Bob Hoover on

... Kay Ryan: Poet laureate 'outsider' followed traditional path.

I think Bob's point is sound. Kay's an offbeat choice, but if she were truly an outsider she wouldn't have been chosen. Charles Bukowski would have been a real outsider choice. But the essential point is that Kay is a very good poet and deserves the honor.

See also "I thought I might take it upon my self" and Ryan's metaphor, are deceptive "bows."