I'm excited and honoured to be taking on the role of poetry editor at Jonathan Cape, stepping in once Robin Robertson retires in the summer. Robin has built an extraordinary list of poets over the last three decades, from the visionary work of John Burnside and the classically inspired brilliance of Anne Carson, to some of the leading voices in contemporary literature such as Alice Oswald and Ocean Vuong. My hope will be to continue the work he’s done with such vision and discernment, and to keep identifying and encouraging poets who will shape the future of British poetry for years to come.
Dr Declan Ryan, Lecturer in Creative Writing
02 March 2026
King's academic appointed as Jonathan Cape poetry editor
Dr Declan Ryan, Lecturer in Creative Writing in the Department of English, has been appointed as poetry editor at Jonathan Cape publishing imprint.
Dr Ryan is a literary critic and the author of Crisis Actor, a collection chronicling various failings and farewells. His interests include contemporary poetry, fiction and non-fiction; biography; and sports writing.
Get to know Dr Ryan in our Q&A
The writer or text that sparked your love of poetry
I think reading T.S. Eliot at A Level was probably the initial spark into wanting to study English further, and which made me realise the possibilities of the modern poem.
A great collection for getting into poetry
I often recommend Liz Berry's 'Black Country' – its mix of Black Country dialect, narrative poems and tender lyricism is so full of verbal energy but also feeling. There's something Hardyesque about Berry's work, I think.
The poet or collection you always go back to
I find myself endlessly returning to Robert Lowell's work, especially the personal poems of Life Studies and For The Union Dead.
Poet or collection you’re currently most excited about
So many – but I'm particularly looking forward at the moment to Andrew Motion's new book, due in May 2026, and to the books I'll be starting to work on once I begin at Jonathan Cape – there are several booked in for the coming months, including a final Michael Longley collection. It's not poetry as such but the great Denise Riley is about to publish her lectures on poetry which I am very excited about.
Best modern British poet
It would be somewhat undiplomatic to single out one but perhaps I can pick Michael Hofmann, given that he's German, but was brought up in Britain.
The poem you wish you’d written
It changes all the time, but I am consistently astonished by Karen Solie's work so something from her Wellwater, maybe 'Dust'.
The qualities that make a great poem/poet
A willingness to risk feeling, a sense of control but not too much to the point of stultification, surprise – I like Auden's idea that poetry is 'memorable speech'.
A great collection or book for taking with you on holiday
You can't go too far wrong with Les Murray, for the open vistas...
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Lecturer in Creative Writing