White House rocks to the sound of verse

The White House jammed and slammed last night, reports Washington Post staff writer, DeNeen L. Brown.

The East Room was packed with poets, playwrights, actors, and musicians, many of them young and rising talents, who produced a glorious mix of jazz and the spoken word.

Michelle Obama confided that she had wanted to do this from day one. She adored the idea of "standing in this room and hearing some poetry."

She heard more than that. Each poem was a performance, including a real performance from James Earl Jones, who recited a long passage from Shakespeare's Othello in a delivery so powerful that it stunned the room to silence.