Jul 20th, 2008 · Last week, the Library of Congress appointed Kay Ryan to be the nation's next poet laureate. Ryan, who will take the position in the fall, shares a couple poems and talks to host Andrea Seabrook about her approach to words and writing.
May 20th, 2008 · Doctor and civil rights activist Binayak Sen has been imprisoned for a year in an area of India known as the epicenter of the country's Maoist insurgency. He's being held under draconian anti-terrorism laws; his supporters say the charges are nonsense. Some 22 Nobel laureates are appealing for his release.
Apr 24th, 2008 · Al Young took to writing poetry, as he describes it in one poem, "to make out the sound of my own background music." Now California's poet laureate, he writes about the blues, jazz and life in the geographically and culturally diverse state.
Apr 14th, 2008 · Kenyan political activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai turned down an invitation to participate in the Olympic torch relay in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania. Maathai explains her decision and shares insights about recent political developments in Kenya.
Feb 14th, 2008 · Since 1986, Ted Kooser has written an annual Valentine's Day poem and sent it to an ever-growing list of women. It's a project the former U.S. poet laureate ended last year. But now, he's collected those poems in a new book, Valentines.
Dec 10th, 2007 · Former Vice President Al Gore has officially become a Nobel laureate, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Gore shares the honor with the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Nov 26th, 2007 · President Bush and Al Gore met Monday for the first time since the president took office in 2000. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was at the White House for a photo opportunity with the American recipients of this year's Nobels. Gore and Bush also met privately in the Oval Office.
Oct 12th, 2007 · The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to individuals and organizations. It has been given to 95 individuals and 20 organizations since its inception in 1901. Nearly two dozen of the laureates are from the United States. And an additional six are U.S. organizations.