HotmailYale poet prepares for inauguration
Professor Elizabeth Alexander chosen to compose and read poem
 AP Elizabeth Alexander, a professor of African-American Studies at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., was chosen to read a poem at the January 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. |
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Elizabeth Alexander was a toddler in a baby stroller when her parents took her to hear Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington.
Now, it's Alexander's turn to move the nation.
Alexander, professor of African-American studies at Yale University, was chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to compose and read a poem for his inauguration on Jan. 20.
"I'm completely thrilled and deeply, deeply honored," Alexander said Thursday.
Alexander's mother is a historian specializing in African-American women's history at George Washington University. Her father was a presidential civil rights adviser and secretary of the Army.
"The civil rights movement was fully alive in our home," Alexander said.
Attending King's 1963 speech was an iconic moment for the family.
"That story was always a part of family stories that were told as a way of thinking about the importance of being civic, the importance of looking forward, the importance of having visionary leaders, the importance of involving yourself with the community, the importance of recognizing the historical moment and historical possibilities," Alexander said.
Alexander, who is 46 and married with two children, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 for her collection "American Sublime." Her other books include "The Venus Hottentot," "Body of Life" and "Antebellum Dream Book."
Last year, she won the $50,000 Jackson Poetry Prize.
Alexander will be only the fourth poet to read at a presidential swearing in. Robert Frost read for President John F. Kennedy, while Maya Angelou and Miller Williams read at President Bill Clinton's inaugurations.
Alexander is friends with Obama from her days when they were on the faculty at the University of Chicago in the 1990s.
She acknowledged the challenge before her. She said she does not start with a message in mind, likening the process to a radio antenna in which she listens for the right language.
"You're always trying to catch a rhythm," she said. "It's something I will be chipping away at every day."
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