Wisp by Jan Wagner: An Event with Translator David Keplinger

David Keplinger presents his new translation of Jan Wagner’s poetry collection *Wisp*, a bilingual work translated from German into English. The event explores impermanence as a source of beauty and considers how close observation, lyrical expression, and poetic collaboration can cross the boundaries between languages.

Keplinger and Wagner have developed a nearly two-decade partnership in which the original German poems and their American translations form a collaborative exchange. Their work reflects on the limitations and possibilities of translation, creating a metered conversation between distinct poetic voices.

When: Friday, October 30th, 2026

Showtimes: 6:00 pm–7:30 pm

Venue: Bird in Hand Coffee & Books, 11 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218

Tickets: Price not available

RSVP: An RSVP is requested through the event page.

Featured presenter: David Keplinger

About David Keplinger: Keplinger is the author of eight poetry collections, including *Another City*, winner of the 2019 UNT Rilke Prize, and *Ice*, which received the 2024 Ellen Anderson Award from the Poetry Society of Virginia. He has received two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, the Colorado Book Award, the T.S. Eliot Award, the Minds on Fire Award, the Emily Dickinson Award from the Poetry Society of America, and other honors.

Translation work: Keplinger has translated six volumes of literary work, including Wagner’s *The Art of Topiary* and Carsten René Nielsen’s *Forty-One Objects*, which was longlisted for the 2020 National Translation Prize.

Additional honors: American University named Keplinger Teacher-Scholar of the Year in 2022, and he received the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome in 2025. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Book: Copies of *Wisp* are available to order through the event page.