Announcement that new department chair will edit poetry section for the publication comes on National Poetry Day
An established poet, scholar and educator, Walt Hunter joined Case Western Reserve University this fall as chairperson and associate professor for the Department of English. Timed perfectly to celebrate National Poetry Day today, Oct. 6, he is also accepting an additional role in his field of expertise.
The Atlantic, a 165-year-old publication dedicated to challenging assumptions and pursuing truth through articles on topics from politics to business and arts to technology, appointed Hunter as a contributing editor where he will shape the poetry that appears in the magazine.
Anna Bross, The Atlantic’s senior vice president of communications, said, “Walt is a wonderful and generous writer, and he possesses remarkable knowledge of American poetry both past and present, as well as a deep appreciation for why poetry matters.”
Hunter’s appointment is a source of excitement within the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Walt’s qualities as a leader and as a person represent the excellence that we strive to bring into the college,” said Dean Joy K. Ward. “Not only is he leading a great team of accomplished faculty, he is also a renowned scholar in his own right. We are excited about what the future holds for the English department and its students.”
As an accomplished writer, Hunter’s poetry has been published in The Atlantic and he jumped at the chance to follow in the footsteps of some of the most revered poets in modern history.
“The Atlantic has published much of the greatest modern poetry we have, from Longfellow and Emerson to Plath and Lowell,” he shared. “I’m thrilled to bring a wide array of diverse voices into the magazine.”
Other publications to Hunter’s name include Forms of a World: Contemporary Poetry and the Making of Globalization (2019), and Some Flowers, a collection of poems, which will be published later this month. He is also working on a book for Oxford University Press named The American House Poem, 1945-2015, which is supported by a Robert B. Silvers Foundation grant.
“The Atlantic has recognized in Walt the impressive attributes that make him the quintessential academic,” said Lee Thompson, senior associate dean of faculty affairs for the college. “He is a highly regarded scholar, a noted poet, an award-winning teacher and mentor, and a cherished and effective leader. We’re so fortunate to have him as a colleague.”
Announcing his appointment on National Poetry Day isn’t lost on Hunter.
“It’s great to see the theme of National Poetry Day 2022 focuses on the environment,” he said. “Good poems bring us together in a shared commitment to address the most pressing matters of our time.”