11/13/2008 GAAS:773:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Carol Muske-Dukes Poet Laureate
Continuing his
support of California's rich literary tradition, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
today appointed Carol Muske-Dukes California's poet laureate. The poet laureate
is charged with educating Californians about the many literary icons who have
come from California and added to its cultural heritage. She is also charged
with encouraging a new generation of poets to take up the mantle of creative
expression and bringing poetry to students who otherwise would have little
opportunity to be exposed to it.
"Carol
Muske-Dukes is an accomplished and decorated poet and author. Her commitment to
the literary arts and passionate belief that poetry can transform lives will
serve as an inspiration for all Californians." Governor Schwarzenegger said.
Muske-Dukes has
been a professor of English at the University of Southern California (USC)
since 1993, where she founded the graduate program in literature and creative
writing in 1999 and served as director of the program until 2002. She
previously served as associate professor from 1991 to 1993, assistant professor
from 1989 to 1991 and lecturer from 1984 to 1988 at USC. From 1972 to 1974,
Muske-Dukes founded and taught in a creative writing program called "Free
Space" at the Women's House of Detention on Riker's Island in New York which
later became "Art Without Walls-Free Space." She is a regular critic for the New
York Times Book Review and the LA Times Book Review. Muske-Dukes
previously served as a poetry columnist for the LA Times Book Review from 2001 to 2004.
Muske-Dukes is
the author of seven books of poetry, including her most recent work, Sparrow,
which was a National Book Award finalist and An Octave Above Thunder,
which was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She has also written
four novels, including Los Angeles Times best-seller Channeling Mark
Twain and two collections of essays. Her collection Married to the
Icepick Killer: A Poet in Hollywood was listed in the San Francisco
Chronicle's Top 100 Books of 2002.
In addition to
her teaching positions and numerous books, Muske-Dukes has also been
anthologized widely, including credits in Best American Poems, 100
Great Poems by Women, MotherSongs and others. Her list of awards and
accomplishments includes a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the
Arts Grant, the Ingram-Merrill Fellowship, the Witter Bynner Award from the
Library of Congress, the Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America,
five pushcart prizes and the WriteGirl Bold Ink Award.
"I am truly
honored to be named California's poet laureate and I look forward to serving
the people of California and poetry which reaches the hearts and imagination of
young and old in both urban and remote areas of this diverse and dynamic
state." said Muske-Dukes.
Muske-Dukes, 62,
was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and earned a Master of Arts degree in English
and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. This position
requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $10,000 to be paid over
the course of the two-year term. Muske-Dukes is a Democrat.
"Carol Muske-Dukes is a distinguished
writer who has greatly influenced the world of literary arts in California and
throughout the world. Governor Schwarzenegger has chosen Carol from a list of
accomplished and well-known writers and The California Arts Council looks
forward to working with her in the future," said California Arts Council
Director Muriel Johnson.
The California poet laureate works
in conjunction with the California Arts Council to bring the poetic arts to
Californians and to California students who might otherwise have little
opportunity to be exposed to poetry. Before 2001, the position was unofficial
and honorary, conferred by the legislature and held for a lifetime. The poet
laureate position was officially created by AB 113 by Assemblymember Fran
Pavley and signed into law in 2001. Under this legislation, the
California Arts Council solicits nominations for the position and then
recommends four candidates to the governor. From these nominees the Governor
chooses the poet laureate and he or she is confirmed by the Senate.
California has
given the world some of its greatest writers and most influential works; John
Steinbeck brought to life many regions of California-from the Central Valley in
The Grapes of Wrath to Monterey in Cannery Row-in his immense
body of work; Allen Ginsberg became synonymous with San Francisco while leading
the charge of the Beat Generation with his most famous poem, "Howl;" and
Raymond Carver revitalized the short story genre in the late 20th century.
The role of the
California poet laureate is to spread the art of poetry from classrooms to
boardrooms across the state, to inspire an emerging generation of literary
artists and to educate all Californians about the many poets and authors who
have influenced our great state through creative literary expression.
