Obama taps UI Writing Director for Humanities Council

IOWA CITY - President Obama this week appointed Christopher Merrill, the director of the University of Iowa International Writing Program, to sit on the National Council on the Humanities.

Merrill, 55, is a poet, essayist, journalist, and translator who led the initiative that resulted in the selection of Iowa City as a UNESCO City of Literature

The President nominated Merrill for the position last June, but the U.S. Senate only approved his nomination last week.

The council serves as an advisory role to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which supports and advocates for educational enrichment in history, literature, art, music and other humanities subjects.

In his role, Merrill will work closely with a fellow Iowan, Former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach serves as the chairman for the NEH.