Barack Obama's White House Poetry Night

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will celebrate American poetry and prose with a gathering of poets, musicians and artists at the White House next Wednesday night.

Professionals Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann and Jill Scott will read, sing and highlight poetry's influence on American culture.

The White House says the first lady will also hold an afternoon workshop for students from across the country so they can learn from some of the night's performers.

In 2009, Mrs. Obama inaugurated a White House music series that has celebrated jazz, country, classical, Motown and Latin music. She has also arranged salutes to Broadway, the music of the civil rights movement and Judith Jamison, an Alvin Ailey dancer and artistic director.

Comments

[Randian Roark]

09:13 PM on 05/09/2011

Why doesn't the HP talk about the rapper "common's" pro cop-killer, pro-presidential violence threat "poems?"

Stay classy Obamas. Always got to get a dig in, right?
People are keeping score. The place will need to be fumigated when they leave next year.

[tqcobb]

03:34 PM on 05/07/2011

couldn't anywhere else to post this...HAPPY 100TH Robert Johnson...see you at the crossroads

[fishnetdiver]

05:28 AM on 05/06/2011

It's nice to have a family in the White House who does their best to showcase the arts.
Keep it up!

[EmmaDarian]

09:08 PM on 05/05/2011

Rita Dove! I love her poetry.

[Dosadi]

08:31 PM on 05/05/2011

Good for them.  The more intelectual Obama is the more right wingers he ticks off. They cannot stand the sound of literacy.

[JoahuaPundit]

05:22 PM on 05/10/2011

'Literacy'? Have you ever gotten a load of Common's stuff?

Not only that, but I think it's deeply insulting to black America to have someone honored by performing at the White House whose raps glorify promiscuity, drug use and criminal behavior.

Seen the stats on how many black youths are victimized by the kind of behavior this kind of garbage glorifies?

[Dosadi]

05:33 PM on 05/10/2011

Quit player hatin it stinks.
Here is the list of guests and out of all of them you pick out "common" and then throw him at me as if he rode in with me?

Professionals Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann and Jill Scott will read, sing and highlight poetry's influence on American culture.

This is a great list for those of us who are educated and actually care.

[MMRDO]

07:31 PM on 05/05/2011

Can't think of anything more useless in politics than poetry.

[socialtalker]

06:34 PM on 05/06/2011

yeah, walt whitman and carl sandburg were quite worthless talents.....

[MMRDO]

08:31 PM on 05/06/2011

Just saying, poets aren't renowned for their usefulness.

[melchar]

01:56 AM on 05/07/2011

You are what is called a Philistine.

[MMRDO]

11:53 AM on 05/07/2011

Well, I am uncircumcised.... I value theater and literature, but I do not like poetry at all, it serves very little applicable uses.

[Fatdaddy Nick]

07:07 PM on 05/05/2011

The right and Fox are going to flip out over this. Get ready for flashy graphics, lots of swoosh and slam sound effects and warnings of communism. LOL. ;o)

[fishnetdiver]

05:35 AM on 05/06/2011

"So Gretchen what do you think about this so-called 'peotry'?"
"Well Dooooshie I just can't believe that with unemployment at record levels and three wars Osama, uh, I mean Obama is wasting time with a bunch of hipsters and beatniks! It just shows how out of touch he and his baby-mama are with the rest of America!"
"Let's hope the White House staff is smart enough to hide the Reagan silverware!"
"I like Reagan!"
"We all do Brian. We all do..."
"My coffee tastes like blue!"
[fade to commercial]