Katrine Øgaard Jensen ’17 Named ALTA Executive Director

Writing alum and former adjunct faculty member Katrine Øgaard Jensen ’17 has been appointed Executive Director of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), a prestigious nonprofit that supports literary translators nationwide. Jensen, who served as Acting Director of Literary Translation at Columbia University School of the Arts (LTAC) from Fall 2019–Fall 2020, will begin her new role on April 28.

During her tenure at the School of the Arts, Jensen made significant contributions to the LTAC program, overseeing a period of record enrollments and securing funding for an international exchange between Columbia's Writing MFA Program and the Danish Academy of Creative Writing (Forfatterskolen).

"It was an immense privilege to serve as Acting Director of Literary Translation at Columbia for three semesters," Jensen shared. "LTAC is a unique component of the Writing MFA Program that not only exposes writers to global and diverse modes of writing and thinking, but also challenges the myth of the 'isolated, singular writer' by fostering a writing practice rooted in collaboration and community. I feel incredibly lucky to have met and worked with so many remarkable writers and translators during my time at Columbia, and I remain inspired by the lasting impact my students have had on me and on the literary landscape as a whole."

Jensen's appointment at ALTA marks a significant achievement in the field of literary translation. ALTA President Chenxin Jiang praised her credentials: "Katrine has extensive experience in the world of literary nonprofits and academic professional organizations. She brings with her a detail-oriented, systems-based approach to leadership and a depth of financial acumen. She also has a long history with ALTA and a love for literary translation in all its forms.

An accomplished translator from the Danish, Jensen received the National Translation Award in Poetry from ALTA in 2018 for her translation of Ursula Andkjær Olsen's Third-Millennium Heart (Action Books, 2017). She has since translated Olsen's full trilogy, including Outgoing Vessel (Action Books, 2021) and My Jewel Box (Action Books, 2022). In 2022, she received Denmark's prestigious Kjeld Elfelt Memorial Grant, awarded to "a younger translator who has translated significant works of fiction with joy and imagination," and was the final recipient of this notable award.

Jensen comes to ALTA from the Authors Guild, where she served as Executive Administrator and Project Manager. Her own collection of poetry, Ancient Algorithms—a collaborative work of "mistranslations" with contributors Sawako Nakayasu, Aditi Machado, Baba Badji, CAConrad, Paul Cunningham, and Ursula Andkjær Olsen—is forthcoming from Sarabande Books in 2025.