Washington friends of Scotland’s National Poet Robert Burns are celebrating his 250th birthay at the Library of Congress Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, February 24 — 25. The Library’s American Folklife Center has organized a free symposium and concert, Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics & Performance, and a few seats are still available (register here).
Tuesday afternoon’s highlights include an address by The Right Honorable Alex Salmond, MP, MSP, First Minister of Scotland, and a concert and poetry recital with Billy Kay, Margaret Bennett, Ed Miller, Valentina Bold, and others.
Wednesday’s events feature poetry readings and panels on Burns and traditional culture, Burns the celebrity, and the state of poetry and literature today in Scotland and America (see the complete program). Participants include poets Robert Crawford, Patricia Gray, Kay Ryan (Poet Laureate of the United States), and Myra Sklarew.
Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics & Performance Symposium
February 24-25, 2009
Mumford Room, 6th Floor
James Madison Memorial Building
The Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC
Image (wee puir thing) by Mike Licht.
Tags: Library of Congress, music, poetry, Washington DC
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