Three Robert Burns Symposium Webcasts, Now Available Online

From the Library of Congress :

AFC Announces Three Robert Burns Symposium Webcasts, Now Available Online

The American Folklife Center is pleased to announce that the webcasts for both days of the symposium, Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics & Performance, are now available via our website.

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's life and work, as well as his impact on America and American culture.

The symposium began with a keynote address by Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland; a talk on "America's Bard" by Robert Crawford, professor of literature at the University of St. Andrews; and readings and performances of Burns's works by renowned Scottish scholars and performers Margaret Bennett, Ed Miller, and broadcaster Billy Kay.

The second day of the symposium featured Nat Edwards, from the National Library of Scotland; Ted Cowan and Valentina Bold from the University of Glasgow; BBC commentator Billy Kay; Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust; Myra Sklarew, former president of the Yaddo artist community and professor at American University; and Poet Laureate of the United States, Kay Ryan.

DAY ONE:
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4514

DAY TWO, SESSION 1:
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4524

DAY TWO, SESSION 2:
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4525

To learn more about Robert Burns :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Burns