Library of Congress Poetry Room

On December 20, 1985, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill fulfilling an act passed by Congress that created the position of Poet Laureate of the United States and formally elevated the stature of the genre. Robert Penn Warren, who was appointed by the Librarian of Congress, was the first to assume the official role of Poet Laureate in 1986.

From 1937 to 1986, a prominent poet had been recognized each year as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Indeed, Warren had been the Consultant in Poetry more than forty years earlier (1944-1945). Included among others who had held that title were Elizabeth Bishop, James Dickey, Robert Frost, Robert Hayden, Anthony Hecht, Randall Jarrell, Maxin Kumin, Robert Lowell, Karl Shapiro, William Stafford, Allen Tate, and William Carlos Williams.

After Warren completed the initial one-year appointment as Poet Laureate, various well-known poets followed, some serving more than one term: Richard Wilbur, Howard Nemerov, Mark Strand, Joseph Brodsky, Mona Van Duyn, Rita Dove, Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky, Stanley Kunitz, Billy Collins, Louise Glück, Ted Kooser, Donald Hall, and now Charles Simic. Readers may examine the complete list of those who have served during the last seventy years at the Library of Congress’s web page chronicling the history of chosen poets. The quality of poetry produced by the figures in this distinguished roster provides evidence the title of Poet Laureate continues to represent a high standard set by the original selection of Robert Penn Warren as Poet Laureate and by the many predecessors who served as the Consultants in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

Additionally, with the existence of the Internet, one now no longer needs to travel to the Library of Congress main reading room (pictured above) to find materials by these poets and others. One may visit the virtual poetry room at the Library of Congress’s “Poet Vision” site, where readers will find a page devoted to video webcasts of interviews and conversations about poetry (each around an hour long) with well-known poets, including Lucille Clifton, Rita Dove, Allen Ginsberg, Louise Glück, Sam Hamill, Michael Harper, Etheridge Knight, Stanley Kunitz, Denise Levertov, and Robert Penn Warren. An accompanying page, “Poet and the Poem,” also contains dozens of audiocasts of poetry readings.

During the upcoming holiday weeks when many devotees of poetry are seeking leisure activities, perhaps this time of year provides everyone a perfect opportunity for browsing these pages to rediscover some of the important poets whose videos and audio presentations are available at the Library of Congress’s “Poet Vision” or “Poet and the Poem” locations.