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Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation building
|
| Type |
Independent literary organization |
| Founded |
January 1, 2003 |
| Headquarters |
|
| Key people |
Robert Polito, President |
| Service(s) |
Publication; Conferences; Library |
| Mission |
"To raise poetry to a more visible and influential position in American culture" |
| Formerly called |
Modern Poetry Association |
| Website |
poetryfoundation.org |
The Poetry Foundation is a Chicago-based American foundation created to promote poetry in the wider culture. It was formed from
Poetry magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist
Ruth Lilly.
[1]
According to the foundation's Web site, it is "committed to a
vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and
celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible
audience."
[2] In partial furtherance of this objective, the Foundation runs a blog called
Harriet [1] (see,
Harriet Monroe). Poets who have blogged at
Harriet on behalf of The Poetry Foundation include
Ange Mlinko,
Christian Bök,
Stephen Burt, and
Rigoberto González.
In addition, the Foundation provides several awards for poets and
poetry. It also hosts seminars, readings, exhibitions, and a poetry
library.
The Poetry Foundation is a non-profit, charitable, 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
[2]
History
The foundation is the successor to the
Modern Poetry Association (previous publisher of
Poetry magazine), which was founded in 1941.
[3] The magazine, itself, was started in 1912 by
Harriet Munroe its first publisher, and an art critic for the
Chicago Tribune. Today, the Poetry Foundation is one of the largest literary foundations in the world.
[2]
Poetry Foundation Library
In 2003,
Poetry magazine received a grant from the estate of
Ruth Lilly
originally said to be worth over $100 million, but which grew to be
about $200 million when it was given out. The grant added to her already
substantial prior contributions.
[4]
The magazine learned in 2001 that it would be getting the grant.
Before announcing the gift, the magazine waited a year and reconfigured
its governing board, which had been concerned with fund-raising. The
foundation was created, and
Joseph Parisi, who had been editor of the magazine for two decades, volunteered to head the new organization.
Christian Wiman, a young critic and poet, succeeded to the editorship in 2003. Parisi resigned from the foundation after a few months.
[4]
The new board used a recruiting agency to find John Barr, a rich executive and published poet, to head the foundation.
[4]
Poetry Foundation building
Part of the Lilly grant was used to build the Poetry Center in
Near North Side, Chicago. The Center, designed by
John Ronan,
opened in 2011. The center holds a library open to the public, houses
reading spaces, hosts school and tour groups, and provides office and
editorial space for the Poetry Foundation and magazine.
[5]
Programs
Events
The Poetry Foundation hosts a schedule of events. These include
poetry readings, staged plays, artist collaborations, and exhibitions.
Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute
The
Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute provides an independent
forum to convene discussions about poetry. Poets, scholars, educators
and others are invited to share ideas about the intellectual and
practical needs of the poetry form, and to generate solutions to benefit
the art.
Poetry Out Loud contest
The
Poetry Out Loud recitation contest was created in
2006 by the Poetry Foundation and the
National Endowment for the Arts
to increase awareness of poetry through performance and competition. It
engages high school students in public speaking and the literature and
performance of poetry. The contest gives out a $20,000 award to the
first place winner, $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.
Participating schools also receive cash prizes.
Awards
First
Poetry issue cover October 1912
The Foundation's awards seek to promote and bring recognition to poets and poetry. The
Pegasus Awards are a series of awards to "under-recognized" poets and poetic forms (the winged horse,
Pegasus, was used to illustrate the early magazine covers). They are generally given annually but may be given less often. The
Children's Poet Laureate is a two year appointment to an author of children's poetry. The
Ruth Lilly Prize is an annual award given for lifetime achievement in poetry to U.S. poets. The
Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship is awarded to aspiring U.S. poets to support study and writing.
Library
The 30,000-volume library presents a wide selection of modern and
contemporary poetry in English or translation. It includes original
author works and rare volumes. It also includes representative samples
of earlier eras, and includes a 3000-volume children's section. In
addition to the reading room, there are listening booths for poet audio
recordings and broadcasts related to poetry and interactive displays. It
is open to the public Tuesday through Friday with a children's day on
Wednesday.
Notes
- Fisher, Daniel (17 January 2011). "No Rhyme Or Reason". Forbes Magazine: 30.
- "About The Poetry Foundation". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved February 15, 2007.
- "The Poetry Foundation: History and Misison". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- Goodyear, Dana (February 19, 2007). "The Moneyed Muse: What can two hundred million dollars do for poetry?". The New Yorker (Condé Naste). Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- Kamin, Blair (2011-06-24). "Much more than a one-liner". Cityscapes. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
See
External links
google.com
