the 18th century, Bharatchandra Ray

1677-455: Was made poet laureate by Chola Emperor Kulottunga I . In the 10th century, Ranna was the poet laureate of Western Chalukya Kings Tailapa II and Satyashraya . Adikavi Pampa was the court poet of Vemulavada Chalukya king Arikesari II . Also, in the 10th century, Ponna received the title Kavichakravarthi (poet laureate) and Ubhaya-Chakravarthi (imperial poet in two languages) from Rashtrakuta king Krishna III . Padmagupta Parimala

1720-564: Was the court poet of Shaka Zulu . During the 10th century, David Livingstone Phakamile (Yali-Manisi) was the poet laureate of Kaiser Matanzima . Poets Laureate of South Africa include Mazisi Kunene (2005), Keorapetse Kgositsile (2006), and Mongane Wally Serote (2018– ). During the 1800s in Sudan , Al U'aysir was the court poet ( inqīb ) of the Ja'alin tribe King Mek Nimr . Poets Laureate of Tanzania include Saadani Kandoro (1969). During

1763-776: Was the court poet of Sultan of Bengal , Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah . Sometime during the 15th-16th century, Shah Muhammad Saghir was the poet laureate of the Sultan of Bengal Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah . Daulat Qazi , born in what is now modern day Bangladesh , was officially appointed as the poet for the Arakan court in Myanmar (then ruled by King Thiri Thudhamma ). Poets Laureate of Brunei include royal poet Omar Ali Saifuddien III . Poets Laureate of Cambodia include Ind (1907–1924). In Ancient China , Emperor Yuan of Han appointed Shi You as

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1806-436: Was the court poet of Maharaja Krishnachandra. Robert Pinsky Robert Pinsky (born October 20, 1940) is an American poet , essayist , literary critic , and translator . He was the first United States Poet Laureate to serve three terms. Recognized worldwide, Pinsky's work has earned numerous accolades. Pinsky is a professor of English and creative writing in the graduate writing program at Boston University. In 2015

1849-456: Was the official court poet during the reigns of Kigeli IV Rwabugiri and Mutara III Rudahigwa . Poets Laureate of Rwanda include Edouard Bamporiki Uwayo. Poets Laureate of Senegal include Léopold Sédar Senghor and Robert Hayden (1966). Poets Laureate of Sierra Leone include the Italian authors Roberto Malini and Dario Picciau . In the 19th century, Magolwane kaMkhathini Jiyane

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