GAZETTE Volume 25, No. 22 • June 13, 2014 • A weekly publication for Library staff Inside ‘Don’t Ask’ Revisited A Veterans History Project panel explores the impact of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal on gay, lesbian and bisexual service members. Page 3 Scholarship and the Library The Library of Congress Scholars Council meets to discuss matters pertaining to scholarship, the Library and the Kluge Center. Page 4 World Comes to NLS International delegations come to Courtesy of Charles Wright NLS to learn from its model of making Charles Wright taught for nearly three decades at the University of Virginia. reading materials available to the visually and physically impaired. Page 6 Wright Named Poet Laureate Author Won Pulitzer Prize for ‘Black Zodiac’ ibrarian of Congress James H. Bil- won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for “Black lington this week announced the Zodiac” and the National Book Award L appointment of Charles Wright, in 1983 for “Country Music: Selected winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Early Poems.” In 2008, he received the Poetry, as the Library’s 20th poet laure- Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt Prize for life- ate consultant in poetry. time achievement in poetry from the “Charles Wright is a master of the medi- Library of Congress. tative, image-driven lyric,” Billington said He will take up his duties in the fall, John Muller discusses his new in making the announcement on Thurs- opening the Library’s annual literary book, “Mark Twain in Washington, day. “For almost 50 years, his poems have season on Sept. 25 with a reading of his D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent,” June 18 in the reckoned with what he calls ‘language, work in the Coolidge Auditorium. Montpelier Room. landscape and the idea of God.’ Wright’s Wright succeeds Natasha Trethewey body of work combines a Southern sensi- and joins a long line of distinguished On Tap bility with an allusive expansiveness, for poets who, since 1937, have served as Lectures, films, concerts, classes and moments of singular musicality.” laureate, including Allen Tate, Robert other events at the Library of Congress in the coming week. Wright is the author of 24 collections Penn Warren, Robert Lowell, William Page 8 of poems, most recently “Caribou.” He LAUREATE, continued on page 7 2 T H E LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GA ZETTE JUNE 13, 2014 EVENTS Upcoming GAZETTE Where Faith and Astrobiology Meet www.loc.gov/staff/gazette Astrobiology and Theology GAYLE OSTERBERG June 18, 4 p.m. Executive Editor MARK HARTSELL Room 119, Jefferson Building Editor Contributing Editors: Erin Allen, Calendar; Carlin “René” Sayles, Moving On and Length of Service; impact on society if evidence of micro- Lisa Davis, Donated Leave bial or complex life is found. Of all Proofreader: George Thuronyi the possible consequences, the effect Design and Production: Ashley Jones PETER BRAESTRUP GAIL FINEBERG JAMES W. McCLUNG on our theologies is among the most Founder Founding Editor Founding Publisher interesting in terms of impact on the (1990 – 1997) (1990 – 2009) (1990 – 1994) NASA illustration broad population.” New discoveries of potentially Dick is a well-known astronomer, An official publication of the Library of Congress,The Gazette encourages Library managers and staff to submit articles and habitable worlds beyond our solar author and historian of science. His photographs of general interest. Submissions will be edited to system raise challenging questions for research at the Library investigates convey the most necessary information. humanity about faith, human nature, the ramifications of the search for Deadline for submission of articles is 5 p.m. Wednesday, one week prior to publication date. Please submit text in digital reality and religion. and potential discovery of simple or form via e-mail ([email protected]) preferably as an attached Microsoft Word file. The John W. Kluge Center at the complex organisms beyond Earth. Back issues of The Gazette in print are available in the Public Library of Congress will address the Lovin is director of research at the Affairs Office, LM 105. complex intersection of astrobiology Center of Theological Inquiry in Princ- Electronic archived issues and the a color PDF file of the current and theology in a June 18 program eton, N.J. A prominent theologian who issue are available online at www.loc.gov/staff/gazette. featuring current Kluge Center astro- has written extensively on religion, biology chair Steven J. Dick in conver- law and comparative religious ethics, Library of Congress Gazette Washington, DC 20540-1620 sation with theologian Robin Lovin. Lovin is the most recent holder of Editorial: Mark Hartsell, 7-9194, [email protected] “Thousands of planets are being the Cary and Ann Maguire chair in Design and production: Ashley Jones, discovered beyond our solar system, ethics and American history at the 7-9193, [email protected] some of them Earth-sized and in the Kluge Center. ISSN 1049-8184 Printed on paper that contains recycled paper by the habitable zone of their parent star,” The event is free and open to the Printing Management Section, Office Systems Services Dick said. “The question arises of the public. Tickets are not needed. Gazette Welcomes Letters from Staff Staff is invited to use the Forum pages for lively and thoughtful debate relevant to Library issues. However, just as other newspa- Interview with Doris Kearns Goodwin per editors exercise discretion over which letters to publish and how to edit them, so do we. In deciding whether or how much to Library staff members on June 18 are invited to attend a discussion with publish, we consider content (including misstatements of fact, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about her book “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore libel, innuendo, ridicule of individuals or the institution, personal attacks, and redundancy) and length (the limit is 300 words). Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism.” Goodwin Letters must be signed by the author, whose place of work and will be interviewed by Michelle Krowl of the Manuscript Division. The event telephone extension should be included so we can verify author- ship. Letter writers should understand that when they sign their takes place at 9 a.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Seating is limited. letters and release them to us for publication they are relinquishing privacy. If a letter calls for management response, for example, an explanation of a policy or actions or clarification of fact, we will ask for management response.—Ed. Celebrate Juneteenth with Dick Gregory Social activist and comedian Dick Gregory on June 17 will give the keynote address at the Juneteenth celebration for the Daniel AP Murray African Gazette Deadlines American Culture Association and LC Blacks In Government. The program The deadline for editorial copy for the June 27 Gazette is Wednesday, June 18. begins at 12:30 p.m. in the Montpelier Room. Contact Darren Jones at 7-3827 E-mail editorial copy and letters to the editor or [email protected] for more information. to [email protected]. To promote events through the Library’s online calendar (www.loc.gov/loc/events) and the Gazette Calendar, e-mail event and Caribbean Story Time contact information to [email protected] by The Young Readers Center on June 20 presents a Caribbean story time in 9 a.m. Monday of the week of publication. recognition of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. The event takes Boxed announcements should be submitted electronically (text files) by 9 a.m. Monday place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Contact Caroline Quandt at 7-1950 for more the week of publication to [email protected]. information. JUNE 13, 2014 T H E LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GA ZETTE 3 NEWS Letters About Literature Winners Named Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing program that asks young people in grades 4 through 12 to write to an author (living or deceased) about how his or her book affected their lives, has announced its 2014 winners. More than 50,000 young readers from across the country participated in this year’s initiative, a reading-promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The top letters in each competition Amanda Reynolds Eric Perez and Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith describe their experiences in the military. level for each state were chosen. Then, national and national honor winners were chosen from each of the three ‘Breaking the Silence’: VHP Panel competition levels: Level 1 (grades 4–6), Level 2 (grades 7–8) and Level 3 (grades Revisits ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal 9–12). Congress repealed that law in 2010, On the state level, the program is spon- By Mark Hartsell though transgender persons are not sored by affiliate state centers for the allowed to serve. book. National judges include published The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” “I’m the left-out piece,” said Beck, authors, editors, publishers, librarians four years ago has made the military the first openly transgender Navy SEAL. and teachers. better and allowed gays, lesbians and Panelists described the difficulty of This year’s winners are: bisexuals to serve their country without serving under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – Level 1 fear, members of a Veterans History Proj- leading double lives, pretending not to National Prize (tie): Becky Miller’s ect panel said last week. know gay friends they saw in public, living letter to Dr. Seuss, author of “One Fish “The first thing that went away on in fear of being outed. “It’s hard,” Eyles Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.” Miller is the day that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was said. “It wears down on you.” from Wellesley, Mass.