Why poetry scares authoritarians

Why poetry scares authoritarians

We just talked live with Kevin Young, the poet, author, and New Yorker poetry editor, about his new volume of poems, Night Watch. A multitalented writer and scholar with a daunting resume, Young has never wanted to be anything but a poet, practicing the art that he feels can balance moment and metaphor, capture the most transcendent and the grittiest aspects of life, and provide what he calls “the most efficient mode of time travel” by putting r…