Poet Laureate

There was an announcement today that Donald Hall will be named the Poet Laureate of the United States.

Now I would assume, apart from the fact that I really never heard of Mr. Hall, poetry is just not an arena of attention for most of us. I was surprized to read that the position is appointed annually. I guess that I always thought that once you were the poet laureate you stayed there indefinately until either death or age took its toll. Mention was also made of the fact that there are really few demands associated with the position, it is primarily an honorary recognition, with a yearly stipend and travel allowance attached.