US Poet Laureate Arthur Sze is taking on the art of translated poetry
Arthur Sze took an non-traditional path to becoming the U.S. Poet Laureate.
Born in 1950 to Chinese immigrants, his family wanted him to pursue a safe career path that would assure security and prosperity. But while studying at MIT, he felt the call to write and study poetry; a call that changed the trajectory of his life.
Sze spent his career translating traditional Chinese poetry. He also taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico and is now a professor emeritus of the institute.
Sze is currently traveling the country with his signature Poet Laureate project “Words…
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