A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government, or conferring agency, who is often expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. As for Britain, the term dates back to the appointment of Bernard André by Henry VII of England; but in reality it was a very ancient tradition, dating back to the first days of classical civilization, to associate laurel with proficiency in arts and poetry, or with victory . Indeed, after the classical age, Albertino Mussato and Francesco Petrarca were Italian poets laureate well before than André. In modern times, the title may also be conferred by an organization such as the Poetry Foundation, which has a designated Children's Poet Laureate. Other examples are the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate, which is designated by a "Presenting Partners" group from within the community; the Minnesota Poet Laureate chosen by the League of Minnesota Poets (est. 1934); the Northhampton Poet Laureate chosen by the Northhampton Arts Council, and the Martha's Vineyard Poet Laureate chosen by ten judges representing the Martha's Vineyard Poetry Society.
Today, over a dozen national governments continue the poet laureate tradition.
Read more about Poet Laureate: Background
Famous quotes containing the words poet laureate and/or poet:
“If you would get money as a writer or lecturer, you must be popular, which is to go down perpendicularly.... You are paid for being something less than a man. The state does not commonly reward a genius any more wisely. Even the poet laureate would rather not have to celebrate the accidents of royalty. He must be bribed with a pipe of wine; and perhaps another poet is called away from his muse to gauge that very pipe.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Burst into my narrow stall;
Swing the picture on the wall;
Run the rattling pages o’er;
Scatter poems on the floor;
Turn the poet out of door.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)