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The Poets Laureate Anthology
Schmidt offers the first anthology to gather poems by the 43 poets laureate of the United States.
816 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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347 people want to read
About the author
Billy Collins
150 books1,610 followersWilliam James Collins is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. In 2016, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. As of 2020, he is a teacher in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 5, 2011
This is a wonderful, huge volume of poetry anthologizing all those poets who've served as the nation's Poet Laureate or--as the position was originally appointed--as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. They range from Joseph Auslander (1937) to W. S. Merwin (2010), the outgoing laureate now that Philip Levine was named a few weeks ago to succeed him.
Two things are interesting about The Poets Laureate Anthology. First, the arrangement of the poets and their poems runs backward in time from the newest laureate to the earliest. This is an ordering that seems to not make a bit of difference; I can't detect any shifts in style or fashion. Certainly not in quality. Second, all the poets are fairly conventional in form and technique. I'm familiar with most of them. Some I read regularly. One I'd never heard of--Auslander. Some, like Reed Wittemore and Josephine Jacobsen, I'd never read before. Some are old favorites and one--Joseph Brodsky--still fails to move me. William Jay Smith, last read by me in the 60s, was an exciting rediscovery.
This is a muscular collection representing some of the best postwar poets and their work. You would expect to see them included in any anthology of modern poetry. In this collection, they all heppen to be laureates of consultants.
Two things are interesting about The Poets Laureate Anthology. First, the arrangement of the poets and their poems runs backward in time from the newest laureate to the earliest. This is an ordering that seems to not make a bit of difference; I can't detect any shifts in style or fashion. Certainly not in quality. Second, all the poets are fairly conventional in form and technique. I'm familiar with most of them. Some I read regularly. One I'd never heard of--Auslander. Some, like Reed Wittemore and Josephine Jacobsen, I'd never read before. Some are old favorites and one--Joseph Brodsky--still fails to move me. William Jay Smith, last read by me in the 60s, was an exciting rediscovery.
This is a muscular collection representing some of the best postwar poets and their work. You would expect to see them included in any anthology of modern poetry. In this collection, they all heppen to be laureates of consultants.
September 19, 2011
Though I guess I'm glad someone finally thought to put together a collection of the Poets Laureate (as if any of them needed to be anthologized again), one would do well to remember that the position itself is typically political and relies heavily on certain criteria (being alive, for instance; popularity and accessibility; marketability, even) that don't always guarantee good poetry.
Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Kay Ryan are among some of the more lackluster Poets Laureate in recent years--and, given this anthology came out before the recent appointments of W.S. Merwin and Philip Levine--which is a bit of a let-down, as it leaves them (Collins, Kooser, and Ryan) as the Rushmore heads of contemporary poetry, at least as far as this book in concerned.
I might give this to my mother or sister as a Christmas gift, but certainly not to a fellow lover of poetry.
Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Kay Ryan are among some of the more lackluster Poets Laureate in recent years--and, given this anthology came out before the recent appointments of W.S. Merwin and Philip Levine--which is a bit of a let-down, as it leaves them (Collins, Kooser, and Ryan) as the Rushmore heads of contemporary poetry, at least as far as this book in concerned.
I might give this to my mother or sister as a Christmas gift, but certainly not to a fellow lover of poetry.
March 7, 2025
An outstanding collection! I have learned so much from just the first reading, and will be revisiting my favorite poems for months to come.
May 8, 2012
I have read many of the poets' works included here and new to me poems. I believe in the saving or healing power of words/language when put together well. Billy Collins has become a new favorite. I only regret that James Wright's works are not included here as he still is held high on my list of contemporary poets. "A Blessing" being my particular favorite from among Wright's many works.
This is book to savor; hence I'll not put a date to finish it. I plan on returning to it often.
This is book to savor; hence I'll not put a date to finish it. I plan on returning to it often.
June 5, 2024
I enjoy poetry. Sometimes, it makes you think; other times, it informs you of events uniquely.
The Poets Laureate Anthology includes work by all the nationally recognized US poets. Congress established the position in the late 1930s. Off the top of my head, the only one I know is Robert Frost. William Carlos Williams was also a Poet Laureate, but I did not know that before.
The book is a collection of poetry. I don't believe it includes all the poems, but I could be wrong. Each poet has an entire chapter devoted to them. There is a little biography of what they did as Poet Laureate and where they spent their professional careers.
The later poets are at the beginning of the book, and we progress backward chronologically. The book's publication date is 2010. I don't know who the most recent Poet Laureate was, but I could look it up.
I enjoyed the book. I learned about some new poets and found some melancholy poems. Kay Ryan and Dennis Hall were particularly exemplary. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
The Poets Laureate Anthology includes work by all the nationally recognized US poets. Congress established the position in the late 1930s. Off the top of my head, the only one I know is Robert Frost. William Carlos Williams was also a Poet Laureate, but I did not know that before.
The book is a collection of poetry. I don't believe it includes all the poems, but I could be wrong. Each poet has an entire chapter devoted to them. There is a little biography of what they did as Poet Laureate and where they spent their professional careers.
The later poets are at the beginning of the book, and we progress backward chronologically. The book's publication date is 2010. I don't know who the most recent Poet Laureate was, but I could look it up.
I enjoyed the book. I learned about some new poets and found some melancholy poems. Kay Ryan and Dennis Hall were particularly exemplary. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
May 24, 2023
A fellow author in my Behind Our Eyes group recommended this book, and I’m glad I picked it up. Produced by the Library of Congress, it includes work by poets laureate who served in this position from 1937 to 2010 when it was published. Each author has a section in the book containing a biography and a description of the poet’s work followed by several poems. The foreword and introduction by former poet laureate Billy Collins and editor Elizabeth Hun Schmidt offer a glimpse of what it’s like to be a poet laureate.
Although I skipped over many of the poets featured here because their subject matter was too deep, or their abstract style left my mind wandering, I enjoyed reading and rereading poems by favorites including Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Robert Frost and found a few new poets I hadn’t heard of before.
Having a sweet tooth, one of my favorites was “Maple Syrup” by Donald Hall, in which he talks about how his grandfather made that concoction I use to top pancakes and oatmeal. I also enjoyed “Introduction to a Poem” by Billy Collins, in which he makes a good point about how we tend to over-think the meaning of a poem.
One thing all these poets laureate have in common is that in their own styles, they share slices of their lives and lives of others. You can read this book from cover to cover, as I did, or pick poets and poems at random. No matter how this collection is read, I hope it will be enjoyed through the years.
Although I skipped over many of the poets featured here because their subject matter was too deep, or their abstract style left my mind wandering, I enjoyed reading and rereading poems by favorites including Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Robert Frost and found a few new poets I hadn’t heard of before.
Having a sweet tooth, one of my favorites was “Maple Syrup” by Donald Hall, in which he talks about how his grandfather made that concoction I use to top pancakes and oatmeal. I also enjoyed “Introduction to a Poem” by Billy Collins, in which he makes a good point about how we tend to over-think the meaning of a poem.
One thing all these poets laureate have in common is that in their own styles, they share slices of their lives and lives of others. You can read this book from cover to cover, as I did, or pick poets and poems at random. No matter how this collection is read, I hope it will be enjoyed through the years.
June 29, 2024
This was a great way to meet a lot of poets in one collection. Each chapter includes a brief biography of the poet, including their time as the Poetry Chair, and a sampling of their poetry. I liked this format, even though I only found a couple of new poets to explore further: Billy Collins, Rita Dove, and William Meredith.
December 13, 2021
This was not as enjoyable as one would imagine it would be. I did find some gems though it took a lot of perseverance. On the downside, this volume is very heavy and made reading it in bed (as opposed to at a desk perhaps) problematic.
April 29, 2011
The Library of Congress recently collaborated with Elizabeth Hun Schmidt to collect a select group of poems from the 43 U.S. Poets Laureate in The Poets Laureate Anthology, which lays out the poems in reverse chronological order (click for a list of the poets laureate) from the current laureate W.S. Merwin through the first poet laureate Joseph Auslander. The table of contents also points out that poems in brackets listed for each laureate are considered their signature poems. The collection contains a foreword by former poet laureate Billy Collins and an introduction by the editor, Elizabeth Hun Schmidt.
In the foreword, Billy Collins reveals the ceremony or lack thereof that comes with the office of U.S. Poet Laureate, noting that there is no formal naming ceremony, simply a phone call from the Librarian of Congress who selects the latest laureate. The post does come with an office in the Jefferson Building, but each laureate approaches the appointment differently, though former laureate Howard Nemerov explained that the laureate spends more time explaining the duties he or she performs than actually accomplishing much.
Elizabeth Hun Schmidt’s introduction discusses the placement of the poet laureate’s office in a remote wing of the Library of Congress near the rooms used by U.S. House teenage pages, “You might think our country wants to both flaunt and to hide the fact that the only official job in the arts in the United States is for a poet” (page xiv of The Poets Laureate Anthology, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress). The office of Poet Laureate actually receives mail, and appointed laureates often travel the country exposing new people and communities to poetry, but only Robert Frost was asked to read at a presidential inauguration.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/04/t...
In the foreword, Billy Collins reveals the ceremony or lack thereof that comes with the office of U.S. Poet Laureate, noting that there is no formal naming ceremony, simply a phone call from the Librarian of Congress who selects the latest laureate. The post does come with an office in the Jefferson Building, but each laureate approaches the appointment differently, though former laureate Howard Nemerov explained that the laureate spends more time explaining the duties he or she performs than actually accomplishing much.
Elizabeth Hun Schmidt’s introduction discusses the placement of the poet laureate’s office in a remote wing of the Library of Congress near the rooms used by U.S. House teenage pages, “You might think our country wants to both flaunt and to hide the fact that the only official job in the arts in the United States is for a poet” (page xiv of The Poets Laureate Anthology, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress). The office of Poet Laureate actually receives mail, and appointed laureates often travel the country exposing new people and communities to poetry, but only Robert Frost was asked to read at a presidential inauguration.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/04/t...
October 29, 2015
I love the way this collection of poetry is organized. It begins with the most modern of the poets laureate, and moves successively back in time. As one of those people who always starts at the beginning of books and never jumps around, I all too often I miss out on “the folks in the back” when reading chronological anthologies. This present-to-past organization helped me to approach each poet in his or her own right – without focusing too much on possible influences by the poets I’d just read.
A few of the poets in this book were already familiar to me – Billy Collins, Robert Penn Warren, Robert Frost (of course), William Carlos Williams, Elizabeth Bishop – but many were totally new. I feel that I’ve met some new friends. Especially Kay Ryan. I can’t believe I’d never run into her delightful poems before.
With each new poet, a short biography is provided – just a page or two long. More than just names, dates, and book titles, these biographies are encounters with the poets as human beings. They include some poignant quotes from the poets – reminders of why poetry is important and what prompts us to write and read it.
Odd as it may sound, another highlight of this anthology is its foreword by Billy Collins. In his playful style, he introduces the book by explaining some about the poet laureate position, pointing out some of the particular treats lying ahead, and reminding us that, “each of these poems began as a smaller thing – an initiating line, an intriguing image, a ‘lump in the throat,’ as Frost put it – not as a contribution to an anthology such as this one with its sober historic title.” A helpful reminder to approach poetry with an open mind, letting the words and images speak to us and move us, and leaving at the door our high school intimidation of poetry or tendency to dissect it.
*****
If you appreciated this review, check out my blog at pagesandmargins.wordpress.com
A few of the poets in this book were already familiar to me – Billy Collins, Robert Penn Warren, Robert Frost (of course), William Carlos Williams, Elizabeth Bishop – but many were totally new. I feel that I’ve met some new friends. Especially Kay Ryan. I can’t believe I’d never run into her delightful poems before.
With each new poet, a short biography is provided – just a page or two long. More than just names, dates, and book titles, these biographies are encounters with the poets as human beings. They include some poignant quotes from the poets – reminders of why poetry is important and what prompts us to write and read it.
Odd as it may sound, another highlight of this anthology is its foreword by Billy Collins. In his playful style, he introduces the book by explaining some about the poet laureate position, pointing out some of the particular treats lying ahead, and reminding us that, “each of these poems began as a smaller thing – an initiating line, an intriguing image, a ‘lump in the throat,’ as Frost put it – not as a contribution to an anthology such as this one with its sober historic title.” A helpful reminder to approach poetry with an open mind, letting the words and images speak to us and move us, and leaving at the door our high school intimidation of poetry or tendency to dissect it.
*****
If you appreciated this review, check out my blog at pagesandmargins.wordpress.com
August 20, 2011
This is a special book for me. It was presented at the beginning of May to the Pittsford Library, kindness of the group I have been leading there for over three years, where each week we read good poems out loud and discuss what works in the poem first, before saying what works for us.
This book will give you 43 views from 43 men and women, some black, some white, some academic, some anti-elitist, but ALL understanding that there is something about poetry which slows down time. It will also take you through 75 years of contemporary American poetry, and visions of each national laureate.
Although the title of “Poet Laureate” might send shivers up the spine of the reader who doesn’t want any association with academia and would prefer to avoid any political position, I highly recommend spending some time with this book, if only to read the introduction by Billy Collins (and his mention of 26 poems by fellow laureates that caught his attention) and the wonderful portraits Elizabeth Hun Schmidt has created.
Perhaps it will be Billy Collins’ ironic sense of humor, Ted Kooser’s short and pithy descriptions of everyday people and life; Merwin’s pivoted end lines which send you backwards and on to the next line at the same time; Kay Ryan’s rhyme which escapes the trivial yet not the interplay of sound to underscore a message; Simic’s surrealism.
There are as many diverse reasons for loving poetry as flavors of types of poetry. If you love pistachio ice cream, is that is the only flavor you want when you are given a choice? Why do we choose vanilla one day, and black raspberry another? Reading all types of poetry allows us to examine what it is about certain flavors that excite the taste buds, remind us of experience, and open windows into our mind, heart, soul, to better understand what it is to be human.
This book will give you 43 views from 43 men and women, some black, some white, some academic, some anti-elitist, but ALL understanding that there is something about poetry which slows down time. It will also take you through 75 years of contemporary American poetry, and visions of each national laureate.
Although the title of “Poet Laureate” might send shivers up the spine of the reader who doesn’t want any association with academia and would prefer to avoid any political position, I highly recommend spending some time with this book, if only to read the introduction by Billy Collins (and his mention of 26 poems by fellow laureates that caught his attention) and the wonderful portraits Elizabeth Hun Schmidt has created.
Perhaps it will be Billy Collins’ ironic sense of humor, Ted Kooser’s short and pithy descriptions of everyday people and life; Merwin’s pivoted end lines which send you backwards and on to the next line at the same time; Kay Ryan’s rhyme which escapes the trivial yet not the interplay of sound to underscore a message; Simic’s surrealism.
There are as many diverse reasons for loving poetry as flavors of types of poetry. If you love pistachio ice cream, is that is the only flavor you want when you are given a choice? Why do we choose vanilla one day, and black raspberry another? Reading all types of poetry allows us to examine what it is about certain flavors that excite the taste buds, remind us of experience, and open windows into our mind, heart, soul, to better understand what it is to be human.
January 8, 2011
My daughter gave me this book for Christmas, having heard about it on NPR. This is a fearsomely chunky book, with BEAUCOUP big-time poems and commentary from the poets. I have to admit that I am not generally inclined to seek out modern poets, but this volume is crammed with gems. The editors have sifted through the works of the American Poets Laureate and served up the tastiest morsels. Prior to reading the commentary from the editors and poets, I had a dim notion that there was such a thing as an American Laureate, but I had no idea as to what they did or how they were selected. It seems that they are chosen by the Librarian of Congress, serve for about a year or two and pretty much do whatever they want to promote appreciation of poetry. They get an office in the Jefferson Building with a view that several of the poets proclaimed the best in Washington.
I have always defined poetry as being the way to cram the most meaning and emotion in the fewest words, in the most graceful fashion. By that rough definition, the poets represented here are stellar. This is really good stuff. These guys know how to twist a sentence by its tail and make it sit up and spit cider in your ear. These words have impact and aftershocks. They make you feel and think and look inside your head. If you get a charge out of beautiful words, if you are challenged by wordplay, if you thrill to emotional content well packaged, this is your book for the New Year.
I have always defined poetry as being the way to cram the most meaning and emotion in the fewest words, in the most graceful fashion. By that rough definition, the poets represented here are stellar. This is really good stuff. These guys know how to twist a sentence by its tail and make it sit up and spit cider in your ear. These words have impact and aftershocks. They make you feel and think and look inside your head. If you get a charge out of beautiful words, if you are challenged by wordplay, if you thrill to emotional content well packaged, this is your book for the New Year.
December 3, 2012
The 43 poets laureate from the first in 1937 to W.S. Merwin. A really well-done anthology which provides an introduction to some of America's most renowned poets.
A few of my favorites include:
And so many more. Having them all together in one collection is a nice, compact way to visit the office of poet laureate.
The introductions to each poet also have some great quotes and ideas (many taken from the Paris Review's interview series).
An example:
(I only got half way and had to return the book to the library, so I didn't get to read the earliest poets laureate.)
A few of my favorites include:
...It had its task:
to imagine the future. Steadily flying around,
patiently bearing small twigs to the solitude
of the exposed tree in the steady coldness
of the outside world...
Louise Glück, Nest
...Those were the afternoons. Evenings
she took in piecework, the treadle machine
with its locomotive whir
traveling the lit path of the needle
through quicksand taffeta
or velvet deep as a forest.
And now and now sang the treadle,
I know, I know....
Rita Dove, My Mother Enters the Work Force
And so many more. Having them all together in one collection is a nice, compact way to visit the office of poet laureate.
The introductions to each poet also have some great quotes and ideas (many taken from the Paris Review's interview series).
An example:
Many times I’d still be in my pajamas at noon or one. I’ve always liked the uniform of the poet. I’ve gone through some nice pajamas. This was in the old days. My discipline is interior now. –Kay Ryan, from “The Art of Poetry #94″ (Paris Review, Winter 2008)
(I only got half way and had to return the book to the library, so I didn't get to read the earliest poets laureate.)
August 20, 2013
I've savored this anthology over many months, reading a new poet every week or two. Often I'd get from the library a book of poems by particular favorites. Each of the over 40 sections is introduced with a statement by the poet and a perceptive introduction by Elizabeth Hun Schmidt, the fine editor. I enjoyed many of the hundreds of poems in the collection, with these being favorites:
Gwendolyn Brooks, "When You Have Forgotten Sunday: A Love Story" (324)
Billy Collins, "Litany" (115), "Forgetfulness" (122), and "Sonnet" (123)
Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (551)
Louise Gluck, "At the River" (109)
Donald Hall, "To a Waterfowl" (58) and "Maple Syrup" (59)
Robert Hass, "Happiness" (179)
Robert Hayden, "Those Winder Sundays" (400) and "Middle Passage" (404)
Daniel Hoffman, from "Middens of the Tribe" (428)
Ten Kooser, "Selecting a Reader" (77)
Robert Pinsky, "Shirt" (157)
Karl Shapiro, "The Living Rooms of My Neighbors" (672)
William Stafford, "The Little Ways That Encourage Good Fortune" (454)
Mark Strand, "Mirror" (260)
Mona Van Duyn, "The Block" (223)
Richard Wilbur, "Boy at the Window" (292)
Gwendolyn Brooks, "When You Have Forgotten Sunday: A Love Story" (324)
Billy Collins, "Litany" (115), "Forgetfulness" (122), and "Sonnet" (123)
Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (551)
Louise Gluck, "At the River" (109)
Donald Hall, "To a Waterfowl" (58) and "Maple Syrup" (59)
Robert Hass, "Happiness" (179)
Robert Hayden, "Those Winder Sundays" (400) and "Middle Passage" (404)
Daniel Hoffman, from "Middens of the Tribe" (428)
Ten Kooser, "Selecting a Reader" (77)
Robert Pinsky, "Shirt" (157)
Karl Shapiro, "The Living Rooms of My Neighbors" (672)
William Stafford, "The Little Ways That Encourage Good Fortune" (454)
Mark Strand, "Mirror" (260)
Mona Van Duyn, "The Block" (223)
Richard Wilbur, "Boy at the Window" (292)
November 6, 2020
I took a course, and this book was our textbook. Even beyond the poetry, I learned more about the United States. Each year (sometimes two) a poet laureate is selected by the Librarian of Congress. Here is the list of all of them:
Joseph Auslander (started 1941)
Allen Tate
Robert Penn Warren
Louise Bogan
Karl Shapiro
Robert Lowell, Jr.
Léonie Adams
Elizabeth Bishop
Conrad Aiken
William Carlos Williams (appointed but did not serve)
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
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
Charles Simic
Kay Ryan
W.S. Merwin
Philip Levine
Natasha Trethewey
Charles Wright
Juan Felipe Herrera
Tracy K. Smith
Joy Harjo (current 2019 to 2020)
Joseph Auslander (started 1941)
Allen Tate
Robert Penn Warren
Louise Bogan
Karl Shapiro
Robert Lowell, Jr.
Léonie Adams
Elizabeth Bishop
Conrad Aiken
William Carlos Williams (appointed but did not serve)
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
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
Charles Simic
Kay Ryan
W.S. Merwin
Philip Levine
Natasha Trethewey
Charles Wright
Juan Felipe Herrera
Tracy K. Smith
Joy Harjo (current 2019 to 2020)
February 14, 2013
It is an anthology after all, and so it has all the best of the works of all the U.S. Poet Laureates. The book is well printed, edited, and presented. It is a very good anthology. My conclusion after reading all of it is that poetry is not my medium. I can not say that I found any poet to "spark a fire". I confess I did not spend hours meditating on each poem as I probably should have done. Yet only a few of the poets produced images I could comprehend. I do not blame the poets. I think I am much too literal and limited in my imagination to find poetry the best form of communication. I admit to having trouble with classical music as well, so I know it is me and not the artists or the poet.
February 8, 2011
A great look at each of the U.S. poets laureate; if you have collections by many or most of these poets, the book will be mostly interesting for the synopsis of each poet's tenure while in office. But if not, you might find yourself a new poet or two to like (I'd never read Ted Kooser before starting this book). Lots of great poems inside, though choices are obviously limited due to its scope, and many poems will be ones most poetry fans are familiar with. One exception: the poems chosen for W.S. Merwin's section, many of which I did not count among my favorites, but ah well. Still a great book. Billy Collins' introduction is fantastic.
August 12, 2011
In an age where form has largely been disdained as greeting card verse, it is chastening to perceive how impressive the formalists were, in both contemporary speech and skill. Those like Wilbur, Penn Warren, Hecht…amazingly talented not only in what they said but how they said it. The Poet’s Laureate Anthology is limited in that it features only poems by the Laureates, and there have certainly been notable poets who never attained this honor, and some who did, can’t match the achievements of many non-laureates.Nonetheless, this is an anthology that could find a place in any poetry lovers library, and ought to.
August 16, 2016
As an anthology, this is a curious bag that ranges over time and tastes. By definition, all of the writers here are accomplished and reasonably well known. Each poet gets a bit of biographical information, followed by several examples of his or her writing. Serious students of poetry may find it a bit redundant. But I appreciated being able to sample some of the finest poets of their age in sequence. It really has been a pleasure to dip into again and again.
January 4, 2011
A great overview of 20th Century American poetry from the people selected by the Library of Congress to represent it, accompanied by brief yet helpful biographies of the poets. Especially of interest were the more recent laureates, who were not necessarily famous enough to have made it into my literature courses back in the 90s. Good stuff.
Currently reading
April 5, 2011Reading a large book of poetry is like taking a long trip. You have to stop and look around you to truly enjoy where you are. Sometimes I read through books so quickly but poetry is more about sitting still and savoring the experience. It is not so important to get somewhere else, the journey is the destination.
November 6, 2010
I liked the idea of collecting signature poems from the past Poets Laureate more than the actual poems selected.
September 14, 2011
Most of the poets I knew and had read a little before, but some I had not. It was a nice reminder of their work and a tour of 20th-century American poetry.
February 26, 2014
One of the best poetry anthologies that I have ever read!!
June 24, 2011
OK, so now I know that there are only a few American Laureate's that I truly care for (see Frost)
June 11, 2011
A must have in every reader's collection.
September 8, 2015
I will have to buy this while its on the 25% off table at Prairie Lights.
to-be-continued-later
October 5, 2011Had to stop at Richard Wilbur because someone else has requested it from the library. An interesting collection so far. Though I still just don't get Louise Gluck.
February 24, 2012
this anthology features seventy-five years of recognized poets and not-so-known snippets of their lives. Mix in popular works and some of their unloved pieces yielding a rare collection.
Read
August 11, 2016Not a book you read from beginning to end, like many anthologies. But has some good poets--like Ted Kooser!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews