The Library of Congress on Monday named Arthur Sze as the next U.S. poet laureate, appointing the 74-year-old poet and translator to a one-year term beginning this fall. Succeeding Ada Limón, Sze is the author of 12 poetry collections and a recipient of multiple lifetime achievement honors from the library and other institutions.
Sze said he initially hesitated after Rob Casper, head of the library’s poetry and literature center, called in June to offer the post. Speaking from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during a recent Zoom interview with The Associated Press, Sze said he worried about the responsibilities and the upheaval surrounding the library but ultimately accepted because he saw the role as an opportunity "to give something back to poetry." "So many people have helped me along the way. Poetry has just helped me grow so much, in every way," he said.
The appointment comes during a turbulent year for the 200-year-old, nonpartisan institution that houses the nation’s published archives. In May, President Donald Trump dismissed Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden after criticism from conservative activists who accused her of promoting a "woke" agenda. The dismissals and subsequent debate over who could serve as an interim librarian prompted criticism from congressional Democrats, leaders in the library and scholarly communities, and former laureates including Limón and Joy Harjo.
The White House announced Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting librarian, but daily operations have been managed by a longtime library official, Robert Randolph Newlen. Monday’s announcement identified Newlen as acting librarian; library officials said he was next in line under internal guidelines. Newlen praised Sze’s work for its "distinctly American" portraits of the Southwest and for "great formal innovation." Events such as the annual National Book Festival have continued without interruption.
Sze, a New York City native and son of Chinese immigrants, has drawn on a wide range of influences from ancient Chinese poets to Wallace Stevens. His collections, including the National Book Award-winning Sight Lines and Compass Rose, explore cultural and environmental diversity and what he describes as "coexisting," shifting within poems from natural landscapes to urban scenes and historical moments.
A long-time translator of Chinese poetry, Sze said translation shaped his craft: he learned by writing out Chinese characters and engaging closely with the originals. He has published translated work such as The Silk Dragon: Translations from the Chinese and plans to emphasize translation during his laureateship. "I personally learned my own craft of writing poetry through translating poetry," he said, arguing that translation can make poetry more accessible and deepen appreciation for the art.
Sze has received numerous honors, including the Jackson Poetry Prize and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and was given a lifetime achievement award by the Library of Congress last year. He said he feels at home writing in English, noting its "richness of the vocabulary" and recounting how common words carry layered histories; he cited "ketchup" as an example of a word whose origins cross cultures and languages.
The official title of the post is "Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry," a name adopted in 1985 for a position that dates to 1937. The role is loosely defined as a literary ambassadorship intended to "raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry." Past laureates have launched public initiatives, such as Robert Pinsky’s "Favorite Poem Project," which invited the public to share favorite poems, and Ada Limón’s "You Are Here," which placed poetry installations in national parks.
Laureates traditionally refrain from taking public political positions, though that precedent has not always been observed; Billy Collins publicly opposed the Iraq War in 2003. Library officials said Sze will be expected to follow the nonpartisan nature of the office as he promotes poetry and translation during his yearlong term.