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Robert Burns at 250:
Poetry, Politics & Performance

Symposium: February 24-25, 2009
Mumford Room, 6th Floor
James Madison Memorial Building
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Photo Album

The Right Honorable Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, who gave the keynote address at the symposium, speaks at the reception later that evening. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 24, 2009.

Robert Crawford giving a presentation on "Robert Burns: America's Bard." Photo by Megan Halsband, February 24, 2009.

Billy Kay, Margaret Bennett, and Valentina Bold (left to right) present the poetry and songs of Robert Burns. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 24, 2009.

First Minister of Scotland, the Right Honorable Alex Salmond (right) presents Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington, with a copy of Auld Lang Syne written in Robert Burns's own hand. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 24, 2009.

Left to right: Robert Crawford, Billy Kay, and Sean Connery meet at the reception after the first day's events. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 24, 2009.

Valentina Bold presents "Robert Burns and Scottish Traditional Song" as part of the panel on "Burns and Traditional Culture." Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Cate Newton presents "Tomorrow's Bards: Promoting Reading and Literacy in Scotland and the United States," (with Marc Lambert). Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Nat Edwards presenting "Robert Burns: The Usual Suspects" as part of the panel on "Burns and His World." Photo by Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Ted Cowan presenting his talk on "18th-Century Scotland & 18th-Century America." Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Myra Sklarew participates in the panel discussion on "Poetry, Celebrity, and the Public." Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Billy Kay, presenting "Robert Burns and the Scots Language." Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Kay Ryan, Poet Laurete of the United States, makes her presentation as part of the panel discussion on "Poetry, Celebrity, and the Public." Seated, left to right, are Patricia Gray, Myra Sklarew, and Robert Crawford. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Mark Lambert, Chief Executive, Scottish Book Trust, participates in the panel titled "The Contemporary Bard." Seated, left to right, are John Cole, Stephen Winick, and Cate Newton. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

Left to right: Robin Naysmith, Scottish Government Counsellor North America; Peggy Bulger, Director of the American Folklife Center; Cate Newton, National Library of Scotland; and Kurt Dewhurst, Chairman of the AFC Board of Trustees. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.

At the end of the symposium, participants lead the audience in singing "Auld Lang Syne." Left to right: Margaret Bennett, Ed Miller, Valentina Bold, John Cole, Cate Newton, Marc Lambert, and Stephen Winick. Photo by Megan Halsband, February 25, 2009.