Poet laureate

A poet laureate is a poet who is honored for his or her achievement and is often viewed as one of the most influential poets of a specific country, state, or city. The practice of appointing a poet laureate who represented the best in his or her field began in England in the 1600s. The poet appointed to that position became a member of the royal household who composed poems and other works for important occasions. Countries around the world currently appoint poet laureates who write and promote poetry in their countries.

Background

Poetry itself has existed for thousands of years, and it originated before people began writing down their languages. People have used spoken poetry to tell stories and relay information for thousands of years. Eventually humans began writing down their literary works, including poems. Poems are some of the most widely read literary works in the world. The ancient Greeks appreciated poetry, and they recognized the contributions that poets made to society. The Greeks recognized this work by awarding talented poets with wreaths of laurel. These poets were the first poet laureates. The Greek tradition of those in power recognizing poetry went on to inspire future generations to similarly honor poets.

Although poetry was a popular literary form for centuries after the ancient Greeks first named poet laureates, it was not until the 1600s that Europeans revived the practice of honoring poets. In 1616, Britain's King James I honored the poet Ben Jonson. In 1668, the poet John Dryden was named the first official poet laureate of England. Poet laureates held their positions for life at this time, and they were paid for their work through the royal household. For a time, poet laureates in Great Britain received wine in addition to the monetary payment for their work.

In 1999, the United Kingdom's poet laureate Ted Hughes died. The government then decided that the term would no longer be held for life. The next laureate, Andrew Motion, was appointed for ten years. In 2009, history was made again when Carol Ann Duffy was named the first female poet laureate of the United Kingdom. Duffy was the poet laureate during Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee, or sixtieth year as monarch, in 2012 and Duffy wrote a poem commemorating the queen's reign.

Overview

Although naming poet laureates is a very old tradition, many countries, states, and cities have adopted the practice only since the early 1900s. The United States started naming a poet laureate, whose official title was consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, in 1937. In 1985, the US Congress renamed the position poet laureate consultant in poetry. Archer Milton Huntington, an American philanthropist, left an endowment to help pay the poet laureate, but the stipend is small. The Librarian of Congress appoints the poet laureate, and that person serves from September to May of a particular year. The American poet laureate is expected to spread awareness of reading and writing poetry throughout the United States. Each poet laureate has a project he or she works on to promote poetry. Past projects have included offering free poetry to newspapers and other periodicals, providing poems and instruction to help teachers in schools, and creating unique public spaces where people can share and experience poetry.

A number of other countries also name poet laureates. For example, the Canadian government established a poet laureate position in 2001. The poet laureate is chosen by the speakers of the Senate and House of Commons. The chosen poet serves a two-year term. The recipients of the title alternate between English- and French-speaking poets. New Zealand also appoints a poet laureate. The New Zealand poet laureate is expected to speak on behalf of New Zealand poetry. The laureate holds the position for two years and is expected to produce new poetry and promote poetry throughout the country. States and cities—such as Alabama, Wisconsin, Florida, California, and Los Angeles—in the United States and in other parts of the world also appoint poet laureates.

The expectations, duties, and requirements of poet laureates differ in each place that appoints them. Often, however, poet laureates have explicit or implicit duties in their roles. Sometimes, these duties include writing poems to mark special occasions such as weddings and anniversaries. However, most poet laureates are not specifically mandated to write poems for these occasions, as poets need to be inspired to write about a subject instead of being forced to write. Other duties might include spreading appreciation for the writing and reading of poetry in a specific place. Poet laureates are often seen as representatives of the literary and artistic communities. Their work and their engagement in the community can help inspire others to read and write poetry. Often, poet laureates conduct public poetry readings, including readings of their own work, to share poetry with the public. Often poet laureates also try to share poetry with children and students in their country, state, or town.

Being named a poet laureate is often seen as a great accomplishment for a poet. Some poet laureates in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries have been very famous poets. For example, Lord Alfred Tennyson was British poet laureate from 1851 until he died in 1892. He is one of the most famous European poets of his time. Also, Robert Frost and William Carlos Williams were both very famous American poets who served as poet laureate in the United States. (Since Frost and Williams served in this position before 1985, they are more accurately called consultants in poetry, rather than poet laureates.) Although poet laureates can be very famous, that is not a requirement of the position. Some poets who have been named poet laureates have found the position makes writing and publishing more difficult. For example, Andrew Motion—who was poet laureate in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009—said that the stress of holding the position had stymied his writing.

Bibliography

McSmith, Andy. "The Big Question: What's the History of Poet Laureates, and Does the Job Still Mean Anything?" Independent, 30 Apr. 2009, www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-big-question-whats-the-history-of-poet-laureates-and-does-the-job-still-mean-anything-1677076.html. Accessed June 6 2017.

"New Zealand Poet Laureate Award." National Library of New Zealand, natlib.govt.nz/about-us/scholarships-and-awards/poet-laureate. Accessed 6 June 2017.

"The Parliamentary Poet Laureate: About." Canada Parliament, bdp.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Poet/index-e.html. Accessed 6 June 2017.

"Past Poet Laureate Projects." Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/poetry/laureate-projects.html. Accessed 6 June 2017.

"Poets Laureate." Oklahoma Historical Society, www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PO002. Accessed 6 June 2017.

"United States Poets Laureate: A Guide to Online Resources." Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/poetslaureate/faq.html. Accessed 6 June 2017.

Wills, Matthew. "The History of the Poet Laureate." JSTOR Daily, daily.jstor.org/poet-laureate/. Accessed 6 June 2017.

Wroe, Nicholas. "Carol Ann Duffy on Five Years as Poet Laureate: 'It Has Been a Joy.'" Guardian, 27 Sept. 2014, www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/27/carol-ann-duffy-poet-laureate-interview. Accessed 6 June 2017.