Adrian Matejka will be first Black editor of Poetry magazine

By HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Poetry magazine, one of the country’s oldest and most prominent literary publications, will for the first time have a Black editor. Adrian Matejka, an educator, former state laureate of Indiana and prize-winning poet, begins his new job May 16. Matejka’s hiring was announced Tuesday by the Poetry Foundation, a Chicago-based organization that oversees Poetry. Like numerous literary institutions, the Poetry Foundation has been addressing criticisms over diversity and social awareness. Two years ago, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, the president and board chairman resigned amid criticism over the foundation’s response.