poet laureate

A Parliament of Poems: An Interview with Parliamentary Poet Laureate, George Elliott Clarke

A Parliament of Poems: An Interview with Parliamentary Poet Laureate, George Elliott Clarke

Given that Toronto poet, editor, critic, novelist and librettist George Elliott Clarke is Canada’s seventh official Parliamentary Poet Laureate (2016-17), I thought it would be interesting to explore some of his experiences now that he’s a bit more than halfway through his two-year term.

“Slipperiness of Signification”: An Interview with Lee Ann Roripaugh
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“Slipperiness of Signification”: An Interview with Lee Ann Roripaugh

In her most recent book, Dandarians (Milkweed, 2014), Lee Ann Roripaugh writes in the borderland between poetry and prose, blurring boundaries and finding the unfamiliar music in everyday language. She is also the author of three previous books of poetry, including Year of the Snake, which won the Association of Asian American Studies Book Award…

Half the World More:  Juan Felipe Herrera and the Centering of Chicana/o Letters
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Half the World More: Juan Felipe Herrera and the Centering of Chicana/o Letters

Juan Felipe Herrera being named our 21st U.S. Poet Laureate is special for a few reasons.  He is the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate in history, but also an unlikely if necessary one.  It’s no obscure fact that his writing has historically been underappreciated, undercelebrated even. Herrera’s writing has not, historically speaking, been the kind…