Talking With New Poet Laureate Philip Levine, Part Two

Last week, the Library of Congress named Philip Levine as the next poet laureate, succeeding W.S. Merwin. Previous writers who were awarded that title include Robert Frost, Billy Collins, and Maxine Kumin. Levine was once an auto plant worker in Detroit, and that city became the basis for many of his poems. We spoke with Levine yesterday,  about his reputation as a working class poet. We’re continuing the conversation with Levine today. He joins us from his home in Fresno, California and tells us about his time in Barcelona, Spain and if his new status as poet laureate  might transform him into a “bucolic nature poet.”