Hosting An Event with the U.S. Poet Laureate
Thank you for welcoming the U.S. Poet Laureate to your community! Below are some guidelines, tips, & recommendations for hosting Ms. Limón to make the event at your school or organization a successful one. We are eager to celebrate your event during Ms. Limón’s laureateship.
Guidelines, Tips, & Recommendations
HEALTH & SAFETY
Because the U.S. Poet Laureate travels extensively throughout her term, we are doing all we can to ensure that everyone stays well. We ask that the following health & safety guidelines of all of Ms. Limón’s event hosts. If you anticipate that any of this may be difficult to achieve with what you have envisioned for Ms. Limón’s visit with you, please contact Vaughan Fielder.
Book-signing lines should be monitored
Ms. Limón’s book signing lines are often very long, and we are grateful for that! We ask that the line be moderated by an event staff person or organizer so that it moves along smoothly.
One way to ensure that the line moves along smoothly is for a staff member to have a stack of post-it notes on which they can write each person’s name before the patron reaches Ada. This makes it clear for everyone!
Photographs & Selfies.
We love taking photos with students, staff, and attendees, but individual selfies often double the time of the book-signing line. A "no-selfie rule" or having a dedicated staff person to take photos often helps expedite the line.
Introducing THE U.S. POET LAUREATE FOR A READING
It’s important to us to highlight Ms. Limón’s accomplishments, as well as her connection to the Library of Congress. The Field Office and the Literary Initiatives Office at the Library of Congress have constructed the following text to be read by someone introducing the poet laureate for an event:
Ada Limón is the author of six collections of poetry, including The Carrying, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her most recent book of poetry, The Hurting Kind, is out now from Milkweed Editions. She is the 24th Poet Laureate of The United States. As the poet laureate, her signature project is called You Are Here and focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world. In October of 2023 she was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, and she is a TIME magazine woman of the year. She is also the author of two children’s books: In Praise of Mystery, with illustrations by Peter Sís; and And, Too, The Fox, released in January of 2025.
In June of 2022 Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed Ada Limón to be the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, also known as the U.S. Poet Laureate. The position has existed as part of the Library of Congress for over 80 years and was named by an act of Congress. To find out more the laureateship, you can visit the library's website. Please join us in welcoming Ada Limón. . .
Ordering Books
Poetry Collections from Milkweed Editions
You Are Here, The Hurting Kind, The Carrying, Bright Dead Things, and Sharks in the Rivers from Milkweed Editions are distributed by Publishers Group West and available for purchase through Ingram. If you do not have an Ingram account and are interested in placing a direct order through Milkweed Editions, please email orders@milkweed.org for bulk purchasing information.
In Praise of Mystery from Norton Young Readers
In Praise of Mystery is available for purchase from W. W. Norton & Company. For information about bulk sales for events, please contact specialmarkets@wwnorton.com.
And, Too, The Fox from Lerner
And, Too, the Fox from Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is available for purchase through independent booksellers, Bookshop.org, Follett, Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Mackin, and wherever you buy books. If you do not have accounts with these vendors and are interested in placing a direct order through Lerner Publishing Group, please email custserve@lernerbooks.com for bulk purchasing information.
Press Materials, SOCIAL MEDIA, & More about the Laureateship
Signature Project
More information about You Are Here, Ada’s signature project as the U.S. Poet Laureate is here.
Press Kit
Photos & Ms. Limón’s preferred biography for press materials are here.
More information about the U.S. Poet Laureate & the Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate
Interview Requests
For poet laureate-related publicity and interview requests, contact Brett Zongker, Chief of Media Relations at The Library of Congress.
Social Media Postings
If you would like to “tag” Ms. Limón in your social media posts, that is wonderful & welcome! Her social media account links are here:
If you have extra space, we also recommend that you “tag” the Milkweed Editions & the Library of Congress in your postings! These additional will widen the audience for your event! You may link to them here:
Library of Congress’s Facebook
Library of Congress’s Instagram
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THANK YOU!
Above all, we want to thank you for all you’re doing to make Ms. Limón feel welcome at your school or organization. If you have any questions or concerns about the guidelines above, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to make sure a wonderful time is had by all.
