Aliki barnstone poet laureate billy collins

For U.S. national Poets Laureate, see United States Poet Laureate.

Many of the states in the United States have established the post of poet laureate to which a prominent poet residing in the respective state is appointed. The responsibilities of the state poets laureate are similar to those of the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and the equivalent Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in the United States, to make public appearances at poetry readings or literary events, and to promote awareness of poetry within their geographical region.

As of 2017, 46 states and the District of Columbia have poets laureate, although a few are presently vacant. The terms can vary in length from state to state. Most states appoint a poet laureate for a one- or two-year term, fewer to several years, and some states appoint a poet to a lifetime tenure. Two states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, previously had such posts but abolished them in 2003. Michigan had a single poet laureate from 1952 to 1959. There has never been an official State Poet Laureate in Massachusetts. While Idaho does not have a post of "poet laureate", per se, the state appoints a "Writer in Residence", which can be held by a novelist or poet. Alaska has similarly expanded their program to include other genres of writing, calling the program the Alaska State Writer Laureate. The state of New York has both a State Poet and a State Author.

List of state poets laureate

The following lists of state poets laureate below are divided by state. The name of the current poet laureate is in bold.

Alabama

Main article: Poet Laureate of Alabama

The current poet laureate of Alabama is Ashley M. Jones. Alabama has had an official poet laureate since 1930. The Alabama Writer's Cooperative (formerly the Alabama Writers' Conclave), d

THROUGH 30 DECEMBER
A Christmas Carol
The Rep rings in the spirit of the season with the second annual production of A Christmas Carol. At long last, the ghosts of Ebenezer Scrooge’s past, present and future have caught up with him. Now London’s most infamous miser must face down his demons, reconcile the consequences of his choices and experience the power and joy of a miraculous redemption. Post-performance talk backs Thurs., Dec. 1, 7 pm, and Wed., Dec. 7, 2 pm. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Eager Rd., Webster Groves, 63119

1 DECEMBER  |  5:30 PM 
Day With(out) Art: Being & Belonging
Commemorate World AIDS Day with a free video program featuring eight new, short videos commissioned by Visual AIDS highlighting the emotional realities of living with HIV today. This year’s program theme, Being & Belonging, will be accompanied by a special program. RSVP requested. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

1 DECEMBER  |  7 PM 
Patrick McCarthy and Akif Cogo, Bosnian St. Louis: Between Two Worlds (Author Talk)
In the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina were rocked by brutal warfare and systematic genocide that resulted in a mass exodus from the Balkan nation. Starting in 1993, thousands of these displaced Bosnians found a welcoming new home in an unexpected place: St. Louis, Missouri, where today the Bosnian population exceeds 60,000. Featuring nearly 100 images, Bosnian St. Louis is a groundbreaking account of a vast refugee resettlement in a single U.S. city and a testament to how it changed that city forever. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123

2–30 DECEMBER  |  VARIOUS TIMES
Drop-in Collection Tour: Compelling Portraits
Join a Saint Louis Art Museum docent for a lively and engaging tour of the museum’s collection. Tour themes change monthly. Tours begin at the Inf

Introducing Aliki Barnstone
 
by Cynthia Hogue, Poetry Editor

It is an honor to introduce the Guest Poetry Editor for the Central region issue – the Poet Laureate of Missouri, Aliki Barnstone. Author of eight highly regarded collections of poetry, Aliki published her first book of poetry, The Real Tin Flower, at twelve, introduced by none other than Anne Sexton (Macmillan, 1968). In addition to being a renowned poet (and beloved teacher), she is also a noted Dickinson scholar, a celebrated translator of one of Greece’s greatest poets, C.P. Cavafy, and editor of the luminous The Shamhala Anthology of Women’s Spiritual Poetry. For long-time readers of Persimmon Tree, a delightful connection is that when Aliki was a child, her family summered in Vermont near the homestead of one of this journal’s first featured poets, the incomparable Ruth Stone, who became a close friend and mentor to the aspiring young poet. Aliki currently serves on the Board of the Ruth Stone Foundation.

I like to characterize Aliki’s poetic “ear” as the equivalent of a musician’s perfect pitch. Her poetry is incantatory, lyrically grounded in the observable world but opening resonantly to the metaphysical or political questions that concern her. She’s not only saying something in poetry; she’s hearing something. For over a decade, Aliki has been writing variations of ambitious poems about her roots in and experience of her motherland, Greece. Dear God, Dear Dr. Heartbreak includes poems which excavate a little-known history, that of the fate of the Greek Jews in Nazi-occupied Greece (see the attached video for a clip of Aliki reading one of the poems from that series). Aliki’s Greek family was greatly affected by the Occupation, the after-effects of which she is exploring in poems that link the personal and historical. Dwelling, her most recent collection of poems, is a loving tribute to a fami

December 8, 2022 @ 7:00 pm

$32 – $38

This is a ticketed event. The reading will be held in-person at The J Staenberg Family Complex – Edison Gymnasium.

The St. Louis County Library Foundation, HEC Media, the Favorite Author Series, The J – St. Louis, Saint Louis Poetry Center, and Novel Neighbor present former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, author of Musical Tables. In conversation with Aliki Barnstone – Poet Laureate of Missouri, 2016-2019

TICKET INFO

Tickets available for purchase at the event starting at 6:00 p.m.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET $32
Admits ONE and includes one copy of “Musical Tables”

OR

PACKAGE TICKET $38
Admits TWO and includes one copy of “Musical Tables”

EVENT INFO

Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
A socially-distanced book signing line will follow the presentation.
Books available from Novel Neighbor.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Two-time United States Poet Laureate is widely loved for his amiable voice, wit, and profound wisdom. Now “America’s favorite poet” has found a new form for his unique poetic style: the small poem. Collins writes about his trademark themes of nature, animals, poetry, mortality, absurdity, and love—all in a handful of lines. The poems of Musical Tables show one of our greatest poets channeling his unique voice into a new phase of his exceptional career.

ABOUT THE POET

BILLY COLLINS is the former Poet Laureate of the United States. He is the author of twelve collections of poetry, including the bestsellers Aimless Love, The Trouble with Poetry, and Sailing Alone Around the Room. He is also the editor of Poetry 180, 180 More, and Bright Wings. A former Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, Collins served as New York State Poet from 2004 to 2006. In 2016 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Florida with