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Natasha Trethewey will serve as US poet laureate for a second year

Natasha Trethewey was praised by Librarian of Congress James Billington for making herself so accessible to the public.

By Molly Driscoll , Staff Writer

Natasha Trethewey has been reappointed as the US poet laureate for a second year, according to James Billington, the Librarian of Congress.

Trethewey first became poet laureate in June of 2012 and was appointed as Poet Laureate of Mississippi, her home state, during the same year. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner for her poetry collection 鈥淣ative Guard,鈥 which was released in 2006.聽

In discussing Trethewey鈥檚 reappointment, Billington praised her openness and the steps she took to make herself available to the public, including her unusual decision to move to Washington D.C. for the year and the weekly office hours she maintained which were open to the public.

鈥淥ne of Natasha鈥檚 quotes that I like particularly is that there is a poem for everyone,鈥 Billington told the Washington Post. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 force a broader role on any laureates, but she鈥檚 done it so wonderfully.鈥

Trethewey will return to her home in Georgia for her next term as poet laureate. She will also participate in a project with PBS correspondent Jeffrey Brown. The pair will contribute features to the PBS Newshour Poetry Series that will involve their traveling to various areas in the US in order to consider poetry and its relationship to region.

鈥淣atasha seems to feel that poetry has a public place in the world, and I like that very much,鈥 Brown said of the writer. 鈥淪he wants to show people that it doesn鈥檛 just live in libraries and universities鈥. she wants to go out and see where poetry lives out in the country.鈥

Trethewey鈥檚 term as poet laureate of Mississippi will last through 2016. (She is so far the only writer to be the poet laureate of a state and the country at the same time.)