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Poetry on High: 80 Years of Poets Laureate
The US Poet Laureate serves as the nation's official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans. During his or her term, the Poem Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.
The position's origins extend back to 1936, when philanthropist Archer M. Huntington provided an endowment for the "maintenance of a chair of Poetry of the English Language in the Library of Congress." Joseph Auslander (1937-41) became the first "Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress" -- as the position was originally known -- in 1937. |