Arthur Sze has been named the 25th U.S. Poet Laureate, the Library of Congress announced in a news release.
Sze, a New York native, was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. He released his first poetry collection, The Willow Wind, in 1972, and has gone on to publish 11 more, including Archipelago; The Ginkgo Light; Compass Rose, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Sightlines, which won the National Book Award. His latest collection, Into the Hush, was published in April. He was the winner of the Library of Congress’ 2024 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry.
During his 2025-2026 term as poet laureate, Sze will focus on translated poetry, the Library says.
“As the son of Chinese immigrants, and as a sophomore who decided to leave MIT to pursue a dream of becoming a poet, I never would have guessed that so many decades later I would receive this recognition,” Sze said in a statement. “It’s a recognition that belongs to teachers, librarians, editors, poets, readers—everyone who works tirelessly on behalf of poetry. As laureate I feel a great responsibility to promote the ways poetry, especially poetry in translation, can impact our daily lives. We live in such a fast-paced world: poetry helps us slow down, deepen our attention, connect and live more fully.”
The Library of Congress has been in a state of upheaval recently. President Donald Trump fired the previous librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, in May; no explanation was given for her dismissal. Trump named Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general of the U.S., as the interim librarian of Congress days after firing Hayden.
The Library of Congress created the poet laureate position in 1937. Past poets to serve in the role include Robert Frost, Maxine Kumin, Rita Dove, W.S. Merwin, Joy Harjo, and, most recently, Ada Limón.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
