Hall Awarded National Medal of Arts
Bennington Writing Seminars Writer-in-Residence Donald Hall, a former Poet Laureate of the United States, was one of 10 artists to be honored by President Obama this week with the 2010 National Medal of Arts.
"One of the great joys of being President," President Obama said during a ceremony at the White House, "is getting a chance to pay tribute to the artists and authors, the poets and performers, who have touched our hearts and opened our minds."
A military aide called attention to Hall's "extensive contributions to American poetry" before President Obama placed the Medal around his neck.
"Through an illustrious career and as a Poet Laureate of the United States from 2006 to 2007," the aide said, "Mr. Hall's work has inspired Americans and enhanced the role of poetry in our national life."
Other 2010 recipients include actress Meryl Streep, musicians James Taylor and Quincy Jones, and writers Joyce Carol Oates, Philip Roth, and Wendell Berry.