Librarian of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin appointed Maxine Kumin (1925-2014) as the twenty-fifth Consultant in Poetry following William Meredith. Kumin's work is characterized by an observational and ordered form, exploring themes such as the natural world, family, and the cycles of loss and life. A 1997 Publishers Weekly review of Maxine Kumin: Selected Poems, 1960-1990 notes that "Kumin's unsentimental affinity for animals has been her divining rod for locating and observing the natural world's seemingly inexhaustible beauty and mankind's terrifying willingness to destroy it.... Her hope, like her poetry, takes nature as its source of grace, strength and renewal. Solid craft supports Kumin's plain style."

This guide provides an overview of print and online resources related to Maxine Kumin's life and work. To suggest additions to this guide, please contact the Library's poetry and literature librarians.