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The engraving of Ada Limón’s poem on the spacecraft Europa Clipper .
What is a a poet laureate? Ada Limón: The poet laureate of the United States is someone who is appointed by the librarian of the Library of Congress, which is the largest library in the world. The poet laureate's job is to go around the country and talk about the power and importance of poetry. What does being a poet laureate mean to you? For me, it means really deeply connecting to people and talking about poetry. And hearing about how they feel about poetry. How do you come up with ideas for your poems? All my poems begin in silence. I must be very, very quiet. And then I start listening for the voice underneath the voice. The voice in your head that you hear when no one else is around. Often, your poems sound like a tiny story. Can you explain why? Stories are really important to me. I grew up with a lot of great storytellers. For me, a poem can also be a good story.
Why do some of your poems rhyme while others do not? Sometimes a poem needs a form. It needs a container. And the rhyme can be a container for it. And sometimes a poem doesn’t want a container. It wants to be wild and free and do whatever it wants to do. Without the container or structure of having to rhyme, you can do whatever you want. Do you write about places you’ve been? I do. I love writing about the places I’ve been. Partly because, for me, I love really focusing on nature. And so, wherever I am, I try to nd moments of nature that I can write about. Can poetry be powerful enough to change people in society? I think poetry can be powerful enough to change people in society. Partly it’s because we don’t always allow ourselves to feel. We’re not supposed to have feelings. Everyone just kind of numbs out, right? If someone asks you how you are, you’re supposed to say,“Fine.”A poem allows you to have feelings and expand your vocabulary for feelings.
magine having the chance to write words that would be sent into space. What would you write? NASA is sending a spacecraft to study one of Jupiter’s moons called Europa. Jupiter has more than 95 moons. This one is of interest to scientists because it is covered in ice, which may have an ocean under it. Because water is key to life as we know it, scientists are wondering if there could be life on Europa. NASA asked Ada Limón to write a poem for the mission to Europa. Limón is the poet laureate of the United States. Her poem “In Praise of Mystery” is engraved on the spacecraft called Europa Clipper . Kid Scoop News student reporter Isabel had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Ada Limón.
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© Vicki Whiting December 2024
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