Ada Limón, the United States Poet Laureate, discusses how the natural world inspires her poetry, including writing a poem for a NASA spacecraft. She emphasizes the importance of reading poetry aloud and shares her poetic journey from Sonoma County to Kentucky, reflecting on landscapes and seasons.
Poetry is meant to be read out loud, not just silently consumed, emphasizing the auditory experience.
Being poet laureate has re-articulated the importance of poetry, challenging expressions in a changing world.
Celebrating and supporting all forms of poetry fosters a culture of appreciation and uplifts poets' work.
Deep dives
The Power of Advocacy in the Role of Poet Laureate
Ada Limon discusses how being the United States poet laureate has allowed her to advocate for poetry, libraries, reading, words, and language. She reflects on the legacy of previous laureates and emphasizes the role of advocacy in lifting others up and promoting poetry in various contexts.
Re-Articulating the Importance of Poetry
Ada Limon shares that being poet laureate has led her to re-articulate why poetry matters, challenging her to express the significance of poetry in a new way. She discusses the evolving nature of her relationship with poetry and the need to communicate its importance in a changing world.
The Joy of Celebrating Poetry and Writers
Ada Limon highlights the joy of celebrating and defending all forms of poetry, appreciating the diversity and uniqueness of each literary creation. She emphasizes the importance of supporting and uplifting poets and their work, fostering a culture of appreciation and celebration for the art of poetry.
Inspiration from Nature and NASA for Poetry
Ada Limon shares her experience of writing a poem for NASA to be engraved on a spacecraft traveling to Jupiter's moon. She reflects on the inspiration drawn from nature and the collaborative effort between science and art in creating a poem that celebrates the wonders of the natural world.
Curiosity and the Role of Questions in Poetry
Ada Limon expresses the importance of staying curious as a writer, allowing questions to guide her poetic impulses. She highlights the significance of curiosity in exploring the world, triggering creative inspiration, and deepening the understanding of personal reactions and connections to the surroundings.
This week, our guest is Ada Limón, he United States Poet Laureate. Limon has published six books of poetry, including The Carrying, The Hurting Kind, and Bright Dead Things. On February 22nd, 2024, Limón came to The Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to Alexis Madrigal about the ways in which the natural world inspires her work – from the landscape of her youth in Sonoma County, California, to Kentucky, where she lives today. She also talked about writing a poem to be engraved on a NASA spacecraft that will launch in the autumn of 2024. Limon says that poetry isn’t just meant to be read – it’s meant to be read out loud - and this program also includes her reading several poems.
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