Great Regulars: I kept the words of Octavio Paz,

a Nobel Prize winner in literature, in mind when considering the laureate role. He said that in older times, poetry was at the center of society. But in modern times, poetry was pushed to the outskirts and with it was exiled the best in humanity.

I feel that the role of poet laureate is to push poetry back toward the center of society. During my two years, I might have succeeded in moving poetry a couple of inches toward that center.

from Walter Bargen: The Post-Dispatch: Poet's run as laureate is ending

~~~~~~~~~~~