Bill Text: MS HR79 | 2012 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Natasha Trethewey; welcome her to the Capitol on March 27, 2012, as Mississippi's newest Poet Laureate.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-04-05 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HR79 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2012-HR79-Engrossed.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representative Whittington
House Resolution 79
(As Adopted by House)
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LITERARY ACHIEVEMENTS OF MISSISSIPPI NATIVE NATASHA TRETHEWEY, AND COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON BEING MISSISSIPPI'S NEWEST POET LAUREATE.
WHEREAS, Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet, Natasha Trethewey, a native of Gulfport, Mississippi, was appointed in 2012 as Mississippi's current State Poet Laureate by former Governor Haley Barbour prior to his departure as the state's Chief Executive; and
WHEREAS, after receiving a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Georgia, Ms. Trethewey continued the pursuit of educational matriculation by obtaining a master's degree in English and creative writing from Hollins University and a master's degree of fine arts in poetry from the University of Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, currently, Ms. Trethewey holds the esteemed seat as the Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, among her many notable achievements, Ms. Trethewey has been the recipient of several praiseworthy fellowships from highly esteemed foundations, including: Guggenheim Foundation; Rockefeller Foundation; Bunting Fellowship Program of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University; and the National Endowment for the Arts; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Trethewey has contributed her insight into literature and through her love of poetry through different positions at some of this nation's most prestigious universities, such as: Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as the 2005-2006 Lehman Brady Joint Chair Professor of Documentary and American Studies; and Yale University, as the 2009 James Weldon Johnson Fellow in African-American Studies at the school's Beinecke Library; and
WHEREAS, while it is not uncommon for poets to receive prominent recognitions for their contributions to their unique genres, Ms. Trethewey has far exceeded her peers with renowned awards, such as: 2008 Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts; 2008 Georgia Woman of the Year; 2009 inductee into the Fellowship of Southern Writers; and 2011 inductee into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Trethewey has authored four collections of poetry: Domestic Work, published by Graywolf Press in 2000; Bellocq's Ophelia, published by Graywolf in 2002; Native Guard, published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006; Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, published by Georgia in 2010; and Thrall, her latest collection of poetry, is forthcoming by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the fall of 2012; and
WHEREAS, for her talented work in authoring her collections of poetry, Ms. Trethewey has been awarded countless awards, including: the inaugural 1999 Cave Canem poetry prize, a 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry, all awarded for her 2000 publication of Domestic Work; the 2003 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize, she was named a finalist for both the Academy of American Poets' James Laughlin and Lenore Marshall prizes all for her 2002 publication of Bellocq's Ophelia, which was named a 2003 Notable Book by the American Library Association; and her most significant award came in 2007 when her 2006 publication of Native Guard allowed her to receive the highest honor of Pulitzer Prize author; and
WHEREAS, the works of Ms. Trethewey have appeared in several volumes of Best American Poetry, and also in journals, such as: Agni; American Poetry Review; Callaloo; Gettysburg Review; Kenyon Review; New England Review; The Southern Review; and countless other journals; and
WHEREAS, the talent that flows from the writing pen of Ms. Trethewey as she so beautifully authors her poetry reflects greatly upon the State of Mississippi, as its native daughter has achieved wide-spread acclaim and grandeur on both a national and international level, and is a goal to be striven for by all Mississippians; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend notable Mississippians, such as Ms. Tretheway, who has brought honor and acclaim to herself and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize the stylistic and poetic accomplishments of Mississippian Natasha Trethewey as we welcome her to our Capitol today, March 27, 2012, acknowledge the great strides made in poet literature, commend her upon her recent appointment as the Magnolia State's Poet Laureate and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Ms. Trethewey and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
