From AfterEllen.com:
Carol Ann Duffy, 53, has been appointed poet laureate of Britain, a prestigious 341-year-old position previously held by men like John Dryden, Alfred Tennyson, William Wordsworth, Cecil Day-Lewis and Ted Hughes.Not only is Duffy the first woman to hold the position, she is the first Scot, the first mother, and the first lesbian.
The British monarchy chooses a new poet laureate every 10 years, with the advice of the government. This time, the public was also consulted in making the appointment, although the decision was ultimately Queen Elizabeth's.
In announcing the decision, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham called Duffy "a towering figure in English literature today and a superb poet" who has "achieved something that only the true greats of literature manage -- to be regarded as both popular and profound."
You can see more about Carol Ann Duffy at her website.
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As a side note, the current U.S. poet laureate, Kay Ryan, is also female and openly gay.
Good point!
I absolutely love her poem Valentine!!! "I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper..." She is very talented!! I can't write poems or much of anything else, but I try! =)
Alex - Professional Cutie
www.mioamoredesign.com
It annoyed me that the New York Times coverage of this had a headline citing that she is the first woman, but the article itself had three lines about her being gay. The lines were something along the lines of, "she doesn't want to be known as a lesbian poet", which coming from the Times conveyed the message that THEY didn't want to be writing exclusively about a gay poet.
Sigh.
I think the NYTimes was just respecting her stance. Carole Ann Duffy is neither a 'lesbian-poet' nor a poet who identifies as lesbian, not that I think it's any of our business unless she wants it to be.
"Not only is Duffy the first woman to hold the position, she is the first Scot, the first mother, and the first lesbian."
Oh my God, so, are you telling me that the first lesbian, mother poet laureate is also a WOMAN?? Wow!
What awful writing.
Rosie,
"Oh my God, so, are you telling me that the first lesbian, mother poet laureate is also a WOMAN?? Wow!
What awful writing."
No, the writing is fine.
If the writing had said simply that she was the first lesbian, it would not convey the fact that she also happened to be the first woman. Same for 'mother'.
If the woman of nonconventional sexual orientation is it does not mean yet, that bad mother!
Carol Ann Duffy is amazing.
Yeah, like Mollie, it upset me that the fact that she was gay wasn't exactly cited in the best way possible by the New York Times.
The New York Times, like everyone, has a very long way to go.