U.S. Poetry and the Politics of Form
Against The Current vol. 140
Ehlers, Sarah
http://www.solidarity-us.org//node/2167
Date Written: 2009-05-01
Publisher: Against The Current
Year Published: 2009
Resource Type: Article
Cx Number: CX13524
Laura Bush's 2003 “Poetry and the American Voice” symposium is infamous because it never happened. Intended to be a White House celebration of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes, the event was cancelled when several poet-invitees (including former laureates) declined the invitation and, instead, composed poems protesting U.S. involvement in Iraq. When the symposium was called off, the First Lady’s spokesperson explained that a celebration of poets was in danger of being turned into a political event.
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