The Poetry of Dr. George William Cooper

Dr. Cooper, a one-time anatomy Professor at the LSU Medical School, was also well-renowned for his poetry.  Recognized for his “consistently good work in poetry” by a forum of the National Writers Club in 1951 and awarded the position of Louisiana Poet Laureate from 1973-1976, Dr. Cooper is a common subject of our Newspaper Clippings Digital Collection. Though the Isché Library does not own any of his poetry collections, they are available through InterLibrary Loan.

Excerpted below  is a poem from one of his collections dedicated to a previous “Glimpse of the Past” honoree, Dr. Frank N. Low. I would like to share this poem with our new and returning students, who will surely feel the “grind” immediately upon returning to classes:

NOPL Hosts U.S. Poet Laureate

This Thursday, December 6^th, U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey will grace us with a reading and book signing at the Main Branch of the New Orleans Public Library.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and native of Mississippi, Trethewey is known for her portrayal of the Gulf South through powerful, natural imagery and historical narrative. The Librarian of Congress James Billington  lauds, “Her poems dig beneath the surface of history—personal or communal, from childhood or from a century ago—to explore the human struggles that we all face.”  You can read examples of Trethewey’s work at poets.org.

The reading  will begin at 7pm and is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!