Poets Laureate

The term poet laureate has existed since before 1619, when Charles I appointed Ben Jonson the first poet laureate in Great Britain. A poet laureate is a writer of poetry who receives honor for eloquence. The word laureate comes from the laurel, Laurus nobilis, a type of bay tree whose leaves are used to make an entwined crown as an emblem of victory or of distinction—in this case, in poetry. The laurel tree was, in Greek mythology, sacred to the god Apollo, who was the patron of poets. The poet laureate assumes an official position within a government, and is often called upon to write poems in honor of ceremonial occasions. Many countries, states, and cities have poets laureate. The custom seems to be more prevalent in English-speaking or British-influenced countries than in others in Europe, though Nazi Germany had a poet laureate (Hanns Johst). A Children's Poet Laureate has been funded by the Poetry Foundation of America.

The British poets laureate are salaried, and members of the royal household. They have been, since 1619, all males, including Ben Jonson, Sir William D'Avenant, John Dryden, Thomas Shadwell, Nahum Tate, Nicholas Rowe, Laurence Eusden, Colley Cibber, William Whitehead, Thomas Wharton, Henry James Pye, Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Alfred Austin, Robert Bridges, John [Page 682]Masefield, Cecil Day-Lewis, Sir John Betjeman, Ted Hughes, and Andrew Motion. Students of British literature may recall having read the poetry of some, but not all of these poets laureate.

The United States has had poets laureate since 1937; they are attached to the U.S. Library of Congress and appointed to a one-year term, except for Joseph Auslander, the first poet laureate, who served from 1937 to 1941. The Library of Congress poets laureate have been mostly White male and female, with males outnumbering females. The first African American poet laureate was Robert Hayden. Currently, the position pays $35,000 per year. The poet serves as “official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans,” according to the Library of Congress. Each poet works on a special project designed to raise the awareness of Americans about poetry. Poets after Auslander were Allen Tate (1943–1944), Robert Penn Warren, Louise Bogan, Karl Shapiro, Robert Lowell, Leonie Adams, Elizabeth Bishop, Conrad Aiken (who was to serve two terms, 1950–1952), William Carlos Williams, Randall Jarrell, Robert Frost, Richard Eberhart, Louis Untermeyer, Howard Nemerov, Reed Whittemore, Stephen Spender, James Dickey, William Jay Smith, William Stafford, Josephine Jacobsen, Daniel Hoffman, Stanley Kunitz, Robert Hayden, William Meredith, Maxine Kumin, Anthony Hecht, Robert Fitzgerald, Reed Whittemore, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Penn Warren (second term), Richard Wilbur, Howard Nemerov, Mark Strand, Joseph Brodsky, Mona Van Duyn, Rita Dove, Robert Hass, Robert Pinsky (for 6 years), then Rita Dove, Louise Glück, and W. S. Merwin (who were the bicentennial consultants), Stanley Kunitz, Billy Collins, Louise Glück, Ted Kooser, Donald Hall, Charles Simic, and Kay Ryan.

Most states and the District of Columbia have a poet laureate. In some states the governor appoints the poet; in others it is the legislature. The selection processes vary. In some states the poets apply; in others, they do not. Poets have various backgrounds; some have advanced degrees in creative writing, others are self-taught. Some teach poetry in English departments at colleges and universities, others are poets who have widespread followings among the common people. Arizona, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have no poet laureate.

...