The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress , commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate , serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry. The position was modeled on the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom . Begun in 1937, and formerly known as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress , the present title was devised and authorized by an Act of Congress in 1985. Appointed by the Librarian of Congress , the poet laureate's office is administered by the Center for the Book . For children's poets, the Poetry Foundation awards the Young People's Poet Laureate .
18-498: Richard Purdy Wilbur (March 1, 1921 – October 14, 2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, often employing rhyme, and composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and gentlemanly elegance. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987 and received
36-420: A different emphasis to the position. Maxine Kumin started a popular series of poetry workshops for women at the Library of Congress. Gwendolyn Brooks met with elementary school students to encourage them to write poetry. Joseph Brodsky initiated the idea of providing poetry in airports, supermarkets, and hotel rooms. Rita Dove , considered the first activist poet laureate, brought together writers to explore
54-434: A gift from Archer M. Huntington . On October 3, 1985, the U.S. Congress passed legislation authored by Senator Spark M. Matsunaga of Hawaii changing the title of the position to Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. The Library minimizes assigned duties, to allow incumbents to pursue their own projects while at the Library. The poet laureate presents an annual lecture and reading of their poetry and usually introduces poets at
72-549: Is Wilbur's foray into writing theatre lyrics . He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein 's 1956 musical Candide , including the famous " Glitter and Be Gay " and "Make Our Garden Grow". He also produced several unpublished works, including "The Wing" and "To Beatrice". His honors included the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award and the PEN Translation Prize for his translation of The Misanthrope ,
90-718: Is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts . A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Nominations are submitted to the National Council on the Arts, the advisory committee of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), who then submits its recommendations to
108-612: The African diaspora through the eyes of its artists, championed children's poetry and jazz with poetry events and read at the White House during Bill Clinton 's first state dinner. Robert Hass organized a watershed conference that brought together popular novelists, poets, and storytellers to talk about writing, nature, and community, and co-founded the River of Words K–12 international children's poetry and art contest. Robert Pinsky initiated
126-553: The Favorite Poem Project . Billy Collins's "Poetry 180" project distributed a poem to all high schools for every day of the school year. These poems were also collected and published in two anthologies. Each year links to its corresponding "[year] in poetry" article: 1999 – 2000 (for Library of Congress's 200th Anniversary) Rita Dove , Louise Glück , and W. S. Merwin National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts
144-766: The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award for Things of This World (1956), the Edna St Vincent Millay award, the Bollingen Prize , and the Chevalier, Ordre des Palmes Académiques . He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959. In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren , to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title
162-572: The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice, in 1957 and 1989. Wilbur was born in New York City on March 1, 1921, and grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey . In 1938 he graduated from Montclair High School , where he worked on the school newspaper. At Amherst College , he also displayed his "ample literary gifts" as one of the "sharpest" reporters for the college newspaper, edited by upperclassman Robert Morgenthau . After graduation in 1942, he served in
180-662: The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize . In 2010 he won the National Translation Award for the translation of The Theatre of Illusion by Pierre Corneille . In 2012 Yale University conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters on Wilbur. Wilbur died on October 14, 2017, at a nursing home in Belmont, Massachusetts , from natural causes aged 96. During his lifetime, Wilbur received numerous awards in recognition of his work, including: Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to
198-595: The United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II . He attended graduate school at Harvard University . Wilbur taught at Wellesley College , then Wesleyan University for two decades and at Smith College for another decade. At Wesleyan he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the Wesleyan University Press . He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and taught at Amherst College as late as 2009, where he also served on
SECTION 10
#1732897736771216-571: The White House for the President of the United States to award. The medal was designed for the NEA by sculptor Robert Graham . In 1983, prior to the official establishment of the National Medal of Arts, through the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities , President Ronald Reagan awarded a medal to artists and arts patrons. The National Medal of Arts was first awarded in 1985. The ceremony
234-528: The Library of Congress The incumbent poet laureate (since 2022) is Ada Limón . The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry is appointed by the Librarian of Congress and usually serves a two-year term. In making the appointment, the Librarian consults with current and former poets laureate and other distinguished personalities in the field. Currently, the poet laureate receives a $ 60,000 annual stipend , endowed by
252-527: The Library's poetry series, the oldest in the Washington area and among the oldest in the United States. This annual series of public poetry and fiction readings, lectures, symposia, and occasional dramatic performances began in the 1940s. Collectively, the poets laureate have brought more than 2,000 poets and authors to the Library to read for the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. Each consultant has brought
270-544: The editorial board of the literary magazine The Common . When only eight years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine . His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems , appeared in 1947. Thereafter he published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur was also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and dramas of Jean Racine . His translation of Tartuffe has become
288-467: The play's standard English version and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD). Wilbur also published several children's books, including Opposites , More Opposites , and The Disappearing Alphabet. In 1959 he became the general editor of The Laurel Poetry Series ( Dell Publishing ). Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden , Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known
306-669: Was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1988 he won the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry and in 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, for his New and Collected Poems. On October 14, 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton . He also received the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation in 1994. In 2003 Wilbur was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame . In 2006 he won
324-484: Was not held in 2021 or 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic therefore the 2021 recipients were given the award in 2023. In 1989, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein refused his award, allegedly due to how a federal grant to an art show on AIDS had been revoked. In 1992, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim refused his award, claiming that the NEA had "become a victim of its own and others' political infighting and
#770229