The Favorite Poem Project was founded in 1997 by Robert Pinsky shortly after he was appointed 39th Poet Laureate of the United States by the Library of Congress.
Additional faculty have included Frank Bidart, Mark Doty, David Ferry, Louise Glück, Gail Mazur, Heather McHugh and Rosanna Warren .
The Favorite Poem Project's archives include original letters, e-mail printouts, and both raw and edited versions of audio and video recordings.
Video directors include Juanita Anderson, Natatcha Estébanez, Emiko Omori, d.b.Roderick, Debra Farrar-Parkman and Maria Theresa Rodriguez.
Final versions of the fifty Favorite Poem Project videos are kept at the Library of Congress Archive of Recorded Poetry & Literature.