“Perhaps for the first time ever, the White House jammed and slammed last night. Poets and playwrights, actors and musicians packed the ornate East Room, delivering cool jazz and glorious spoken-word poetry, sprinkling a bit of hip-hop and a bit of the heroic couplet. And through it all, the president and the first lady watched — and applauded. ‘We’re here to celebrate the power of words,’ President Obama said.”