My Path to Success

This autumn, Natasha Trethewey took up her duties as

United States Poet Laureate, the 19th poet to serve since Congress created the

position in 1985. Also known as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the

Library of Congress, the Laureate is responsible for all the public poetry programs

of the Library, as well as an annual lecture and reading.

With her appointment as Poet Laureate, Trethewey crowns a career steeped in the

complexities of American history. The marriage of her white, Canadian-born father

and her African American mother was still illegal in Mississippi, where she was

born, on Confederate Memorial Day, in 1966, although the Supreme Court

legalized interracial marriage the following year. Her parents divorced when she

was young; she grew up with her mother in Georgia, spending summers with her

grandmother in Mississippi and her father in New Orleans. When Natasha was 19,

her mother was murdered by her second husband. In Trethewey's words, "I turned

to poetry to make sense of what had happened."

Trethewey's poetry is unique for the manner in which she fuses historical materials

and vernacular language with traditional verse forms. In Bellocq's Ophelia, she

imagines the inner life of an anonymous prostitute immortalized by the New

Orleans photographer E.J. Bellocq. In 2007, she received the Pulitzer Prize for her

book Native Guard, a verse narrative inspired by a black regiment of the Union

Army during the Civil War.

The paleoanthropologist Lee Rogers Berger has supervised archeological expeditions across South Africa, in Zimbabwe, and on the islands of the

Micronesian archipelago. In 1997, he received the first National Geographic Society Prize for Research and Exploration for his studies of

human evolution. He is best known for his 2008 discovery of Australopithecus sediba, a previously unknown species of hominid.

His nine-year-old son Matthew found the first fragments of sediba in a cave outside Johannesburg. The site eventually yielded the two

million-year-old remains of a young boy, an infant and two adults, all specimens of the species of Australopithecus sediba, perhaps an

intermediate stage between ape-like hominids and the more human Homo habilis. Berger studied anthropology, archaeology and geology at Georgia

Southern University, while working as a news cameraman on the side. On one occasion, he threw down his camera and jumped into the Savannah River

to save a drowning woman, an act that won him awards from the National Press Photographers Association and the Boy Scouts of America.

He undertook doctoral studies in palaeoanthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, where he has lived ever since.

Berger is the author of several books, including In the Footsteps of Eve and The Official Field Guide to the Cradle of Humankind. Dr. Berger

presents his discoveries in this podcast, recorded at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. during the 2012 International Achievement Summit.

The paleoanthropologist Lee Rogers Berger has supervised archeological expeditions across South Africa, in Zimbabwe, and on the islands of the

Micronesian archipelago. In 1997, he received the first National Geographic Society Prize for Research and Exploration for his studies of

human evolution. He is best known for his 2008 discovery of Australopithecus sediba, a previously unknown species of hominid.

His nine-year-old son Matthew found the first fragments of sediba in a cave outside Johannesburg. The site eventually yielded the two

million-year-old remains of a young boy, an infant and two adults, all specimens of the species of Australopithecus sediba, perhaps an

intermediate stage between ape-like hominids and the more human Homo habilis. Berger studied anthropology, archaeology and geology at Georgia

Southern University, while working as a news cameraman on the side. On one occasion, he threw down his camera and jumped into the Savannah River

to save a drowning woman, an act that won him awards from the National Press Photographers Association and the Boy Scouts of America.

He undertook doctoral studies in palaeoanthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, where he has lived ever since.

Berger is the author of several books, including In the Footsteps of Eve and The Official Field Guide to the Cradle of Humankind. Dr. Berger

presents his discoveries in this podcast, recorded at the National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. during the 2012 International Achievement Summit.

One of the most distinguished musical artists of our time, the singer Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Georgia. As a ten-year-old child, she was spellbound by a recording of the great contralto Marian Anderson. Inspired by Anderson's recordings and autobiography, she resolved to become a classical singer herself. At age 16, she won a full scholarship to study voice at Howard University. After graduate music studies at Peabody Conservatory, she went to Europe, where she was soon discovered by the Continent's leading conductors and impresarios. She made her operatic debut in Tannhauser at Berlin's Deutsche Oper. A dramatic soprano with a special affinity for the German repertoire, she has won acclaim in the operas of Wagner and Richard Strauss. Equally at home in French and Italian, she has enchanted audiences as Bizet's Carmen and as Mozart's Countess Almaviva. In addition to her concert roles. Her recitals and recordings have included American spirituals, French chansons and German lieder. From Haydn to Mahler to Schoenberg and Berg, from Satie and Poulenc to Gershwin and Bernstein, the range of Jessye Norman's musical reach is breathtaking. She has conquered stages from Lincoln Center to Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall to the Musikverein, from La Scala to the Paris Opera and the Vienna State Opera, from Tokyo to San Francisco, Houston and Boston, from Granada to Graz and from Salzburg to Hong Kong. For the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's centennial season, she made history by singing the roles of both Cassandra and Dido in Les Troyens by Hector Berlioz. In 1989, she was chosen to embody the spirit of liberty, equality and fraternity, singing "La Marseillaise" during the bicentennial celebration of the French Revolution at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Jessye Norman was interviewed by the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. on July 22, 2012. This podcast presents excerpts from that interview, along with selections for her performance at Washington's historic Ford's Theatre on October 18, 2011.

One of the most gifted and admired actors in America, Morgan Freeman was born in Memphis and raised in Mississippi. At an early age, he found his calling acting in school plays. In the seventh grade, he won the state championship in a student theatrical competition. In his teens he was appearing on Nashville radio. He turned down a college scholarship to join the Air Force; on leaving the service in 1959, he headed to Hollywood, where he auditioned unsuccessfully for eight impoverished years. He moved to New York City, and was finally offered a part in an Off-Broadway production about the Freedom Riders of the civil rights era. He later won a role in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. A regular role as Easy Reader on public television's The Electric Company made him a familiar figure to younger audiences, and led to film roles, including his breakout performance in Street Smart (1987). He followed with unforgettable roles in Glory and Unforgiven. After receiving Oscar nominations for his roles in Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption, he received a well-deserved Oscar in 2005 for his performance in Million Dollar Baby. He captured one of the century's great figures with his performance as South Africa's President Nelson Mandela in the 2009 film Invictus. In addition to his work in motion pictures, he is a founder of PLANIT NOW, an association that provides preparedness assistance to communities exposed to severe storms and hurricanes. Morgan Freeman discusses his life and career in this podcast, recorded by the Academy of Achievement in Washington D.C. on June 4, 2012.

Kiri Te Kanawa created a sensation in 1971, when she made her debut as the Countess in Mozart’'s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Audiences were captivated by the lyric splendor of her voice and the exquisite tenderness of her interpretation. Soon she was a leading star of the operatic stage. Today, she is one of the most famous sopranos in the world.

Born in New Zealand of Maori and European ancestry, she enjoyed a career as a popular singer and recording artist while still in her teens. At 20, she moved to London for serious operatic study, and was discovered by the conductor Sir Colin Davis. Since then, she has sung in the leading opera houses of the world, and as a guest artist with the world's major orchestras and the greatest conductors of our time. In addition to her many operatic recordings, she has recorded several albums of classic American popular songs. She was seen, as well as heard, in the 1979 film of Mozart's Don Giovanni, and by a vast international television audience in 1981 as the soloist at the royal wedding of HRH Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

In 2004, she created the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation to provide financial support for outstanding New Zealand singers and musicians. Dame Kiri's last operatic performance was playing the title role in Vanessa with the Los Angeles Opera in late 2004. She continues to sing in concert halls throughout the world, enchanting audiences with her vocal beauty and natural serenity. She was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1982.

Singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester burst onto the music scene in the 1970s with the albums Home to Myself, Bright Eyes and Melissa, with its hit single Midnight Blue. Manchester's success as a writer and recording artist was preceded by thorough preparation. She published her first poems at 15, studied acting at New York's High School of the Performing Arts and songwriting at New York University, in a class taught by Paul Simon. She honed her craft playing piano and signing in the nightclubs of Greenwich Village and gained national exposure as a member of Bette Midler's back-up vocal group, the Harlettes. In addition to her association with Midler she formed a close working relationship with Midler's music director, Barry Manilow. In addition to her own recordings, she co-wrote "Whenever I Call You Friend," a major hit for Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. Her songs have been recorded by Barbra Streisand, Alison Krauss and many others. An outstanding interpreter of songs by other writers, as well as her own, she enjoyed international hits with "Don't Cry Out Loud" and "Through the Eyes of Love." The latter song and "I'll Never Say Goodbye" were both sung by Manchester in feature films released in 1978. Both were nominated for the year's Best Song Oscar (a unique achievement for a singer) and she performed both songs on the year's Oscar telecast. Her biggest hit to date, "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," released in 1982, brought her the Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance. In 1997, she received the Governor's Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for her contributions to the music and recording arts. Manchester has also enjoyed a career as an actress, as a regular on the television series Blosssom, in the feature film For the Boys, and onstage in the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd. She contributed the scores for the stage musicals I Sent a Letter to My Love and HATS! as well as the animated films The Great Mouse Detective and Lady and the Tramp II. Her 16th album, When I Look Down the Road, was released in 2004. This podcast was recorded during her 2011 performance at the Academy of Achievement in Washington, DC. It is interspersed with excerpts from the Academy's exclusive interview with Melissa Manchester.

Since she first hit the charts with "Don't Make Me Over" in 1962, the unmistakable voice and flawless musicianship of Dionne Warwick have made her an international musical legend. Her soulful blend of pop, gospel and soul styles has transcended musical and cultural boundaries. She began singing in church in her home town of East Orange, New Jersey. While attending Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, she began working as a back-up singer on recording sessions in New York City. Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David recruited her to record demos of their songs, and soon she won a recording contract of her own. The team of singer Warwick with writers Bacharach and David recorded 30 hit singles, and nearly 20 best-selling albums in the first ten years of their collaboration. Hits like "Anyone Who Had A Heart," and "Walk On By" spread Warwick's fame all over the word. She received her first Grammy Award in 1968 for Bacharach and David's "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" In 1970, she received her second Grammy for the best-selling album I'll Never Fall In Love Again, featuring the Bacharach-David song of the same name. In the 1908s, Warwick led the music industry's fight against AIDS. Her chart-topping single "That's What Friends Are For," recorded with her friends Elton John and Gladys Knight, raised millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 2010 she published her memoir, My Life as I See It. This podcast was recorded during her 2011 appearance at the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. The performance is interspersed with excerpts from the Academy's exclusive interview with Dionne Warwick.

Donald E. Graham became chief executive officer of The Washington Post Company in May 1991 and chairman of the board in September 1993. He was publisher of The Post from January 1979 until September 2000 and chairman of the newspaper from September 2000 to February 2008.

Graham was born on April 22, 1945, in Baltimore, Maryland, a son of Philip L. and Katharine Meyer Graham. His father was publisher of The Washington Post from 1946 until 1961 and president of The Washington Post Company from 1947 until his death in 1963. His mother, Katharine Graham, served in a variety of executive positions from 1963 until her death in 2001. Eugene Meyer, Graham's grandfather, purchased The Washington Post at a bankruptcy sale in 1933.

After graduating in 1966 from Harvard College, where he was president of the Harvard Crimson, Graham was drafted and served as an information specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He was a patrolman with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department from January 1969 to June 1970. Graham joined The Washington Post newspaper in 1971 as a reporter and subsequently held several news and business positions at the newspaper and at Newsweek. He was named executive vice president and general manager of the newspaper in 1976.

He was elected a director of The Washington Post Company in 1974 and served as president from May 1991 to September 1993.

Graham is chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program, a private foundation which, since 1999, has helped double the number of DC public high school students going on to college and has helped triple the number graduating from college. He co-founded the program along with major local businesses and foundations. Since its inception, DC-CAP has assisted over 13,000 DC students enroll in college and has provided scholarships totaling more than $18 million.

Graham served as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board. He is a trustee of the Federal City Council and of the Philip L. Graham Fund, which was established in 1963 in memory of his father. He is also a director of Facebook, The Summit Fund of Washington, the College Success Foundation and KIPP-DC.

Donald E. Graham became chief executive officer of The Washington Post Company in May 1991 and chairman of the board in September 1993. He was publisher of The Post from January 1979 until September 2000 and chairman of the newspaper from September 2000 to February 2008.

Graham was born on April 22, 1945, in Baltimore, Maryland, a son of Philip L. and Katharine Meyer Graham. His father was publisher of The Washington Post from 1946 until 1961 and president of The Washington Post Company from 1947 until his death in 1963. His mother, Katharine Graham, served in a variety of executive positions from 1963 until her death in 2001. Eugene Meyer, Graham's grandfather, purchased The Washington Post at a bankruptcy sale in 1933.

After graduating in 1966 from Harvard College, where he was president of the Harvard Crimson, Graham was drafted and served as an information specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He was a patrolman with the Washington Metropolitan Police Department from January 1969 to June 1970. Graham joined The Washington Post newspaper in 1971 as a reporter and subsequently held several news and business positions at the newspaper and at Newsweek. He was named executive vice president and general manager of the newspaper in 1976.

He was elected a director of The Washington Post Company in 1974 and served as president from May 1991 to September 1993.

Graham is chairman of the District of Columbia College Access Program, a private foundation which, since 1999, has helped double the number of DC public high school students going on to college and has helped triple the number graduating from college. He co-founded the program along with major local businesses and foundations. Since its inception, DC-CAP has assisted over 13,000 DC students enroll in college and has provided scholarships totaling more than $18 million.

Graham served as a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board. He is a trustee of the Federal City Council and of the Philip L. Graham Fund, which was established in 1963 in memory of his father. He is also a director of Facebook, The Summit Fund of Washington, the College Success Foundation and KIPP-DC.