It’s not news anymore that the wonderful Elizabeth Alexander will read a poem at Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20.  But today the New York Times has the scoop on what the inaugural poet will wear: an ensemble by a New York designer, b. michael.  A spokesperson told the Times via e-mail:

“It has been said of Elizabeth Alexander her ‘poems bristle with the irresistible quality of a world seen fresh’ and also her ‘instinct for turning her profound cultural vision into one that illuminates universal experience.’ This is b. michael’s inspiration for the tone.”

While the prose could be smoothed out a little, I’m utterly charmed by the idea of the clothing designer taking inspiration from qualities of EA’s work (at least as described by Rita Dove and Clarence Major).

(Elizabeth has agreed to return to the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference in summer 2009–she taught for us in 2007 as well, to great acclaim–and we are so pleased about this.  The rest of the faculty are set but not up on the conference website yet.  I’ll announce their names in a separate post.)