Norbert Krapf chosen as new Indiana Poet Laureate

Indianapolis resident Norbert Krapf was chosen by the Indiana Arts Commission as the new Indiana Poet Laureate. \nKrapf, a native of Jasper, Ind., is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame. He was selected from a field of 19 poets nominated early this year for the two-year appointment. The Poet Laureate selection committee comprised of faculty representing seven Indiana higher education institutions recommended Krapf’s nomination to the Commission for approval at its recent quarterly meeting in Fort Wayne. \n“I am moved and honored to be named Indiana Poet Laureate,” Krapf said. “This is the right time for me to make a contribution to the life of poetry in our state. I wish that my Indiana-loving parents were still alive to savor the unexpected honor.”\nSince 1976, Krapf has written or edited 21 books. This fall, IU Press will release his latest work “Bloodroot: Indiana Poems,” a selection of 175 poems written between 1971 and 2007. \n“All these projects have deepened my contact with the landscape and the people that figure in so many of my poems,” Krapf said. \nKrapf will represent the State of Indiana and the art of poetry through the development and implementation of programming to the education community and general public. The Poet Laureate makes formal presentations at various educational facilities and offers advice to the Commission concerning ways to further the art of poetry in Indiana. Krapf’s term as Indiana Poet Laureate begins immediately and will continue through the 2009 calendar year.