“Curiosity and Excitement”: An Interview with Khairani Barokka

For the past two years, Khairani Barokka and I have had the pleasure of serving, with Daljit Nagra, on the jury of the Stephen Spender Prize for poetry in translation. We have read thousands of poems translated primarily by students from world languages into English. (On November 15, the winners will read their works online in the virtual prize ceremony.) During this period Okka became the editor in chief of Modern Poetry in Translation, a role she has described as her dream job. We recently spoke about her plans for the venerable publication’s future.