The Life of a Poet featuring Esteemed Book Critic Ron Charles in Conversation with Poet/Editor Kyle Dargan: The State of Books & Letters

There is a perfect symmetry to this conversation between Ron and Kyle. On  April 10, 2013 Hill Center launched its Life of a Poet series in partnership with the Library of Congress and The Washington Post. Ron was our first moderator and his first guest was poet Elizabeth Alexander. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Hill Center resurrected the series on September 14, 2023 with poet Kyle Dargan moderating and curating the series. Elizabeth Alexander was his first guest.

The current state of books and letters has been marked by increased federal intervention, including attempts to cut library funding and accelerated removal of books on gender and diversity from school libraries. Federal efforts have targeted library funding, though court challenges have temporarily blocked some initiatives. Meanwhile, a push for “patriotic education” and removal of certain materials in school libraries on military bases has occurred.

Ron Charles has been a book critic for three decades. He began his career as editor of the book section at The Christian Science Monitor. In 2005, he moved to The Washington Post, where he served as the paper’s book section editor and a book reviewer. For six years, he created “The Book Report” for CBS Sunday Morning.

In 2009, he won the National Book Critics Circle’s Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. He also won first place for Arts & Entertainment commentary from the Society for Features Journalism and served as a judge for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

For years, Charles has interviewed many of the nation’s leading poets in a series co-sponsored by Hill Center and the Library of Congress.

He now writes about books and literary culture on Substack at RonCharles.substack.com