Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

You are a human animal.

You are a very special breed.

Or you are the only animal.

Who can think, who can reason, who can read.

From KCRW, Santa Monica, I'm Michael Silverblatt, and this is Bookworm.

Today I'm very happy to have as my guest, Elizabeth Alexander, and we're going to be

discussing a whole range of things.

Elizabeth Alexander, as you know, is the author of the poem that was read at the inauguration

of Barack Obama, Praise Song for the Day.

But I found in the course of the public discussion, there was so little about what would make a public poem

and the things that are involved in turning a poet who is often as not a private citizen,

the most private kind of citizen and the most private kind of citizen, and the most intimate kind

of citizen, into a public presence. And as I began to read Elizabeth Alexander's work from

her first book, the Venus Hot and Tot, to her most recent book of poetry, American Sublime.

These books, by the way, are published by the wonderful small press, Grey Wolf.

Then I began to read her essays, The Black Interior, and a book of essays and interviews, power and possibility.

I found constantly the thought thinking about what it is like to be put on

display, what it is like to be ready to assume one's voice in public, and I thought it would

be fascinating to discuss that on the air.

Now, the first poem that anyone knows, who knows Elizabeth Alexander's work, is Venus Hotentot.

And it's in her first book, and it's a very central poem. I guess people would call it a power poem in a way. It really is an enunciation of a

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