I don’t know if there is a typical day in the life of a children’s Poet Laureate, but the first day was kind of a mind blower because there was a message on our answering machine. It was just about a year ago, more than a year ago, because the term began in October, but I think I was called in July. Anyway, there was this message from John Barr at the Poetry Foundation and I didn’t know him. And I knew that he published a poetry magazine and so I thought it was someone calling for a subscription.
And so I could very easily not even have responded to the call, but I did and there was the invitation that I had been chosen to be the children’s Poet Laureate of the United States, would I accept? And I think my first reaction was, “Why me?” And after that, of course, I accept. That’s wonderful! And from then on, I don’t think there’s been one typical day during the whole time.
And that explains why I’m here and why I’m all over the place. Because I really have now decided that for this, and it’s going to be two and half year’s employment, that I am someone who really is speaking up for poetry and children’s poetry and as I described it, I would be a pied piper for children’s poetry and for memory
I have a lot of little things that mean a lot to me. I love memorizing poetry and I think it’s a great joy.