"Kevin Young perfectly illustrates poetry's enduring vitality."
Entertainment Weekly

News/Reviews

2023

  • NPR Morning Edition host Scott Simon speaks with Kevin and illustrator Chioma Ebinama about Emile and the Field (August 2023).
  • Kevin introduces Nicole Sealey's "The Ferguson Report: An Erasure" in the New Yorker (July 2023).
  • Kevin interviews Rita Dove for The Paris Review (Spring 2023).
  • Poem-a-Day publishes Kevin's poem "Ledge" (April 2023).
  • Kevin's poem "Altarpiece" is published in The Bitter Southerner (April 2023). 
  • Galerie talks to Kevin about the artwork he displays at home (April 2023).
  • Kevin speaks with ABC's Good Morning America about the Smithsonian's new exhibit, "Afrofuturism" (March 2023).
  • People includes African American Poetry in their list of "10 New(ish) Books for Black History Month" (February 2023).

2022

  • Emile and the Field is selected as one of the New York Times' "Best Children's Books of 2022" (December 2022).
  • Kevin writes about Robin Coste Lewis' To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness for The New Yorker's poetry feature (November 2022).
  • The Horn Book praises Emile and the Field in their "Calling Caldecott" blog series, which spotlights books deemed especially worthy of winning the prestigious Caldecott Medal (October 2022).
  • Sacramento Public Library includes Emile and the Field in their staff picks (October 2022).
  • Kevin is quoted in the AP News article about Marilyn Nelson winning the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets (September 2022).
  • Kevin is interviewed on PBS's Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan (May 2022).
  • The New York Times Book Review praises Emile and the Field, calling it "a thing of beauty" (April 2022).
  • Publishers Weekly includes Emile and the Field in a round-up of "springtime picture books for young readers" (March 2022).
  • Ada Limón reads Kevin's poem "Egrets" on The Slowdown (February 2022).
  • Kevin introduces Solmaz Sharif's poetry in the New Yorker (February 2022).
  • The Horn Book gives a starred review to Emile and the Field, deeming it an "exquisite story of one boy’s unfettered delight in nature" (February 2022).
  • Kevin reads poetry from Stones on BBC Radio's "The Verb" (January 2022).
  • Kevin is the focus of the latest T. S. Eliot Prize newsletter, featuring three videos of him talking about his work and reading poems (January 2022).
  • Kevin talks to Smithsonian Magazine about Phillis Wheatley, whose first-edition book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is on view at NMAAHC (January 2022).
  • In an article on elegies, the Washington Post references Kevin's poems in Book of Hours (January 2022).
  • Artist Nick Cave praises The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton, edited by Kevin (January 2022).
  • The Washington Post's Ron Charles names Stones one of his twelve favorite poetry collections of 2021 (January 2022).
  • Harvard Magazine features Stones in its Off the Shelf section (January – February 2022).

2021

  • Financial Times includes Stones in its "Best Books of 2021: Poetry" list (December 2021).
  • Book Scrolling includes Stones in its "Best Poetry Books of 2021" roundup (December 2021).
  • The Guardian includes Stones in a roundup of "the best recent poetry" (December 2021).
  • Critic Dwight Garner gives a shout out to Stones in a New York Times roundtable on the year in books (December 2021).
  • Library Journal names Stones one of the Top Ten poetry titles of 2021 (December 2021).
  • Kevin introduces Amanda Gorman's poetry in the New Yorker (December 2021).
  • Kevin's article about Nancy Cunard, "And I One of Them," appears in the New York Review of Books (December 2021).
  • Stones is a New York Times Editors' Choice selection (November 2021).
  • Oprah Quarterly praises Stones—"exquisite portraits of the people [Young] loves and the places he calls home" (print only; November 2021).
  • New York magazine's The Strategist recommends African American Poetry in their "Best Gifts for Poetry Lovers" round-up (October 2021).
  • The Guardian highlights Kevin in an article on the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize (October 2021).
  • Stones has been shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, the most valuable award for British poetry (October 2021).
  • Kevin is interviewed on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show (October 2021).
  • Twenty Stories picks Stones for their October selection of 20 books (October 2021).
  • Literary Hub includes Stones in a round-up of "The 13 Best Book Covers of September" (September 2021).
  • Kevin is interviewed on NPR's Morning Edition (September 2021).
  • The New York Times Book Review reviews Stones, praising Kevin's overall body of work: "warm, often elegiac and confidently temperate. There’s a lot to like" (September 2021).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reviews Stones (September 2021), enthusing, "We are lucky he allows us to travel with him into his past and glance over his shoulder" (September 2021).
  • American Life in Poetry features Kevin's poem, "Tonsure," from Stones (September 2021).
  • In the Washington Post "Book Club" newsletter, Ron Charles praises Stones as "an exceptionally beautiful collection, full of retrospection, longing and grief" and features Kevin's poem "Mason Jar" (September 2021).
  • The Washingtonian includes Stones in their list of "What We're Excited to Read, Watch, See, & Listen to Now" (September 2021).
  • The Washington Post interviews Kevin about the NMAAHC exhibit “Make Good the Promises: Reconstruction and Its Legacies” (September 2021).
  • Philip Lovejoy of the Harvard Alumni Association speaks to the Harvard Gazette about choosing Kevin Young as their speaker (September 2021).
  • Thrillist includes Stones in its list of "24 Books We Can't Wait to Read This Fall" (September 2021). 
  • Kevin Young talks to the Washington Post about Breonna Taylor's portrait at the NMAAHC (September 2021).
  • Washingtonian names Kevin "Best New Arrival" (September 2021).
  • TIME includes Stones in its list of "34 most anticipated books to read this fall" (August 2021).
  • Associated Press includes Stones in its fall books preview (August 2021). 
  • The Atlanta Journal Constitution includes Stones in its list of "10 must-read Southern books this fall" (August 2021).
  • The New York Times quotes Kevin and references his oratorio, "Repast," in a piece about Booker Wright (August 2021).
  • Harvard Magazine's multi-media feature on African American Poetry features five videos of Black luminaries reading poems from the anthology (August 2021).
  • In an interview with the Irish Independent, Irish poet Peter Sirr names African American Poetry as his best book of the year (August 2021).
  • The Washington Post's The Post Reports podcast interviews Kevin on the role he and the NMAAHC play in reassessing our national history and preserving Black culture (July 2021).
  • In honor of Juneteenth, Kevin throws the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Nationals (June 2021).
  • The New York Times publishes Kevin's op ed, "Juneteenth Is a National Holiday Now. Can It Still Be Black?" (June 2021).
  • The Harvard Gazette covers Kevin's speech at the 151st annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association (June 2021).
  • Kevin speaks with Paul Holdengräber on The Quarantine Tapes podcast (May 2021).
  • Varsity Online spotlights the New Yorker Poetry Podcast (May 2021).
  • The Washington Post interviews Kevin about his work at the NMAAHC (May 2021).
  • Kevin is elected as a Fellow of the Society of American Historians (May 2021).
  • Oprah Daily interviews Kevin about African American Poetry (April 2021).
  • African American Poetry wins the Black Caucus of the American Library Association's 2021 Best Poetry Award (April 2021).  
  • The Harvard Gazette announces that Kevin will speak at the 151st annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association (April 2021).
  • Kevin speaks to WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi about his new role at the NMAAHC (March 2021).
  • In a Wall Street Journal profile, Kevin discusses poetry and his new role at the NMAAHC (March 2021).
  • TIME magazine interviews Kevin (March 2021).
  • Washington Post reviews Unsung, calling it "stunning . . . a work of both history and art" (March 2021).
  • Kevin will be inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Letters in May of this year; ABC News, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and St. Louis Dispatch cover the news (March 2021).
  • Lit Hub publishes an excerpt from Unsung--Kevin's contribution on the history of the Schomburg (February 2021).
  • Humanities Magazine interviews Kevin about African American Poetry (February 2021).
  • The Irish Times quotes Kevin in a piece on The Selected Letters of John Berryman (February 2021).
  • The New York Times Book Review includes Unsung on their list of New & Noteworthy books (February 2021).
  • Kirkus Reviews includes Unsung in their list of "4 New Books to Read for Black History Month" (February 2021).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Unsung in their Bookshelf Column (January 2021).
  • Library Journal gives Unsung a starred review (January 2021).
  • Kirkus Reviews calls Unsung: Unheralded Narratives of American Slavery & Abolition "required reading" in a starred review (January 2021).
  • 1010 WINS interviews Kevin for Black History Month (January 2021).
  • The Boston Globe recommends African American Poetry to fans of Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem (January 2021).

2020

  • The Kansas Reflector spotlights Kevin as one of four Kansas writers "inspiring and influencing America" (December 2020).
  • The Atlantic selects African American Poetry as one of the "15 Best Books of 2020" (December 2020).
  • For the New Yorker Radio Hour, Kevin selects two poems that stand as monuments for what we have lived through in 2020 (December 2020).
  • The Washingtonian profiles Kevin, "one of DC's most interesting people" (December 2020).
  • WHYY's Radio Times interviews Kevin about African American Poetry (December 2020).
  • Culture Type includes Kevin on their list of "52 Curators and Arts Leaders Who Took on New Appointments in 2020" (December 2020).
  • For PBS NewsHour, Kevin recommends the song he turned to in 2020: "Compared to What" by Roberta Flack (December 2020).
  • Kirkus Reviews includes African American Poetry in their list of "12 Books That Make Great Holiday Gifts" (December 2020).
  • The New York Times Book Review picks African American Poetry as one of the "Best Poetry Books of 2020" (December 2020).
  • The Charlotte Observer recommends African American Poetry as one of 11 "gems" of holiday reading (December 2020).
  • Lit Hub names African American Poetry one of the best books of the year (December 2020).
  • The Minneapolis Star Tribune includes African American Poetry in its list of "Good Reads for Winter" (December 2020).
  • Good Morning America selects African American Poetry as one of its favorite books of 2020 (December 2020).
  • Fresh Air critic John Powers raves about African American Poetry, calling it "the year's most revelatory book" (December 2020).
  • Esquire names African American Poetry one of the "Best Books of 2020" (December 2020).
  • The Chicago Tribunenames African American Poetry one of the "10 Best Books of 2020" (December 2020).
  • Kirkus Reviews' podcast "Fully Booked" interviews Kevin for their Holiday Gift Guide episode (December 2020).
  • The New York Times literary critic Parul Sehgal selects African American Poetry as one of her "Top 10 Books of 2020” (December 2020).
  • Shelf Awareness names African American Poetry one of the "10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020" (November 2020).
  • Bookforum interviews Kevin about African American Poetry (November 2020).
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer includes African American Poetry in its holiday gift guide (November 2020).
  • WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show re-airs an interview with Kevin about Bunk (November 2020).
  • Kevin is interviewed by NewsHour host Jeffrey Brown and reads a selection of poems from African American Poetry (November 2020).
  • The New York Times Book Review's "New & Noteworthy" column recommends African American Poetry (November 2020).
  • O, The Oprah Magazine includes African American Poetry in their list of "20 Best Books of 2020" (November 2020).
  • The New York Times Book Review selects African American Poetry as an Editors' Choice (November 2020).
  • Orange County Register reviews African American Poetry (November 2020).
  • A.V. Club includes African American Poetry on its list of "9 books to buy the readers in your life this holiday" (November 2020).
  • The Milwaukee Journal Sentinelincludes African American Poetry on its list of "40 new books for holiday gifts in 2020" (November 2020).
  • Publishers Weekly Poetry interviews Kevin about African American Poetry (November 2020).
  • The Smithsonian interviews Kevin about African American Poetry and the NMAAHC (November 2020).
  • The Harvard Gazette interviews Kevin about the Schomburg, the NMAAHC, and his history as a poet (November 2020).
  • TIME names African American Poetry one of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020 (November 2020).
  • In a rave review for the daily New York Times, Parul Sehgal calls African American Poetry "monumental and rapturous . . . a powerful volume of American history" (November 2020).
  • The Paris Review calls African American Poetry "[An] inspiring span of American poetics" in their Staff Picks (November 2020).
  • Barnes & Noble names African American Poetry one of the 10 best poetry books of 2020 (November 2020).
  • Soraya McDonald talks with Kevin about AAP, NMAAHC, Schomburg, and more for The Undefeated (November 2020).
  • Publishers Weekly gives African American Poetry a starred review (November 2020).
  • Interview Magazine interviews Kevin (October 2020).
  • The Poetry Foundation features Kevin's poem, "Busking," from Jelly Roll (October 2020).
  • Shelf Awareness gives African American Poetry a starred review (October 2020).
  • The Georgetowner shares Kevin's NMAAHC news (October 2020).
  • The Kansas Reflectorinterviews Kevin about Black Kansas and African American Poetry (October 2020).
  • Poets & Writers calls African American Poetry "incendiary and dazzling" (October 2020).
  • Ron Charles calls African American Poetry "a remarkable anthology" in his Washington Post "Book Club" newsletter (October 2020).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviews Kevin about the NMAAHC news (October 2020).
  • The Chronicle of Philanthropy and the Poetry Foundation cover Kevin’s NMAAHC news (October 2020).
  • WAMU, Topeka Capital Journal, Washington Business Journal, Publishers Lunch, Apollo Magazine, Artnet, and the Art Newspaper cover Kevin’s NMAAHC news (October 2020).
  • Shelf Awareness spotlights Kevin's NMAAHC news (October 2020).
  • The Chicago Sun Times, Washingtonian, DCist, Art News, and Culture Type cover Kevin's NMAAHC news (September 2020).
  • The New York Times, NPR.org, the Washington Post, and Lit Hub announce Kevin's new position as director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, effective January 11, 2021 (September 2020).
  • The San Francisco Chronicle reviews African American Poetry (September 2020).
  • Esquire includes African American Poetry in its Best Books of Fall 2020 list (September 2020).
  • Lit Hub includes African American Poetry in its fall preview (September 2020).
  • In the first episode of 'Driving the Green Book', podcast host Alvin Hall shouts out the Schomburg Center's Green Book collection and digitized versions (September 2020).
  • The Root highlights the global focus of this year's virtual Schomburg Literary Festival (September 2020).
  • The Week recommends African American Poetry in their fall round-up (September 2020).
  • The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recommends African American Poetry in their fall round-up (September 2020).
  • Boston booksellers recommend African American Poetry for the Boston Globe (September 2020).
  • Kevin is interviewed on Hari Kunzru's podcast, "Into the Zone" (September 2020).
  • TIME names African American Poetry one of the most anticipated books of the fall (September 2020).
  • The Chicago Tribune interviews Kevin in anticipation of his forthcoming anthology, African American Poetry (September 2020).
  • On WNYC's All of It, Kevin and Kelly L. Carter discuss the legacy of "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman (August 2020).
  • The Schomburg Center pays tribute to the life of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther star and treasured member of the Schomburg Center family (August 2020).
  • Kevin recommends the Schomburg Shop as his favorite black-owned bookstore for O, the Oprah Magazine (August 2020).
  • The Washington Post recommends African American Poetry in their fall round-up (August 2020).
  • NY1 speaks to Kevin about reading habits and libraries in the time of coronavirus (August 2020).
  • In a starred review, Booklist calls African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song "A defining, glorious, and invaluable anthology" (August 2020).
  • Hannah Giorgis cites Kevin's Book of Hours and The Art of Losing in her Atlantic article on poetry and trauma (August 2020).
  • Boston Globe interviews Kevin in a piece about racist symbols and structural racism (July 2020).
  • History News Network respots the New York Times piece that quotes Kevin on museums documenting the events of 2020 (July 2020).
  • The New York Times quotes Kevin in a piece on museums working to document the pandemic and racial justice movement of 2020 (July 2020)
  • Billboard interviews Kevin in a piece about the new USPS hip-hop Forever stamps (July 2020).
  • On WNYC's Juneteenth Special, Brian Lehrer interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List For Young Readers (June 2020).
  • GQ quotes Kevin in an article about the enduring significance of Juneteenth (June 2020).
  • The Schomburg Center’s Black Liberation Reading List For Young Readers receives coverage from CBS New York, NY1, New York Post, and New York Daily News (June 2020).
  • PBS NewsHour interviews Kevin for their special, "America in Black and Blue 2020" (June 2020).
  • Kevin discusses The Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List on WNYC's All Things Considered (June 2020).
  • The Schomburg Center’s Black Liberation Reading List receives more coverage from Poets & Writers, Seattle Times, Hyperallergic (and here again on Juneteenth), WABC, Patch, Norwood News, and All Arts (June 2020).
  • The Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List, 95 titles that mark the Center's 95th anniversary, receives wide-ranging praise and attention in Paris Review, Time Out NY, New York Daily News, Fox 5, NY1, New York Post, Library Journal, The City, Report Door, Filmy One, 6sqft, and in Belletrist's Instagram story (June 2020).
  • In CBS's article on reform around black lives and racial injustice in the entertainment industry, Kevin calls for representation not just of survival, but of thriving (June 2020).
  • Macleans Live hosts Kevin in conversation with Carol Anderson, author of One Person, No Vote (June 2020).
  • Kevin is quoted in Hyperallergic's article on the Schomburg Center's "Black Liberation Reading List" of 95 titles marking the Center's 95th anniversary (June 2020).
  • Kevin is profiled in Fine Books & Collections Magazine (June 2020; print only).
  • Kevin is interviewed about Bunk on Scene on Radio, alongside journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and (through voiceover) Ida B. Wells (May 2020).
  • Little Brown Mushroom's newsletter includes Kevin's poem Langston Hughes, his first poem published in the New Yorker in 1999 (May 2020).
  • The Economist quotes Kevin in their review of The Booksellers documentary (April 2020).
  • In Library Journal, Kevin announces that Harry Belafonte's archives will be available for public access at the Schomburg Center on a rolling basis (March 2020).
  • NBC News quotes Kevin on the "previously unseen" Harry Belafonte archival materials acquired by the Schomburg Center (March 2020).
  • The New York Times interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's acquisition of Harry Belafonte's archive (March 2020).
  • Kevin is interviewed about right-wing media and "fake news" on The View From Somewhere podcast (March 2020).
  • Brown: Poems is now available in a paperback edition (March 2020).
  • D.W. Young's documentary The Booksellers, in which Kevin appears, is now showing in theaters across the country (March 2020).
  • Two new poems of Kevin's, "Hum" and "Shade," are published in the Spring issue of Paris Review (March 2020).
  • The trailer for The Booksellers documentary, in which Kevin appears, is now available; in theaters March 6 (February 2020).
  • Kevin is interviewed by PBS NewsHour about the Black Comic Book Festival (January 2020).
  • Kevin is named a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets (January 2020).

2019

  • Kevin's essay, "Ralph Ellison's Slow-Burning Art," is published in The New Yorker (December 2019). 
  • Kevin is interviewed in D.W. Young's documentary The Booksellers (premiering October 2019).
  • Kevin is quoted in Michael Adno's Bitter Southerner piece on Zora Neale Hurston (September 2019).
  • The Friends of Harlem Hospital Center honors Kevin with its Harlem Pillar Award at the Apollo Theater and holds a premiere screening of the film “When Harlem Saved A King" (September 2019).
  • The New Yorker publishes Kevin's personal reminiscence, "Going to the Movies with Toni Morrison" (August 2019).
  • Kevin shares his reflections on Toni Morrison in the New York Times' tribute to the literary legend (August 2019).
  • The New York Times interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's acquisition of Fab 5 Freddy's personal collection (May 2019).
  • New York Times film critic A. O. Scott recommends Kevin's "generous and multifarious" Blue Laws for summer reading (May 2019).
  • For its 30th anniversary, A Cappella Books lists 30 books that have defined them, including For the Confederate Dead (April 2019). 
  • The New Yorker publishes Kevin's reminiscence of W. S. Merwin (March 2019).
  • Literary Hub names "Errata" one of the "32 Most Iconic Poems in the English Language" (March 2019).
  • Kevin is one of a dozen cultural leaders featured in TIME's "Optimists" issue, guest edited by Ava DuVernay (February 2019).

2018

  • Brown clocks in at #2 on Book Scrolling's list of the best-reviewed books of poetry in 2018 (December 2018).
  • CNN includes Brown in its story, "The Inescapable Message of Black Storytelling in 2018" (December 2018).
  • Commonweal names Brown one of the best books of 2018 (December 2018).
  • The Root includes Brown in its round-up of the year's "28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors" (December 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio's "Beta" (December 2018).
  • Brown is included in BuzzFeed's round-up, "The Most Beautiful Book Covers of 2018" (December 2018).
  • Kevin is featured in the New York Times article, "Late-NIght Hosts Give Publicity-Starved Novelists the Star Treatment" (December 2018).
  • Brown is included in Lit Hub's "Best Reviewed Books of 2018: Poetry" list (December 2018).
  • Kevin is showcased in T, The New York Times Style Magazine's feature "Black Male Writers for Our Time" (November 2018).
  • NPR deems Brown one of the "Best Books of 2018" (November 2018).
  • Brown is included in O, The Oprah Magazine's "11 of 2018's Best Books to Give as Gifts" (November 2018).
  • Brown is included in the New York Times' "100 Notable Books of 2018" list (November 2018).
  • Kevin participates in the grand finale of PBS's The Great American Read (October 2018).
  • Kevin is featured in the "Heroes" episode of PBS's The Great American Read (September 2018).
  • The San Francisco Foghorn writes about Kevin's visit to the University of San Francisco (September 2018).
  • Kevin's visit at St. Mary's College draws an enthusiastic, standing-room-only crowd (September 2018).
  • Kevin takes part in PBS's The Great American Read, including an appearnce in the opening sequence (September 2018).
  • The New York Times Book Review includes Bunk in Paperback Row: "this timely history delves into America’s enduring fascination with the apocryphal" (September 2018).
  • The New Inquiry reviews Bunk, stating that Young "succeeds in tracking how the genre [of hoaxing] changes over time" (September 2018).
  • Vulture includes Bunk in its round-up of the best new paperbacks, calling it "an endlessly fascinating fact-check on everything we think we know about integrity" (September 2018).
  • Grayolf publishes the paperback edition of Bunk (September 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed by the New York Times about the mystery surrounding Langston Hughes's actual birth year (August 2018).
  • The New York Times interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's acquisition of the original manuscript of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as well as an unpublished chapter titled "The Negro" (July 2018).
  • The Associated Press, the Guardian, and CNN cover the Schomburg Center's acquisition of materials related to The Autobiography of Malcolm X (July 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on PBS NewsHour (July 2018).
  • Bunk is reviewed by the New York Review of Books: "Young writes from the perspective of his vocation as a poet and with the commitment to what can be understood as poetic truth" (print only; July 2018).
  • Kevin interviews poets Ada Limón and Natalie Diaz for a new online series at the New Yorker featuring long-form poetry (May 2018).
  • New York Times-bestselling author Celeste Ng tells the Washington Post that she's planning to read Bunk this summer, stating that it "looks fascinating" (May 2018).
  • The Harvard Gazette spotlights Kevin's appearance as the featured poet of the 228th Phi Beta Kappa literary exercises (May 2018).
  • The Kenyon Review assesses Bunk, stating that it has a "fountain of humor and knowledge, wit and insight" (May 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show (May 2018).
  • Trevor Noah interviews Kevin on The Daily Show (April 2018).
  • Actress Loretta Devine reads Kevin's poem "Three Is the Magic Number" from Brown for the New York Times' "Read T a Poem" series (April 2018).
  • Brown is a New York Times Editors' Choice selection (April 2018).
  • The New York Times Book Review gives a rave review to Brown, calling it "deeply and lovingly personal" (April 2018).
  • The Washington Post praises Brown, stating that Kevin's "virtuosity is on display as he illustrates the intersections between place and the past, the individual and the collective consciousness” (April 2018).
  • Kevin and three other contemporary poets discuss poetry on NPR's 1A (April 2018).
  • NPR's Morning Edition interviews Kevin (April 2018).
  • The Village Voice profiles Kevin (April 2018).
  • Dwight Garner of the New York Times praises Brown, saying of Kevin, "Keeping up with him is like trying to keep up with Bob Dylan or Prince in their primes. Even the bootlegs have bootlegs" (April 2018).
  • "Kevin Young's Brown poems are not only beautiful, but essential"; Entertainment Weekly interviews Kevin about Brown (April 2018).
  • The Wichita Eagle spotlights Kevin in advance of his local reading (April 2018).
  • "Nightstick [A Mural for Michael Brown]" is the Poem of the Day at Poets.org (April 2018).
  • Library Journal reviews Brown, calling it "a richly envisioned memoir in verse offering a wide-ranging yet intimate account of growing up in a country that has yet to live up to its promises" (April 2018).
  • The Los Angeles Times covers the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winners (April 2018).
  • Bunk wins the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Nonfiction (March 2018).
  • Booklist gives Brown a starred review: "Thrillingly quick-footed, Young’s poems are also formally intricate and fully loaded with history, protest, and emotion" (March 2018).
  • AV Club recomends Bunk, calling it "riveting, troubling, and timely material" (March 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio (March 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on CBC's "Writers & Company" (March 2018).
  • The Washington Post, in an article on the the National Book Critics Circle finalists in criticism, praises Bunk, calling it "a work of extraordinary gravity and scope" (March 2018).
  • In Literary Hub's "If They Gave Oscars to Books" article, Kevin is nominated for "Male Literary Citizen (Actor in a Leading Role)" and Bunk is nominated for "Best Work of Nonfiction (Documentary—Feature)" (March 2018).
  • Kevin, former curator of the Danowski library at Emory, speaks to the New York Times for Raymond Danowski's obituary (March 2018).
  • Booklist gives Brown a starred review, stating "thrillingly quick-footed, Young’s poems are . . . formally intricate and fully loaded with history, protest, and emotion" (print only; February 2018).
  • Kevin, photgraphed at PEN America's literary awards gala, appears in the Sunday New York Times (February 2018). 
  • Critic Tess Taylor offers an appreciation of Bunk in Literary Hub in advance of the NBCC Awards (February 2018).
  • The Paris Review recommends Bunk, calling Kevin "a pure essayist in the vein of Emerson and Montaigne" (February 2018).
  • Bunk is a finalist for the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award (January 2018).
  • Bunk is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (January 2018).
  • O, The Oprah Magazine reviews Bunk, calling it "fascinating, dense, and hyper-referential . . . [a] sweeping view of our homegrown hokum" (January 2018).
  • PBS announces "The Great American Read," an 8-episode documentary series that features Kevin on its literary advisory panel (January 2018).
  • The Minneapolis Star-Tribune spotlights Kevin's March 19 event with Marlon James at the Loft Literary Center (January 2018).
  • Kevin is interviewed on NPR's "It's Been a Minute" (January 2018)
  • The Dallas Morning News writes about Bunk in the age of Trump's fake news (January 2018).
  • The Rumpus interviews Kevin (January 2018).

2017

  • Bunk is ranked #7 out of 36 in Book Scrolling's aggregate of the "Best Nonfiction Books," compiled from 40 "best of" year-end lists (December 2017).
  • WBUR "Radio Boston" interviews Kevin (December 2017).
  • History names Bunk a "Best Book of 2017" (December 2017).
  • The Atlantic names Bunk one of the "Best Books We Read in 2017" (December 2017).
  • BuzzFeed includes Bunk in its list of the "19 Best Nonfiction Books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • BOMB interviews Kevin (December 2017).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls Bunk one of the twelve "Best Southern books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • Literary Hub deems Bunk one of the "Best Reviewed Books of 2017: History & Politics" (December 2017).
  • Kevin is interviewed on Book Lust with Nancy Pearl (December 2017).
  • Electric Literature includes Bunk in its list of the "15 Best Nonfiction Books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • Vogue selects Bunk as one of the "Best Books We Read All Year" (December 2017).
  • Bunk is a New York Times Book Review "Editors' Choice" selection (December 2017).
  • The Portland Mercury calls Bunk "a thoroughly researched and consistently illuminating book of cultural criticism."
  • The Dallas Morning News includes Bunk in their "10 favorite books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • The Tampa Bay Times deems Bunk "always fascinating" and "a sweeping, erudite look" at race (Dcember 2017).
  • Smithsonian declares Bunk one of the "Ten Best History Books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • Kevin is interviewed on the B&N Podcast (December 2017).
  • WGBH "Boston Public Radio" interviews Kevin (December 2017).
  • Nylon includes Bunk in their "Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2017" (December 2017).
  • Kevin participates in The Millions' "Year in Reading" series (December 2017).
  • NPR names Bunk one of the best books of 2017 (December 2017).
  • NPR "On the Media" host Brooke Gladstone speaks at length with Kevin (December 2017).
  • Salon interviews Kevin (December 2017).
  • Bookforum deems Bunk a "brilliant and definitive account" and adds that Kevin "tells his stories beautifully" (December 2017; print only).
  • KCRW "Press Play" interviews Kevin (November 2017).
  • KUOW "The Record" interviews Kevin (November 2017).
  • The Los Angles Times calls Bunk one of the "Best Books of 2017" (November 2017).
  • Slate praises Bunk, calling it "that rare thing, a trove of fresh and persuasive insights" (November 2017).
  • Entertainment Weekly includes Bunk in their Must List, calling the book "a sweeping, pointed, and utterly fascinating study on the rise of hoaxes" (November 2017; print only).
  • The Washington Post says of Bunk, "There’s so much to enjoy and learn from in this encyclopedic anatomy of American imposture and chicanery" (November 2017).
  • Newsday interviews Kevin (November 2017).
  • The Seattle Times interviews Kevin (November 2017).
  • Bunk is selected as a New York Times Notable Book (November 2017).
  • Slate interviews Kevin about Bunk and the U.S.'s long history with hoaxes (November 2017).
  • Kevin visits the set of BuzzFeed's "AM to DM" to talk about Bunk (November 2017).
  • The NYPL Podcast broadcasts Kevin's launch event at the Schomburg Center for Reasearch in Black Culture (November 2017).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls Bunk a "thrilling fun house at the state fair one wishes to never exit" (November 2017).
  • Kevin is inteviewed on PBS's "Book View Now" while at the Miami Book Fair (November 2017).
  • Slate's "Trumpcast" interviews Kevin about Bunk (November 2017).
  • Paste calls Bunk a "worthy and exhaustingly researched read" and highlights "five of the craziest hoaxes" from the book (November 2017).
  • Guernica interviews Kevin about "the power and politics of hoaxes" (November 2017).
  • Tracy K. Smith joins Kevin for his debut hosting of the New Yorker Poetry Podcast (November 2017).
  • Salon interviews Kevin for its "Author Questionnaire" series (November 2017).
  • Kevin is interviewed on WNYC's "Brian Lehrer Show" (November 2017).
  • In the New York Times Book Review, Jonathan Lethem praises Bunk as an "enthralling and essential new study of our collective American love affair with pernicious and intractable moonshine" (Novembr 2017).
  • The Chicago Tribune calls Bunk a "groundbreaking study of spectacles and spectacular falsehoods" and adds, "this book could scarcely be more timely or useful" (November 2017).
  • The Millions says of Bunk, "Young might just have written the most important book this year" (November 2017).
  • NPR "All Things Considered" host Michel Martin talks with Kevin about Bunk (November 2017).
  • Kevin is given the feature profile treatment in the Boston Globe (November 2017).
  • The New Yorker features a third excerpt from Bunk (November 2017).
  • The L.A. Times calls Bunk "a wild, incisive, exhilarating tour through Western culture’s sideshows and dark corners" (November 2017).
  • The Minneapolis Star-Tribune calls Bunk "compelling" and "gripping" (November 2017).
  • "Can Kevin Young Make Poetry Matter Again?" A lenthy profile of Kevin in Esquire (November 2017).
  • The New York Times profiles Kevin one week before the publication of Bunk (November 2017).
  • Newsweek includes Bunk in its round-up of "14 Nonfiction Books You'll Want to Read This Fall" (November 2017).
  • Kevin reviews Te-Nehisi Coates's We Were Eight Years in Power for the New York Times Book Review (November 2017).
  • Bunk is included in November recommended reading lists by the BBC, Lit Hub, and The Millions (November 2017).
  • Poets & Writers editors discuss their cover story on Kevin on the Ampersand podcast (November 2017). 
  • The New Yorker features a second excerpt from Bunk (October 2017).
  • Book of Hours is announced as an NEA Big Read selection (October 2017).
  • The New Yorker features an excerpt from Bunk (October 2017).
  • Harvard Magazine calls Bunk "a consistently incisive look at the nature of American imposture and epistemology itself" (October 2017).
  • Publishers Weekly interviews Kevin for its Texas Book Festival supplement (October 2017).
  • Kevin graces the cover of the November/December issue of Poets & Writers (October 2017).
  • The Daily Tar Heel interviews Kevin upon receiving the Thomas Wolfe Award (October 2017).
  • Kevin receives the Thomas Wolfe Prize from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (October 2017).
  • Bunk is longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence (September 2017).
  • Bunk makes the longlist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction (September 2017).
  • Publishers Weekly interviews Kevin (subscription required; September 2017).
  • Library Journal gives Bunk a starred review, stating that it "offers a fascinating view of the impact of fraud on truth" (September 2017).
  • The Boston Globe includes Bunk in its feature on "19 must-read books for fall" (September 2017).
  • The Chicago Tribune interviews Kevin for its Fall arts preview (September 2017).
  • In a feature on "25 must-read books for fall," the Chicago Tribune spotlights Bunk, calling it an "all too timely" work (September 2017).
  • Publishers Weekly gives a starred review to Bunk, stating that Kevin "astutely declares the hoax a frequent metaphor for a ‘deep-seated cultural wish’ that confirms prejudicial ideas and stereotypes" (August 2017).
  • Kirkus Reviews calls Bunk "a fascinating, well-researched look at the many ways Americans hoodwink each other, often about race" (August 2017).
  • Kevin spoke with NBC News about Moonlight director Barry Jenkins's adaptation of James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk (July 2017).
  • Kevin appeared on CBS This Morning to talk about James Baldwin and the Schomburg Center's collection of Baldwin's papers (July 2017).
  • C-SPAN Book TV interviews Kevin about Bunk (June 2017).
  • The Topeka Capital-Journal spotlights Kevin's roots in Topeka, Kansas, where Kevin gave the keynote speech honoring Gwendolyn Brooks's 100th birthday (June 2017).
  • The New York Times interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's acquisition of Sonny Rollins's jazz archive (May 2017).
  • Kirkus Reviews mentions Kevin's contribution to the anthology Tales of Two Americas (May 2017).
  • Kevin chats with The Potlikker Papers author John T. Edge on Prince St. podcast (May 2017).
  • NPR All Things Considered interviews Kevin about the Schomburg Center's acquisition of James Baldwin's papers (April 2017).
  • The New York Times breaks the story on the Schomburg Center's acquisition of James Baldwin's archive (April 2017).
  • The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs announce Kevin's forthcoming position as Poetry Editor at the New Yorker (March 2017).
  • Kevin was a guest on CUNY TV's Black in America (March 2017).
  • Library Journal interviewed Kevin about his work at the Schomburg Center (March 2017).
  • Kevin is one of four writers to be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame later this year (February 2017).
  • Kevin was interviewed on ABC's Here and Now (February 2017).
  • PBS interviewed Kevin during the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (February 2017).
  • The New York Daily News previews the Schomburg Center's new Black Power! exhibition (February 2017).
  • The New York Daily News interviews Kevin for their story on the Schomburg Center's new designation as a National Historic Landmark (February 2017).
  • The New York Times includes the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in their coverage of Black History Month (February 2017).
  • The New York Times opened their story on the 24 new National Historical Landmarks with a photo and mention of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (January 2017).
  • The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has been designated a National Historic Landmark (January 2017).

2016

  • Colson Whitehead picks Blue Laws as one of his favorite books of 2016 for Amazon's literary blog Omnivoracious (December 2016).
  • Blue Laws is named one of the New York Times' 10 "Best Poetry of 2016" titles (December 2016).
  • The New Yorker's Year in Poems includes Kevin's poem "Money Road" (December 2016).
  • The Kansas City Star calls Blue Laws "essential reading about the American experience from Colonial times to the present" (December 2016).
  • Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad, picks Blue Laws as his favorite book of the year in Publisher's Weekly (December 2016).
  • Blue Laws is included in Boston Globe's "Best Books of 2016" (December 2016).
  • Blue Laws is named one of the five "Best Poetry Collections of 2016" by the Washington Post (November 2016).
  • Kevin was interviewed for the New York Times article "The Art of Condolence" (October 2016).
  • Kevin was nominated and named a member of The Fellowship of Southern Writers (September 2016).
  • Blue Laws: Selected & Uncollected Poems 1995-2015 is longlisted for the National Book Award prize in poetry (September 2016).
  • Bustle includes Blue Laws: Selected & Uncollected Poems 1995-2015 in their list "12 New Must-Read Poetry Collections by Poets of Color" (September 2016).
  • For the Strand Bookstore, Colson Whitehead picks his favorite 50 books, including Kevin's Blue Laws (August 2016).
  • New York Times reviewer Dwight Garner singles out Kevin's essay as "dazzling" in his review of Jesmyn Ward's anthology The Fire This Time (August 2016).
  • The National Endowment for the Arts selects Book of Hours for its Big Reads program (August 2016).
  • The New York Public Library names Kevin the new director of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture (August 2016).
  • The Amsterdam News shares word of Kevin's new appointment as director of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture (August 2016).
  • The Georgia Center for the Book includes Blue Laws as one of 24 titles for the "2016 Books All Georgians Should Read" list (August 2016).
  • Kevin's article on "inveterate hoaxer" Clark Rockefeller appears in Bookforum (June 2016).
  • The New Yorker features Kevin's essay on childhood reading (June 2016). 
  • Kevin pays homage to Prince in two poems in the New Yorker (May 2016).
  • The New York Times Book Review applauds Blue Laws, saying "The formal economy of Young's best work attunes us to the grammar of living and sorrow alike" (April 2016).
  • Kevin is one of six literary writers inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (April 2016).
  • The Washington Post includes Kevin's poem "Commencement" as one of ten poems beautifully animated to celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month (April 2016).
  • Mary-Louise Parker praises Kevin's work in O, The Oprah Magazine, calling Blue Laws "a wealth of poems that transport the reader and explode the form" (April 2016).
  • Kevin talks poetry, taste, and clothing with Billy Reid as part of their "Well Worn" series (April 2016).
  • Kevin interviews Mary-Louise Parker at the Chigago Humanities Festival (April 2016).
  • Kevin reads with Pulitzer Prize-winner Gregory Pardlo at the Arkansas Literary Festival (April 2016).
  • Kevin discusses his writing process and shows off his studio in T: The New York Times Style Magazine (April 2016).
  • Pianist Bruce Levingston and baritone Justin Hopkins perform Kevin's oratorio Repast at Carnegie Hall (April 2016).
  • The New York Times quotes Kevin in an article on Emory's acquisition of David Walker's Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World (March 2016).
  • The Oxford American sings the praises of Kevin's "Money Road" in the New Yorker (February 2016).
  • Harvard Magazine features a lengthy profile of The Dark Room Collective (March/April 2016).
  • Craig Morgan Teicher calls Kevin "one of the poetry stars of his generation" in a Los Angeles Times review (February 2016).
  • The Root includes Blue Laws in its list of "Books by Black Authors to Look Forward to in 2016" (February 2016).
  • Mary-Louise Parker interviews Kevin at Greenlight Bookstore (February 2016).
  • The New Yorker publishes Kevin's new poem for Emmett Till, "Money Road" (February 2016).
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features a lengthy profile of Kevin (February 2016).
  • The Washington Post names Blue Laws one of the "Best Poetry Books for February" (February 2016).
  • Jonathan Sturgeon reviews Blue Laws in Flavorwire (February 2016).
  • Christine Smallwood praises Blue Laws in Harper's Magazine (February 2016).
  • Flavorwire calls Blue Laws "one of the most important books of the year in any category." (January 2016).

2015

  • Kevin's "Repast" sequence wins the Emily Clark Balch Award for Poetry from the Virginia Quarterly Review (December 2015).
  • Kevin interviews Mary-Louise Parker at the Brooklyn Historical Society (November 2015).
  • Prune chef/owner Gabrielle Hamilton and Kevin discuss food and poetry at the New York Public Library (November 2015).
  • Garden & Gun features Kevin as one of "four standout citizens building a better Atlanta" (October/November 2015).
  • The New York Times reports on Emory's acquisition of rare Jack Kerouac material and includes a quote from Kevin, the library's curator of literary collections (October 2015).
  • Book of Hours wins the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets (September 2015).
  • Carolyn Forché and Kevin read in a joint event at AWP (April 2015).
  • Kevin is bestowed with the Donald Justice Award from The Fellowship of Southern Writers (April 2015).
  • Book of Hours is a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award (February 2015).

2014

2013

  • Medium features Kevin on "You Are What You Read" (December 2013).
  • Kevin wins the PEN Open Book Award for The Grey Album (October 2013).
  • National Book Critics Circle names The Grey Album as a finalist for Award in Criticism (Fall 2013).
  • Denise Duhamel selects "Wintering" for Best American Poetry 2013 (Fall 2013).
  • The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton wins the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (2013).

2012

2010

  • Amy Gerstler selects "Lime Light Blues" for Best American Poetry 2010 (Fall 2010).
  • Kevin discusses The Art of Losing on NPR's Morning Edition (April 2010).
  • NPR's Here and Now talks with Kevin about The Art of Losing (April 2010).
  • Irish National Radio features The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (April 2010).

2009

2008

  • NPR's All Things Considered includes Dear Darkness in their "Best Books of 2008" (December 2008).
  • The Poetry Center awards For the Confederate Dead the Paterson Poetry Prize for Sustained Literary Achievement (2008).
  • Charles Wright selects "From The Book of Hours" for Best American Poetry 2008 (Fall 2008).
  • Kevin reads several poems at the Key West Literary Seminar (September 2008).

2007

2005

2004

2003

1999-2001

  • Village Voice names Kevin a Writer on the Verge in their annual selection of ten up-and-coming authors (May 2001).
  • Kevin named one of five finalists for the James Laughlin Prize by the Academy of American Poets (August 2000).
  • NPR's All Things Considered interviews poet Catherine Bowman about Kevin's first collection, Most Way Home (February 1999).