North Dakota poet thinks it's absurd that Governor Pawlenty vetoes bill creating Minnesota poet laureate

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May 31, 2005
Tom Crann - Reporter, Larry Woiwode - Interviewee
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MPR’s Tom Crann interviews North Dakota poet Larry Woiwode on his dismay over Minneosta Governor Pawlenty’s decision to veto bill that would have established a poet laureate for Minnesota.

At least 34 states have poet laureates. Like the majority of those writers, a Minnesota poet laureate would have received no tax dollars. But it wasn't the money that concerned Governor Pawlenty. Instead, he feared that naming a state poet would lead to requests for a Minnesota mime or state interpretive dancer.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) I was absolutely flabbergasted. I cannot understand why governor of any state would veto a bill to establish a poet laureate since it's a tradition that's been going on since the 12th 13th
(00:00:14) century. Yeah, where did the idea of poet laureate come from more specifically in the US but it does date back even to England. Doesn't it?
(00:00:21) Yes, it dates back to England. When as far as I know. The earliest was when Richard to appointed Chaucer that is reach author of The Canterbury Tales to be the court poet. And from then on of course Shakespeare's company was a part of the King's Men. They were Court acting troupe and that idea of having up then a poet laureate. Laureate means a laurel door a crowned or honored writer who serves the government first Britain and then it moved to the US and the US established. The u.s.
(00:01:00) Laureate what are the duties of poets Laureate in the United States? And I imagine they differ from state to state right?
(00:01:07) Yes, they do differ from state to state. But generally it is to read a poem that us a a public occasions such as inauguration of a new governor or some new building that's been been built in the state door to honor some particular group, but poet laureates generally. Travel to all the schools in the state bringing the good news of the Arts. They're not talking only about poetry they're talking about all the Arts music and sculpture and painting and all the other Arts they speak to young people about them to you know, enliven their interest in the spoken and the visual and all the
(00:01:52) Arts. Do you know of any case where the poet laureate of a state has been a lightning rod for? Criticism or whose poet whose politics differed from the governor or the legislature that appointed him or her?
(00:02:07) Well, I think they would be difficult to say that this particular poet laureates politics differed from the local government. It was Amiri Baraka who was the poet laureate of New Jersey back after 9/11 and 2001 wrote a rather long poem about the 9/11 the Twin Towers tragedy. And in a couple of lines, he mentioned he asked questions. Why wasn't so on so there and why wasn't the Israeli Ambassador there, you know when the Twin Towers they were supposed to be there. Apparently that day the legislature received a bit of static and they finally ended up abolishing the office of poet laureate in New Jersey. And that's the only place that I can think of where there's been any
(00:02:54) difficulty now today the governor of Minnesota Governor pawlenty is quoted as saying That he has nothing against poetry or the Arts but he says we don't have a state mime an interpretive dancer or Potter and we would open ourselves up to that. Maybe everyone of the Arts might want to have an official designation by the state. How do you respond to
(00:03:14) that? It's like saying because we have a governor we got to watch out or we're going to get a prime minister and then we're going to going to get a
(00:03:21) parliament but it does beg the question then why is poetry and art that should be given this sort of official status where there isn't let's say a state composer. Why? Did you say that poetry deserves a status that other Arts maybe aren't getting
(00:03:34) well because government isn't run by music because government isn't run by Pottery. It's run by words and it's words that communicate the message of what's going on in this state to others just as the legislature puts out its documents. So the poet puts out his or her
(00:03:52) poems. You've said a poet laureate should not be a mere figurehead or adornment but called upon to add Dimension to The Daily Grind. Kind of partisan politics. How do you go about that?
(00:04:04) Well, I read poetry in public. I visit schools. I visit colleges and universities. I give readings there I speak to groups of Young Writers. I was able to listen to poets from different states. They communicated to me the Zeitgeist of Alaska and Delaware in Oklahoma and South Carolina, Indiana, and they communicated that to me in a way that I've You know, I've never got one. I visited those States because they've looked into the dimensions of the state and they've spent time among the people and they told me something about those states that I didn't know about before.

Transcripts

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SPEAKER 1: I was absolutely flabbergasted. I cannot understand why a governor of any state would veto a bill to establish a poet laureate since it's a tradition that's been going on, since the 12th or 13th century.

SPEAKER 2: Where did the idea of poet laureate come from, more specifically in the US? But it does date back even to England, doesn't it?

SPEAKER 1: Yes, it dates back to England when-- as far as I know, the earliest was when Richard II appointed Chaucer, that is Geoffrey Chaucer of The Canterbury Tales, to be the court poet. And from then on, of course, Shakespeare's company was part of the king's men. They were caught acting troupe. And that idea of having then a poet laureate-- laureate means a laurelled, or a crowned, or honored writer who serves the government. First, Britain, and then it moved to the US. And the US established a US laureate.

SPEAKER 2: What are the duties of poets laureate in the United States? And I imagine, they differ from state to state, right?

SPEAKER 1: Yes, they do differ from state to state. But generally, it is to read a poem at, say, a public occasion, such as inauguration of a new governor or some new building that's been built in the state, or to honor some particular group. But poet laureates generally travel to all the schools in the state, bringing the good news of the arts. They're not talking only about poetry. They're talking about all the arts; music, and sculpture, and painting, and all the other arts. They speak to young people about them to enliven their interest in the spoken, and the visual, and all the arts.

SPEAKER 2: Do you know of any case where the poet laureate of a state has been a lightning rod for criticism or whose politics differed from the governor or the legislature that appointed him or her?

SPEAKER 1: Well, I think it would be difficult to say that this particular poet laureate's politics differed from the local government. It was Amiri Baraka who was the poet laureate of New Jersey back after 9/11 in 2001, wrote a rather long poem about the 9/11-- the Twin Towers tragedy.

And in a couple of lines, he mentioned-- he asked questions, why wasn't so-and-so there? And why wasn't the Israeli Ambassador there in the Twin towers? They were supposed to be there, apparently, that day. The legislature received a bit of static, and they finally ended up abolishing the Office of Poet Laureate in New Jersey. And that's the only place that I can think of, where there's been any difficulty.

SPEAKER 2: Now, today, the governor of Minnesota, Governor Pawlenty, is quoted as saying that he has nothing against poetry or the arts. But he says, "We don't have a state mime, an interpretive dancer, or potter, and we would open ourselves up to that." Maybe one of the arts might want to have an official designation by the state. How do you respond to that?

SPEAKER 1: It's like saying because we have a governor, we got to watch out, or we're going to get a prime minister, and then we're going to get a parliament.

SPEAKER 2: But it does beg the question then, why is poetry an art that should be given this official status where there isn't, let's say, a state composer? Why would you say that poetry deserves a status that other arts maybe aren't getting?

SPEAKER 1: Well, because government isn't run by music. Because government isn't run by pottery. It's run by words. And it's words that communicate the message of what's going on in the state to others. Just as the legislature puts out its documents, so the poet puts out his or her poems.

SPEAKER 2: You've said a poet laureate should not be a mere figurehead or adornment, but called upon to add dimension to the daily grind of partisan politics. How do you go about that?

SPEAKER 1: Well, I read poetry in public. I visit schools. I visit colleges and universities. I give readings there. I speak to groups of young writers. I was able to listen to poets from different states. They communicated to me the zeitgeist of Alaska, and Delaware, and Oklahoma, and South Carolina, and Indiana, and they communicated that to me in a way that I've never got when I visited those states. Because they've looked into the dimensions of the state, and they've spent time among the people. And they told me something about those states that I didn't know about before.

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