# Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics and Performance: Day Two, Session 2.

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, the American Folklife Center, in collaboration with the Scottish government as part of its Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebration, presented a free public symposium on Burns' life and work, as well as his impact on America and American culture. The afternoon featured a second panel discussion exploring Burns' relationship to the folk and traditional culture of Scotland. Valentina Bold, head of Scottish studies at University of Glasgow/Dumfries Campus, spoke on "Robert Burns and Scottish Traditional Song." Singer and scholar Margaret Bennett, assisted by folklorist and performer Ed Miller, followed with a lecture and demonstration on "The Life and Songs of Robert Burns." "Poetry, Celebrity and the Public" was the topic of next panel. The Library's Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Kay Ryan joined Scottish poet Robert Crawford and Myra Sklarew, former president of the Yaddo artist community and professor emerita of literature at American University, to explore the role of poets as "literary lions" in both 18th-century Europe and the contemporary world. The symposium closed with an overview of Burns materials in the Library of Congress by Stephen Winick of the American Folklife Center, and a discussion titled "Tomorrow's Bards: Promoting Reading and Literacy in Scotland and the United States." Cate Newton, director of collections development at the National Library of Scotland; Marc Lambert,…

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2009
- By: American Folklife Center
- Genres: History, Music
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688194/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021688194?play=1)