• Now in its 22nd year, the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts hosts reading events with a variety of prominent authors.

  • All DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts events are free and open to the public.

  • Poet Kaveh Akbar, who teaches at the University of Iowa, is the second writer to be featured in the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts' 2024-25 Author Series. His first novel, "Martyr!", was released in January 2024 and has received widespread acclaim.

The DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts is pleased to continue its 2024-25 Author Series with award-winning poet Kaveh Akbar, who will read from his work during two free events on Mon., Sept. 16, in Greater Des Moines.

Now in its 22nd year, the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts regularly spotlights a variety of prominent authors throughout the academic year. All events are free and open to the public.

“We hope that many people will take advantage of this of this wonderful opportunity to hear from and be inspired by a diverse group of award-winning fiction writers and poets throughout the year,” said Marc Dickinson, DMACC English Professor and Coordinator of the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts.

Kaveh Akbar will participate in the following DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts events:

  • Mon., Sept. 16, 11:15 a.m., DMACC Ankeny Campus, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, Iowa (Bldg. 2, Room 25B)

  • Mon., Sept. 16, 7 p.m., Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa

Each event will last approximately one hour and will also feature a Q&A with the author. Of note, FREE copies of Akbar’s new novel, "Martyr!", will be available for those who attend, while supplies last.

About the author: Kaveh Akbar

Kaveh Akbar’s poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Paris Review and Best American Poetry, among other well-known publications. He is the author of two poetry collections, “Pilgrim Bell” and “Calling a Wolf a Wolf,” as well as a chapbook, “Portrait of the Alcoholic.” He is also the editor of “The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 100 Poets on the Divine.”

In January 2024, Akbar’s first novel, "Martyr!”, was published by Knopf and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. Former U.S. President Barack Obama also included "Martyr!" on his 2024 Summer Reading List.

Akbar has received numerous honors, including multiple Pushcart Prizes, a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship and the Levis Reading Prize. In 2020, he was named Poetry Editor of The Nation.

Akbar was born in Tehran, Iran, and teaches at the University of Iowa and in the low-residency MFA programs at Randolph College and Warren Wilson. In 2014, Kaveh founded Divedapper, a home for dialogues with the most vital voices in American poetry. With Sarah Kay and Claire Schwartz, he has also written a weekly column for the Paris Review called “Poetry RX.”

Select writings by Kaveh Akbar:

For more information about the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, visit cla.dmacc.edu or contact Marc Dickinson, DMACC English Professor and Coordinator of the DMACC Celebration of Literary Arts, at (515) 964-6221 or madickinson@dmacc.edu.