The Nation Crowns Kaveh Akbar Poetry Editor

The Nation has passed the poetry editor torch to Kaveh Akbar, who will replace the incredible Stephanie Burt and Carmen Giménez Smith. In a press release, Nation editor D.D. Guttenplan acknowledges an undergraduate encounter with Kenneth Koch, to whom he owes his interest in poetry, and welcomes Akbar, "a poet, editor, and propagandist for the republic of letters for whom I already have enormous admiration” to the fold. More:

“The Nation is delighted to have Kaveh come on board,” added literary editor David Marcus. “An accomplished poet and writer, who writes with heart and dedication, he is also a talented and ambitious editor, and we’re excited to see what he will do in the magazine’s pages.”

“Poetry slows down our metabolization of language—it reminds us language has texture, history, integrity,” said Akbar. “The poet M. NourbeSe Philip talks about poets ‘decontaminating’ language, ‘managing the brutal history that casts a long and deep shadow around the language.’ I can’t improve upon that. I’m excited to introduce Nation readers (and myself) to new voices at the vanguard of such decontamination, voices challenging received notions of what poetry can do and be. I’m especially eager to hear from voices marginalized by traditional channels of American publishing…

More here.