Wednesday, October 12, 2011

World Wide Wednesday has arrived. Welcome.

Can you identify this man?  He holds a very prestigeous positionYou can find the answer below.
Philip Levine

Philip Levine, Current Poet Laureate

Do some research. What can you find out about Philip Levine or the position
of Poet Laureate?  Please share.

Questions:  Who was the US Consultant in Poetry 1958-1959?  Does NJ have a Poet Laureate?

Who is your favorite poet and why?  Did you ever memorize a favorite poem? Type some lines below and share what you like about the poem. I look forward to reading your thoughts on poetry in honor of both Jesse Stuart and Philip Levine. 

31 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I found that Philip Levine started doing his best work in the early 1990's.

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  3. Found out a lot about nj's poet laureates:
    The position no longer exists. It was created October 4, 1999, under P.L.1999, c.228. Gerald Stern was appointed first New Jersey poet laureate April 17, 2000, by Gov. Christie Whitman. New Jersey's second poet laureate, Amiri Baraka, came under intense criticism after reading his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" at the September 2002 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. The poem was said to include anti-Semitic sentiments in the wake of the World Trade Center bombings, particularly the lines:

    Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombed
    Who told 4,000 Israeli workers at the Twin Towers
    To stay home that day
    Why did Sharon stay away?

    Baraka refused New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey's call for him to resign. When McGreevey attempted to fire Baraka, he found no provision in the law for removing a state poet laureate. Subsequently, on October 17, 2002, a bill was introduced to the New Jersey Senate that would eliminate the position of state poet laureate; it passed and became effective July 2, 2003 (P.L.2003, c.123).

    Previous Laureates:
    Gerald Stern (April 17, 2000-2002)
    Amiri Baraka (July 2002-July 2, 2003)

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  4. The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress serves as the nation's official lightning rod for the poetic impulse of Americans. During his or her term, the Poet Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.

    The Poet Laureate is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress and serves from October to May. In making the appointment, the Librarian consults with former appointees, the current Laureate and distinguished poetry critics. The position has existed under two separate titles: from 1937 to 1986 as "Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress" and from 1986 forward as "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry." The name was changed by an act of Congress in 1985.

    The Laureate receives a $35,000 annual stipend funded by a gift from Archer M. Huntington. The Library keeps to a minimum the specific duties in order to afford incumbents maximum freedom to work on their own projects while at the Library. The Laureate gives an annual lecture and reading of his or her poetry and usually introduces poets in the Library's annual poetry series, the oldest in the Washington area, and among the oldest in the United States. This annual series of public poetry and fiction readings, lectures, symposia, and occasional dramatic performances began in the 1940s. Collectively the Laureates have brought more than 2,000 poets and authors to the Library to read for the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature.


    Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg in the Library's Whittall Pavilion,
    May 2, 1960Those interested in reading a more detailed history of the poetry consultantship at the Library of Congress should refer to William McGuire's Poetry's Catbird Seat: The Consultantship in Poetry in the English Language at the Library of Congress, 1937-1987 (Washington: Library of Congress, 1988. http://lccn.loc.gov/87033876).

    Each Laureate brings a different emphasis to the position. Joseph Brodsky initiated the idea of providing poetry in airports, supermarkets and hotel rooms. Maxine Kumin started a popular series of poetry workshops for women at the Library of Congress. Gwendolyn Brooks met with elementary school students to encourage them to write poetry. Rita Dove brought together writers to explore the African diaspora through the eyes of its artists. She also championed children's poetry and jazz with poetry events. Robert Hass organized the "Watershed" conference that brought together noted novelists, poets and storytellers to talk about writing, nature and community.

    copied and pasted from-

    http://www.loc.gov/poetry/about_laureate.html

    i think the poet laureate is pretty interesting =)

    -andrew

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  5. Hmm I don't like this one that much but I still will comment.

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  6. My favorite poet is Shell Silverstein because his poems are funny and easy to understand :)
    -Jenna W.

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  7. Wow. I got ripped off! Andrew and Joey stole all my information I just looked up! I really have nothing to say because they said it all. But my favorite poet is Robert Frost :) His poems are always really deep and intresting. It makes me wonder where and what he comes up with his poems from!

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  8. I just researched the first poet laureate for New Jersey and the website said that his name was Gerald Stern and that Governer Christie Whitman appointed him. I found this information on the following website.
    http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/newjersey.html
    -Jenna W. :)

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  9. The current laureate was born to russian jewish immagrant parents... he was educated at wayne university...he has 20 publications of poety books...also his honors include the Pulitzer Prize, two National Book Awards, and two National Book Critic Circle Awards.

    Ryan :p

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  10. Thanks everyone. I can see you all did your research.
    NOTE:
    Instead of copying and pasting, I would prefer if you would put some highlights in your own words and then just give us the link for us to continue reading or to verify where you got your information.
    Thanks
    Mrs. Prisbell

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  11. Hi,
    I'm trying to see if my comments work.

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  12. Phillip Levine is the U.S. Poet Laureate and began his term just recently.N.J. does not currently have a Poet Laureate but did have two previous ones starting from the creation of it in 1999. The first Poet Laureate of New Jersey was gerald Stern who started his term in the position on April 17,2000. The second Poet Laureate was Amiri Baraka who was appointed on July 2002 and ended her term in 2003. on October 17, 2002, a bill was introduced ny the N.J. senate which elimanated the Poet Laureate of New Jersey. The whole object of a Poet Laureate is to serve as the poetic impulse of the state or country. Phillip levine should seek to raise national consciousness of literature and poetry. The Poet Laureate of the Country recieves a $35000 stipend funded by a gift from Archer M. Huntington.

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  13. Mrs.Prisbell,

    I wouldn't have copied and pasted, but my grandpa was trying to rush us out the door for school since it was 7:20.

    -andrew

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  14. Philip Levine was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

    Caitlyn Teta

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  15. -Philip Levine was Born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 10, 1928, Philip Levine was formally educated in the Detroit public school system and at Wayne University (now Wayne State University), Michigan's only urban public research university. After graduation, Levine worked a number of industrial jobs, including the night shift at the Chevrolet Gear and Axle factory, reading and writing poems in his off hours. In 1953, he studied at the University of Iowa, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. There, Levine studied with poets Robert Lowell and John Berryman, the latter of which Levine called his "one great mentor."

    Levine has received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the Harriet Monroe Memorial Prize from Poetry, the Frank O'Hara Prize, and two Guggenheim Foundation fellowships. For two years he served as chair of the Literature Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts.

    He taught for many years at California State University, Fresno, and has served as Distinguished Poet in Residence for the Creative Writing Program at New York University.

    ( http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/19 )

    Another picture of Philip Levine:
    http://alyoung.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/philip-levine-reads-belle-isle-1949.jpg

    -The US Consultant in Poetry 1958-1959 was Robert Frost (my favorite poet)

    -New Jersey does not have a poet laureat. On October 17, 2002, a bill was introduced to the New Jersey Senate that would eliminate the position of state poet laureate; it passed and became effective July 2, 2003
    Previous Laureates:
    Gerald Stern (April 17, 2000-2002)
    Amiri Baraka (July 2002-July 2, 2003)


    ( http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/poets/newjersey.html )

    -My favorite poet, as i said before is Robert Frost, I never memorized one of his poems, but my favorite poem of his is The Rose family:
    The rose is a rose,
    And was always a rose.
    But now the theory goes,
    That the apple's a rose.
    And the pear is, and so's
    The plum, I suppose.
    The dear only knows
    What will next prove a rose.
    You, of course, are a rose --
    But were always a rose.

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  16. Philip Levine, an award-winning poet who taught at Cal State Fresno for 34 years, has been named the new U.S. poet laureate. Levine will succeed W.S. Merwin and begin his yearlong tenure as poet laureate in October. and he was 93 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  17. Wow, I'm sold out! I wrote a page and a half of information for nothing!! I don't care I'm writing it anyway as I metaphorically shoot daggers at Joey and Andrew.;(
    A poet laureate is officially appointed by the government and is often expected to compose poems for state and government occasions or events. Some people believe that the appointment between Bernard Andre and King Henry IV of England was when the first kind of poet laureate. However, other people believe it dates all the way to Ancient Greece (Padua, Italy) when it was given to Albertino Mussato.
    The word laureate means to signify eminence or an association with glory. Laureate letters used to be sent when announcing a victory, It became associated with degrees awarded to European universities. As a royal degree in rhetoric (the formal study of culture and performance), poet laureate was awarded at European universities in the Middle Ages. It might also have referred to holding such a degree that recognized skills in rhetorics,grammar, and language.
    In the United States in 1937, they called it an Official Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress until 1984, when they changed the name to Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. A laureate receives $35,000 stipend (monthly payment, pension) and are in charge overseeing poetry readings and to promote poetry. At the time the money was first instituted, it was intended for the poet to stop working and live a carefree life. Now, it is not sufficient living and is now given as a bonus for poets teaching at universities. They are not required to compose for government events or officials. the most recent poet laureate is Philip Levine, the 18th poet laureate as of August 9th.
    Thanks to Joey I have useless Amiri Baraka material. However, I didn't copy or paste any of this and I rephrased everything in my own words so HAHAHA! ;)

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  18. oh the meeting between King Henry IV and Bernard Andre was when the first poet laureate was named

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  19. Once again I forgot to say that my favorite poem is by Lewis Carroll called The Walrus and the Carpenter, which I memorized. I also memorized his poem The Jabberwocky, both poems are in his book Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Probably the longest title ever, if I ever write a book I'm calling it Book. Simple and sweet. :)

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  20. ooooooo I just found out my favorite Shel Silverstein.

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  21. Philip Levine is a poet. one of his poems are,

    A Sleepless night

    April, and the last of the plum blossoms
    scatters on the black grass
    before dawn. The sycamore, the lime,
    the struck pine inhale
    the first pale hints of sky.
    An iron day,
    I think, yet it will come
    dazzling, the light
    rise from the belly of leaves and pour
    burning from the cups
    of poppies.
    The mockingbird squawks
    from his perch, fidgets,
    and settles back. The snail, awake
    for good, trembles from his shell
    and sets sail for China. My hand dances
    in the memory of a million vanished stars.

    A man has every place to lay his head

    -Jordan E

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  22. Philip Levine was born on January 10,1928. He was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for best known poems about working-class Detroit. He taught for over 30 years at the English Department of California State University in Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well. He is appointed to serve as the Poet Laureate of the USA for 2011-2012. Robert Frost was the US consultant in poetry from 1958-1959. My favorite poet is Robert Lowell. A line from one of his poems "is burning,burning the unburied grain.

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  23. I guess there is not much to be said about the poet laureate): but my fav poet is edgar Allan Poe and his lien A Dream Within A Dream.Js lol

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  24. Just found this poem, it's just like my room, except the lizard :)


    Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
    Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
    His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
    His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
    And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
    His workbook is wedged in the window,
    His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
    His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
    And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
    His books are all jammed in the closet,
    His vest has been left in the hall.
    A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
    And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
    Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
    Donald or Robert or Willie or--
    Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
    I knew it looked familiar!

    ps. I think my rooms haunted =o
    My clocks stuck at 7:50, the radio won't work, and my iPod deleted my post by itself :/
    This is my second time writing it.

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  25. Welcome to Tommy and Caitlyn T, and nice to see Kevin and Jordan back.

    Who is Court14 and Jason from Spain?

    Glad to see so many of you are doing research and have so much to say about poetry, my favorite topic.
    Glad you are posting Jason G, anyway, even though this my not be a favorite topic.

    Mrs. P

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  26. Hello Mrs. Prisbell! I am Jimmy Cascio's sister Juliana. I am in 5th grade at the Dunfee school and I love ILA! I also like to look at the neat stuff you post on the blog here. I hope to have you as an 8th grade ILA teacher when I am in 8th grade! My favorite poet is Dr. Seuss because he has funny rymes in his books and poems! Thanks! -Juliana

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  27. Welcome, Juliana. It's so nice to know you are enjoying our blog too. Feel free to comment anytime. I too hope to meet you in 8th grade.

    Mrs. Prisbell

    @Andrew....I just saw what you posted about your room. So funny! Ha
    @Jordan....Thanks for posting one of Levine's poems.

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  28. I heard that Philip has over 20 different poem collections.
    Reese Hardy

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  29. I believe you are correct, Reese. Did you see the one posted by Jordan?

    Mrs. P

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