We've Got a Great New Poet Laureate

"I have tried to live very quietly, so I could be happy, " U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan told The Christian Science Monitor in 2004.

On July 17th, 2008, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced the appointment of Kay Ryan as the Library’s 16th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2008-2009. Her duries begin in the fall, opening the Library’s annual literary series Oct. 16 with a reading of her work. She also will be a featured guest at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in the Poetry pavilion Sept. 27 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Billington explained that the Laureateship is uniformly awarded for the highest quality of poetry.

"Kay Ryan is a distinctive and original voice within the rich variety of contemporary American poetry," Billington said. "She writes easily understandable short poems on improbable subjects. Within her compact compositions there are many surprises in rhyme and rhythm and in sly wit pointing to subtle wisdom."

Ryan has been described as "a miniaturist", which I personally found very encouraging because it promises that she won't waste your time (not being naturally blabby like myself). In the sparest language, with gentle humility, she reveals complex philosophical matters. She has described her own poems as "an oyster that takes shape around an aggravation."

Here's are two entries from THE NIAGARA RIVER, her sixth (and most recent) book:

GREEN HILLS

Their green flanks

and swells are not

flesh in any sense

matching ours,

we tell ourselves.

Nor their green

breast nor their

green shoulder nor

the languor of their

rolling over.

THE NIAGARA RIVER

As though

the river were

a floor, we position

our table and chairs

upon it, eat, and

have conversation.

As it moves along,

we notice — as

calmly as though

dining room paintings

were being replaced

—the changing scenes

along the shore. We

do know, we do

know this is the

Niagara River, but

it is hard to remember

what that means.