Carol Ann Duffy has been appointed the first female Poet Laureate succeeding Andrew Motion, and 400 years after the first Poet Laureate John Dryden. Her tenure will last for ten years. This is poetry's most prestigious job, though it has no job description and the salary is nominal. The poet has decided to donate her yearly sum of £5,750 to the Poetry Society to fund a new poetry prize for the best annual collection, but has said she will be happy to receive her 'butt of sack', the 600 bottles of sherry traditionally given to the laureate .
The Poet Laureate is chosen by the monarch from a list of nominees compiled on behalf of the Prime Minister, and is expected to write about events of national importance, although this does not always happen. Past Poet Laureates include William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Sir John Betjeman and Ted Hughes.
Carol Ann Duffy
List of Poets Laureate
Andrew Motion biography
