Best Literary Translations 

In April 2024, Deep Vellum published the first edition of an annual anthology that I co-founded with World Literature Today editor Daniel Simon: Best Literary Translations. This annual volume is co-edited by Noh Anothai, Öykü Tekten, Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún, and me. As translators, the four of us work in and from languages from diverse geographies: Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the African diaspora, and the Americas. We four co-editors comb literary journals and magazines for translations of poetry, short prose (both fiction and nonfiction), and hybrid-genre works. We invite literary journal editors to nominate works they have published. And anyone who had work published in a US-based or US-affiliated literary journal or magazine during the previous year is eligible to submit their work. Our debut 2024 volume, showcasing translations published during 2022, was guest edited by poet, translator, and essayist Jane Hirshfield. The second edition, due out in April 2025, was guest edited by Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist, essayist, poet, translator and critic Cristina Rivera Garza. The 2026 edition will be edited by poet and translator Arthur Sze.

You can order Best Literary Translations from Deep Vellum here. Please request that your local library buy a copy! The anthology received excellent reviews from North American Review (April 2024), Reading in Translation (July 2024), and World Literature Today (July 2024). The collection was also named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers (May 2024).

First Edition Book Release Events

During April, May, and June 2024, both in-person and virtual events happened across the country (in San Francisco, CA; Chapel Hill, NC; Chicago, IL; Portland, ME; and New York City) to celebrate the release of Best Literary Translations.

You can watch a virtual event hosted online (June 2024) by Third Place Books of Seattle ~ with co-editor Kóla Túbòsún, and contributors / translators Edith Adams, Jeanine Legato and Sherod Santos.

The University of Southern California hosted a wonderful Zoom event in September 2024 with guest editor Jane Hirshfield, co-editors Noh Anothai and Kóla Túbòsún, as well as contributors Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Edith Adams. Highly recommended!

You can also watch a recording of the in-person & live streamed event hosted by the Sant Jordi Festival, at Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, Chicago, with co-editor Noh Anothai and contributors Izidora Angel and Lizzie Davis

In April 2024 there was a virtual, streamed event by the Sant Jordi Festival, Chicago, with translators / contributors David M. Brunson, Bernard Capinpin, Anita Gopalan, Michelle Mirabella, and Maurice Rodriguez.

The Spring 2025 edition of Best Literary Translations, highlighting the best of 2023 literary translations published in US-affiliated literary journals, is guest edited by novelist, poet, translator, and essayist Cristina Rivera Garza.

Submissions of work published during 2024, for the 2026 edition, are open until January 8, 2025. To familiarize yourself with the process, you can read the guidelines and FAQ for the 2025 edition here. Please spread the word!