The following post, which originally appeared on the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog, was written by Rob Casper, head of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress.
Describe what you do at the Library of Congress and the materials you work with.
I am the head of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library. The Center is home to the U.S. Poet Laureate, the only federally-funded position for a literary artist in the country and the most visible position for a poet by far. We also put on over 40 programs—readings, panels, symposia, and such—every year, and we have a robust website which features online-only content such as our “Interview Series” as well as webcasts from our events.
Do you have a favorite item from the Library’s online collections?
Well, as a poetry person I have to say I’m thrilled by the wealth of Walt Whitman materials we have, and the “Revising Himself: Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass” exhibition page is a great place to start exploring. I’m also proud of our two new audio archives we’ve put online this past year: the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature (ARPL) and the Archive of Hispanic Poetry on Tape(AHLOT). Both offer gems, such as a recording of Pablo Neruda in our studio or the historic anniversary reading for the Academy of American Poets in our Coolidge Auditorium.
Share a time when an item from the collections sparked your curiosity.