The poet Carol Ann Duffy was chosen as poet laureate of England today, the first female poet named laureate since the post was first created over 340 years ago.
Duffy follows former laureate Andrew Motion, and according to the NY Times, she will serve in the post for 10 years. The first honoree was Edmund Spenser, and other laureates included William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Ted Hughes.
Here’s more from the article: “Ms. Duffy, 53, is known for writing accessible, often witty poems on a wide range of topics, many of them to do with the minutiae of everyday life … The culture secretary, Andy Burnham, called Ms. Duffy ‘a towering figure in English literature today and a superb poet.'” (Photo via)