Fourth poet to read at an inauguration

By Stephanie Green The Washington Times - January 20, 2009, 12:54PM

African American Denise Alexander became the fourth poet to read at a presidential inauguration.

The tradition of poem reading began with the inauguration of President Kennedy in 1961 when he selected one of his favorite writers Robert Frost to recite a poem.

In 1993, Maya Angelou read for the inauguration of President Clinton, and poet Miller Williams recited for the second Clinton inaugural in 1997.

Ms. Alexander’s brother Mark was a senior adviser to the Obama campaign and transition team.

About the Author

Stephanie Green

Stephanie Green is an arts and culture reporter for The Washington Times and, with Elizabeth Glover, the co-author of Green and Glover, the paper’s personalities column. Before joining The Times, Stephanie was a reporter for the Alexandria Times and a contributing writer and editor of Capitol File magazine. Her work has also appeared in Washingtonian. Stephanie worked on C-SPAN’s 2006 ...