Recent news featuring Copper Canyon Press poets.
“On Richard Siken,” London Review of Books
“For every handful of sentences [in I Do Know Some Things] that lead us in a seemingly straightforward way through Siken’s day-to-day world, another sentence points sideways, up, backwards, or into the ether . . . If lyric poems compose a kind of substitute body, then Siken, as he negotiates his disability, needs the alternative bodies . . . as much as anyone can.”—Stephanie Burt, London Review of Books
Transient Worlds and Poetry in Translation: U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze in conversation with the National Book Critics Circle
On January 15, U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze sat down with Mandana Chaffa, Vice President of the Barrios Book in Translation Prize, to discuss the collaborative and creative potential of translation, as well as the making of his forthcoming Laureate project, Transient Worlds. In this invitational conversation, experience the heart of Sze’s latest work as Laureate, poet, and translator: to acknowledge our shared humanity and to co-create meaning as readers and writers of all language backgrounds.
Watch a full event recording (or access a transcript) here.
Poetry Foundation selects Library of Small Catastrophes by Alison C. Rollins as Library Book Pick
“[In Library of Small Catastrophes], cataloging becomes an ethical problem rather than a technical one, exposing the limits of systems built on bias, designed to return things ‘back to where they belong.’ The realities of the human condition, of grief, faith, desire, race, and violence, refuse containment, insisting instead on mess, overlap, and contradiction.”—Evalena Lakin, Poetry Foundation
2026 PEN / Jean Stein Book Award Finalist: Into the Hush by U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze
Into the Hush is a finalist for the prestigious PEN / Jean Stein Award, which honors a work of any genre for its “originality, merit, and [groundbreaking] impact.”
This year’s finalists were selected by judges Forrest Gander, Pam Houston, and Kawai Strong Washburn. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on March 31, at Town Hall in New York City. Tickets will be available for purchase soon on the PEN America website.
Get your copy of Into the Hush here.
2025 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist: Chronicle of Drifting by Yuki Tanaka
Yuki Tanaka’s debut poetry collection, Chronicle of Drifting, is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Each year, the National Book Critics Circle honors the finest books published in English, as selected by professional book critics and editors. Finalists will read from their collections on Wednesday, March 25 at 6:30 pm ET, with an awards ceremony to follow on March 26 at the New School in New York. You can watch both ceremonies live on the NBCC’s YouTube page!
Purchase your copy of Chronicle of Drifting here.
A Virtual Reading and Conversation with Natalie Shapero
February 6, 2026 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm ET | Virtual
Join Natalie Shapero for a reading from Stay Dead, longlisted for the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award. An author-talk will follow, focused on what poets, novelists, actors, and prose writers can learn from performance.
Register for the FREE Zoom event here!
Potluck and Poetry with Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Jordan Bailey
February 6, 2026 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm ET | In-Person
Join Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Jordan Bailey for a poetry reading and community potluck at Goodyear Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 16th Annual Creative Edge Lecture, with Keynote Speaker U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze
March 3, 2026 | 10:00 am PT | In-Person
Since 2010, the Creative Edge Lecture has brought creative leaders into conversation with educators, artists, and community-builders. This year, U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze delivers the Keynote Speech at the Irvine Barclay Theater.
Pre-register for the FREE event here!
Half of the Birdsong: Poetry Working Toward Personal Truth
March 6, 2026 | 3:20 – 4:35 pm ET | Live at AWP 2026
Attention, AWP-goers! Join Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Richard Siken, and host Michael Wiegers for “Half of the Birdsong” at AWP 2026. Writing from the center of their lives—queer, scarred, and seeking renewal—Calvocoressi and Siken showcase poetry’s ability to reveal profound truths.
Register for the conference here!
P.S. Stay tuned here and on social media for further updates about Copper Canyon Press at AWP!