Robert Pinsky

From high school jazz saxophonist to National Poet Laureate...

Learn how Robert Pinsky went from making art with a horn to art with words.

"The work comes not with the responsibilities but with opportunities."
Robert Pinsky

Pinsky recites Dacca Gauzes

The Road Taken:
Photogrpaher Wendy Ewald, Dancer Mark Morris

Teacher Resources

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America's Favorite Poem Project

Considering a career in poetry...

When you were a teen what did you want to be?
I wanted to be a jazz saxophone player. I was not nearly good enough. When I went to college I discovered that there was an art based on the sounds of words, in which I could possibly do some of the things I was not gifted enough to do as a musician.

What is a Poet Laureate?
Laureate comes from laurel, the leaf that stays green after you pick it: a symbol of memory. To crown a poet with laurel is to recognize the deep bond between poetry and memory. The title "poet laureate" is only part of my title, the other part is: Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

That is, I serve the representatives of the people. It is very appropriate that the American Laureate is associated with the Library of Congress, which is the greatest storehouse of human memory there has ever been.

What are the responsibilities of the National Poet Laureate?
It's a largely honorary post, with minimal duties: a lecture or reading each fall and spring, and planning and introducing the poetry programs at the Library of Congress. The work comes not with the responsibilities but with opportunities.

What's the most challenging aspect of creating a poem?
Getting the sounds of the vowels and consonants, the shapes of the sentences, to be physically graceful and expressive.

What are you early memories of poetry?
I was goofing around with the sounds of words — rhythms, rhymes, consonants and vowels that echo or clang — from as long as I can remember. When I was about 17, I began to dimly perceive this habit was related to a great art, the art of poetry.

What's your favorite kind of poetry?
Sixteenth and early 17th-century poetry by people like Thomas Campion, Fulke Greville, Ben Jonson, Thomas Nashe — because they sound the sweetest.

What advice would you give to students on setting and reaching their goals?
Write down something you want to attain five or ten years from now. Don't show the paper to anyone, or talk about it, but know where the paper is and what is on it. Think about that goal from time to time.

If you want to get good at something, study the absolutely best examples you can find--study the monumental achievements.

— interview conducted September 2000