2019 Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri Reads "Work is My Secret Lover"
“We’re honored to have Grace Cavalieri join the distinguished ranks of Maryland’s Poet Laureates. Her lifelong passion for and dedication to poetry and the arts is nothing short of astounding, and I’m confident Marylanders will enjoy her readings and develop a greater understanding and appreciation for poetry through her service.” - Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan
Governor Hogan recently announced Maryland's ninth Poet Laureate to be the incomparable Grace Cavalieri. In his press conference regarding the announcement Mr. Hogan touched on Grace's "lifelong" dedication to poetry—one of those defining characteristics of a great artist. And it's true, no one works harder than Grace or produces more prolifically at such a high level. ASP celebrated this aspect of Grace in her Legacy Book, Other Voices, Other Lives which is an atemporal sampling of her entire career up to now, from poetry to prose, from plays to interviews with US Poets Laureate. It should come as no surprise to Mr. Hogan nor the careful reader of her works then that she has an almost religious dedication and inescapable fascination with her art and its many ingredients. As we shall hear, in her poem "Work is my Secret Lover," Poetry is her muse.
Hear Grace read "Work is my Secret Lover"
More From Grace Cavalieri
Big news for Maryland’s Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri. The American Academy of poets announced on Wednesday that an appropriation of $1,050,000 (made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon foundation) would be made available for thirteen of America’s most distinguished Poets Laureate including Grace herself…
Craving more Grace Cavalieri? Of course you are! Maryland’s newest Poet Laureate is active, about, and spreading the word; that is, her words. Even though Poet Laureate is largely an honorary position (it is unpaid, and one is “honored” more with a title than a job much like a knighthood or a medal of freedom), Grace Cavalieri seems determined to become the most active and community-focused Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history. Recently she was featured on Art Works the official podcast for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Grace Cavalieri stopped by WYPR last week for an interview on “Midday” with Tom Hall. The Poet Laureate and author of ASP’s Other Voices, Other Lives, mused on her life and work, meditating on the loss of her late husband, and reading from her deep poetry catalog. This interview is well worth the 40 minutes it takes to impart the important wisdom of one of Maryland’s foremost sages.
In 2000, the bicentennial of the Library of Congress, four Poets Laureate were appointed just for the occasion. The four dignitaries were W.S. Merwin, Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove, and Louise Gluck. I was to record one after the other for 4 hours. That first meeting with Merwin was unforgettable, as he arrived for an hour interview without so much as one poem in his hands. Fortunately, I had brought ten books for his signature and we puzzled our way through. He was delighted to recognize some of his first slim published volumes that were out of print, as well as a few collector’s items.