Christopher Merrill, the director of the University of Iowa International Writing Program, has been appointed to the National Council on the Humanities.

President Obama selected Merrill, who was also appointed to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in 2011, to replace former director Iris Love.

The council serves as an advisory body to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which advocates for public television and education, among other causes.

The 55-year-old Merrill has worked as a poet, essayist, journalist, and translator.

— by Luke Voelz