Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry
Name	Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry
Formation	1937
Inaugural	Joseph Auslander

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry is a literary office established in 1937 within the Library of Congress to recognize a distinguished American poet and to promote poetry nationwide. It succeeds earlier traditions of court and municipal laureates such as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and parallels civic honors in institutions like the Académie française and prizes such as the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the Nobel Prize in Literature. The post has been held by figures associated with movements and institutions including the Harvard University English Department, the Yale School of Drama, the New York Public Library, and journals like Poetry (magazine), reflecting currents in American letters from Modernism to Confessional poetry and Language poetry.

History

The office originated when the Library of Congress appointed Joseph Auslander in 1937, following precedents in cultural appointments such as the United Kingdom's Poet Laureate and municipal laureates in Boston, Massachusetts and New Orleans, Louisiana. Early holders included writers connected to the Works Progress Administration and cultural initiatives of the Franklin D. Roosevelt era. Postwar incumbents intersected with institutions such as Harvard University, the University of Iowa's Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the Kenyon Review, and responded to national crises including the Great Depression and the Vietnam War. During the late 20th century, appointments reflected diversification in voices from the Black Arts Movement and the Chicano Movement, featuring poets affiliated with Howard University, Stanford University, City College of New York, and community presses like City Lights Booksellers & Publishers.

Role and Duties

The Consultant serves as an ambassador for poetry within the Library of Congress and in public life, engaging with institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and university presses like the University of Chicago Press and Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Typical duties include crafting readings at venues like the Kennedy Center, curating exhibitions at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and advising congressional cultural committees. Historically, Consultants have organized symposia featuring publishers such as Knopf and magazines including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review, and partnered with performing institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

Selection Process

Selection is made by the Librarian of Congress, often after consultation with literary bodies and individuals associated with the Academy of American Poets, the Poetry Foundation, and university faculties at places like Columbia University, Yale University, and the University of Michigan. Candidates typically have records recognized by awards such as the National Book Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize, or fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation. Committees may include editors from The Paris Review, directors from the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center, and past honorees connected to cultural centers like the 92nd Street Y and festivals such as the Key West Literary Seminar.

Notable Consultants and Laureates

Prominent officeholders have included Joseph Auslander, whose tenure intersects with prewar periodicals; Elizabeth Bishop, associated with New Hampshire and Harvard University; Robert Frost, linked to Amherst College and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Louise Bogan, connected to The New Yorker; and William Carlos Williams, affiliating with Rutgers University and Modernism. Later figures include Gwendolyn Brooks of Chicago and the Pulitzer Prize, Adrienne Rich associated with Syracuse University and the Confessional poets, Billy Collins connected to Columbia University and widespread public readings, Rita Dove affiliated with University of Virginia and the National Humanities Medal, and Tracy K. Smith linked to Princeton University and the Pulitzer Prize. Other holders have ties to diverse presses and institutions: Langston Hughes with the Harlem Renaissance and Harlem, Sylvia Plath with Yale University connections through archives, W. S. Merwin associated with Duke University and environmental movements, and Natasha Trethewey connected to Emory University and archives of the Civil War era.

Initiatives and Programs

Consultants have launched national projects in partnership with organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, and the Poetry Foundation. Programs have included nationwide reading tours with partners like the National Book Festival and the Library of Congress National Book Festival, youth outreach with the Poetry Out Loud program and the YoungArts Foundation, archival projects collaborating with the National Archives and Records Administration, anthology curation with publishers like Penguin Books and W. W. Norton & Company, and digital initiatives with institutions including the Internet Archive and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Collaborative multimedia ventures have involved the Smithsonian Institution and public radio outlets such as NPR.

Criticism and Controversies

Appointments have provoked debate in forums such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and literary journals like The New Republic and Harper's Magazine concerning issues of representation involving movements including the Black Arts Movement and debates over aesthetics linked to Formalism versus Free verse. Controversies have arisen over selections perceived as politically charged during administrations of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, disputes about tenure length and public funding with the National Endowment for the Arts, and debates over literary elitism vis-à-vis community poets and small presses such as Copper Canyon Press and Small Press Distribution. Critiques have also focused on archival access at institutions like the Library of Congress and transparency in selection processes involving advisory boards from universities including Brown University and University of California, Berkeley.

Category:American poetry