What’s your favorite poem?  Who’s your favorite poet?

For a 65 year old lady, my favorite poem is silly. It’s The Walrus and The Carpenter by Lewis Carroll. The poem evokes childhood memories, and was one of the first poems I ever made an effort to commit to memory.  However, my favorite poet is Robert Frost. I like the depth he gives each line, and the way he helps us find extraordinary meanings in ordinary, everyday things. From Death of a Hired Man to Birches, he speaks to me.

My father instilled a love of poetry in me, and I grew up with the words of many American poets influencing my literary development. Through the years, I have stumbled upon others that I should have known much earlier than I did. One of those is William Carlos Williams. Williams has been around a long time, but I was introduced to his poetry at the Lucidity Poets’ Retreat just a few years ago.  Pleasant surprises often come in old packages. And of course, I find newer poets, in volumes given to me by friends, or while browsing in the library. Too many to list, but each and every one a treasure.

In last week’s post, I mentioned Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project. I did a search in order to make sure my memory served me correctly (and, of course, found that it didn’t!). Pinsky was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate in 1997, and the project started in 1998,  not 1997 as I mentioned last week.  Excuse me…you know how memories are…. ( can I use that 65-year old excuse again?)

People across the nation submitted their favorite poems, along with a short explanation of why the poem meant so much to them. The only rule was that the poem had to be one they had read and to which they felt a personal attachment…and not be written by the readers or friends or relatives. Poems by Whitman, Hughes, Frost, Browning or Shakespeare and hundreds of other poets were submitted, as well as foreign language poems with English translations.

Over 18,000 people participated in the initial event. The submissions were culled, and resulted in a collection of 50 short video documentaries showcasing individual Americans reading and speaking personally about poems they love. These are a permanent part of the Library of Congress archive of recorded poetry and literature. The Favorite Poem Project’s archives— including original letters, e-mail printouts, and both raw and edited versions of audio and video recordings—are housed by Boston University’s Mugar Library, at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center.

The Favorite Poem Project is alive and well, and still growing. You can still participate. For more information, go to http://www.favoritepoem.org/index.html

Pinsky had a great idea.  A way to share how we feel about poetry with others, to hear poetry from someone else’s viewpoint, and even a way to explore the work of poets we have never experienced. 

We should keep it going.

 (Note: ARGHHH!  I just corrected a huge mistake in this original post!  The Robert Frost poem is Death of a Hired Man…   To those of you who noticed my error, and just smiled indulgently, I give thanks…so sorry.  Can I use that age card again??)