Poet Laureates

When questioned by a reporter, John McCain recently had to admit he didn't know who the poet laureate of the United States or of Arizona is. It would be interesting to see how many members of the general public know that Charles Simic, an immigrant from Yugoslavia who didn't speak English until he was 15, is the current U.S. Poet Laureate. While Arizona does not have a poet laureate, Larry D. Thomas of Houston is the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate. A list of Texas Poet Laureates from 1932 onward is available from The Handbook of Texas Online. Information about U.S. Poet Laureates from 1937 onward is available from the Library of Congress.