Marilyn Nelson - Teachers Make a Difference - Daniel Hoffman

The transcript details the speaker's relationship with Daniel Hoffman, a mentor and influential figure in their poetry career. Hoffman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, encouraged the speaker to submit poems to an anthology and later guided them through a correspondence course. After a decade-long break from writing, the speaker resumed poetry, finding their voice with Hoffman's help. Hoffman played a crucial role in publishing the speaker's first book and organizing their first major poetry reading. The transcript highlights Hoffman's significant impact on the speaker's life and his lasting legacy in the poetry community.

Who was the professor that played a significant role in the narrator's early poetry career?

• Ezra Pound

• Daniel Hoffman

• T.S. Eliot

• Robert Frost

What did Daniel Hoffman encourage the narrator to do after reconnecting?

• Submit poems to journals

• Take a creative writing class

• Start a new career

• Write a novel

How did Daniel Hoffman help the narrator after they found their poetic voice?

• He introduced them to famous poets

• He arranged for their book to be published

• He offered them a teaching position

• He wrote a biography about them

What role did Daniel Hoffman hold at the Library of Congress?

• Poet Laureate

• Consultant in Poetry

• Head Librarian

• Literary Critic

What does the narrator emphasize about the legacy of poets like Daniel Hoffman?

• They should focus on teaching rather than writing

• Their work should continue to be read and remembered

• Their influence is limited to their lifetime

• They should be forgotten after they pass away