I have read Alexander’s work over the years and thought she was more intellectual and academic than other inaugural poets, so I came to it wondering if her poem would be accessible. Her poems tend to bring in African-American history that is not very widely known, for example, so they work better on the page than aloud.

I felt that the poem she wrote was accessible. It fit nicely with Obama’s speech and the values that he represents. There are lines in poem that people are quoting, “love that casts a widening pool of light,” for instance.

However Alexander does not belong to a world of poetry that valorizes performance. She’s an ivy league professor. She publishes books. I think the shortcoming, if there was one, was in this area. Especially in comparison to all the great orators on stage yesterday. The way she read the last line didn’t really FEEL like an ending. People didn’t realize it was time to applaud.

That said, I feel like she was a good choice. I’m proud that we have a president who believes that poetry is important.

But enough from me…what did you think?