Tuesday, August 28, 2007

MtvU's First Poet Laureate















John Tranter brought our attention to this item in the New York Times:

MtvU, the subsidiary of MTV Networks that is broadcast only on college campuses, will announce today that it has selected its first poet laureate. No, he doesn’t rap. And it’s not Bob Dylan, or even Justin Timberlake.

It is John Ashbery, the prolific 80-year-old poet and frequent award winner known for his dense, postmodern style and playful language.

One of the most celebrated living poets, Mr. Ashbery has won MacArthur Foundation and Guggenheim fellowships and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror.”

What an intelligent choice. I am surprised but also very pleased at this great exposure to poetry as something 'cool'. It always has been for me!

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