I was hoping to hear by now from Elizabeth Alexander, whose inauguration poem has sparked both praise and derision. I'd like to hear the poet and Yale professor discuss what she was reaching for, the difficulty of following Obama's speech (as many spectators headed for warmth) and her take on criticism.

But so far, she has given no post-inauguration interviews, says her agency PMK/HBH -- a bicoastal powerhouse whose celebrity clients include Al Pacino, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.

An interview she gave Sunday to the Yale Daily News provides some clues. Excerpts from the article: Though her poem was certainly steeped in the African-American literary tradition ... she hoped to reach all Americans through her language. She praised Obama’s speeches for transcending race, while still drawing from the African-American rhetorical tradition. ...

The poem was always meant to stem from her personal and intimate understanding of American citizenship, an understanding steeped in her own experiences as a black woman writer, Alexander said in the interview.

“There’s beauty in the impossibility of the task,” she said.“You can’t speak to all those people, you can’t know what all these millions and millions will hear and find in your work.” ...

Instead, she attempted to use her inaugural poem to encapsulate the hopes and beliefs she had experienced in the aftermath of Obama’s historic victory in November. “In a kind of paradox, that audience of millions and millions left me very free to listen to myself and simply hope that I can provide clarity,” Alexander said.