The Library of Congress Recognizes Rita Dove for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry

Rita Dove, the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia, received the 2022 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry for lifetime achievement from the Library of Congress.

Professor Dove has published 11 collections of poetry including her latest book Playlist for the Apocalypse: Poems (W.W. Norton, 2021) and Collected Poems, 1974-2004 (2016). In addition to poetry, Dove has published a book of short stories and the novel Through the Ivory Gate (Pantheon, 1992).

The 2022 Bobbitt Prize marks the 17th time the award has been given. In its lifetime achievement citation for Professor Dove, the Bobbitt jury wrote that “her new collection, as well as [her] dazzling decades-long work in poetry, brings honor to this prize.” The panel also said Playlist From the Apocalypse is “quintessential Rita Dove: ethical and lyrical, moving in and out of the whirlwind that is history, playful in her use of form – sonnets, odes, addresses, invocations, aubades – and generous in her gathering of different voices and tribes to her pages.”

Professor Dove, who served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1987. She is the first poet to receive the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts.

Professor Dove is a summa cum laude graduate of Miami University in Ohio, where she majored in English. She holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa. Professor Dove joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in 1989.

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE BOOKS BY RITA DOVE

Howard University to Offer Free Test Preparation Services to Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., announced that through a new partnership with Kaplan Inc., it will immediately begin providing all of its undergraduate students with free test prep courses for graduate-level admissions exams, including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT. It will also offer free test prep for professional licensing exams for its students enrolled at its graduate schools. Additionally, all Howard students interested in taking the exams to be a CPA or CFA can also prepare with Kaplan for free.

“Part of our mission at Howard University is ensuring that education is accessible to students, regardless of their economic status,” said Anthony K. Wutoh, provost at Howard University. “Bringing Kaplan’s All Access initiative to Howard University will relieve the financial barrier many students are faced with when it comes to the critical step of preparing for graduate admissions tests and licensing exams. With immediate access to free test prep through this initiative, Howard students will be empowered to take the next step in their education, encouraging even more students to pursue their career goals and have a positive impact in their chosen profession.”

James Polulach, director of institutional partnerships at Kaplan notes that “many students see admissions and licensing exams as a barrier, instead of an opportunity, whether because of the price of preparation or because of how difficult the exam is. With All Access, Kaplan is eliminating these challenges, providing best-in-class instruction with zero out-of-pocket expenses for them.”

President Biden Names Willie Phillips Acting Chairman Of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Willie Phillips made the following statement on the announcement that President Biden has named him Acting Chairman of FERC. ( Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)

“It is an honor to be chosen by President Biden to lead FERC at such a pivotal moment,” Acting Chairman Phillips said. “The work we do here at FERC is crucial to ensuring consumers have access to reliable, safe, secure and efficient energy services at reasonable cost. I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow Commissioners and the FERC staff, as well as to prioritize public engagement, in pursuit of our important mission.”

Acting Chairman Phillips joined FERC in December 2021. Prior to that he served as the Chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (DCPSC), named to that role in 2018 and serving on the DCPSC since 2014. He is an experienced regulatory attorney combining nearly 20 years of legal expertise in public and private practice.  Phillips has an extensive background in the areas of public utility regulation, bulk power system reliability, and corporate governance. Considered a thoughtful and innovative leader in modernizing the energy grid, implementing the District’s aggressive clean energy and climate goals, and in protecting the District’s customers, Phillips also championed issues of environmental justice and equity during his chairmanship.

Prior to the DCPSC, Acting Chairman Phillips served as Assistant General Counsel for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), in Washington, D.C. Before joining NERC, he worked for two law firms where he advised clients on energy regulatory compliance and policy matters.

Acting Chairman Phillips has a Juris Doctorfrom Howard University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Montevallo. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.

President Biden renominates Phillip A. Washington to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration

President Biden has sent the nomination of Phillip A. Washington, of Illinois, to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for the term of five years to the United States Senate.

Mr. Washington is currently the chief executive of Denver International Airport.

Before being hired to a series of transportation positions, Washington served in the U.S. Army for 24 years, achieving the rank of command sergeant major. In 2000, he joined Denver’s Regional Transportation District, which operates bus routes and rail lines, and became its general manager and chief executive in 2009.In 2015, he became the chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the county’s rail and bus systems. Last year, he was chosen to run Denver’s airport, which is one of the busiest in the world.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic management, certification of personnel and aircraft, setting standards for airports, and protection of U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial space vehicles.

President Biden nominates Jamar K. Walker to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia

President Biden has sent the nomination of Jamar K. Walker, of Virginia to be a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia to the United States Senate.

After growing up in Accomack County on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Walker received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 2008 and a law degree from the school in 2011. He worked for a large Washington law firm for three years before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in Alexandria in 2015.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Walker prosecutes financial fraud crimes and also serves as the acting chief of public corruption prosecutions for the federal Eastern District of Virginia.