Poetry

Chris Abani

NYT Bestselling Novelist
Nigerian-born Poet
PEN Freedom to Write
FYE Novel: Graceland

Elizabeth Acevedo

Performance Poet & Novelist
National Book Award
National Slam Champion
YA Novel: The Poet X

Ekiwah Adler-Beléndez

Mexican Poet
Disablity Advocate
Love on Wheels

Simon Armitage

U.K. Poet Laureate
Forward Prize, UK
Translation: Sir Gawain
Lyricist: The Scaremongers

Peter Balakian

Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Memoir: Black Dog of Fate
Memoir: Armenian Golgoth
Essays on Social Thought

Coleman Barks

Acclaimed Poet
Premier Translator of Rumi
Hummingbird Sleep: Poems
J Hollister Interfaith Award

Samiya Bashir

Acclaimed Poet
Field Theories
Finalist Lambda Lit Award
Mixed Media Readings

Ellen Bass

Award-winning Poet
Beloved Teacher
Lambda Lit Award
Bestselling Nonfiction Author

Jill Bialosky

Memoirist, Poet, Novelist
Professional Editor
Memoir: History of Suicide
Poetry: The Players

Frank Bidart

Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
National Book Award
NBCC Award-winner
LGBT Themes

Sherwin Bitsui

Native American Poet
Structure in Ecopoetics
PEN Open Book Award
Poems: Flood Song

Daniel Borzutzky

Award-winning Poet
National Book Award
Translator from Spanish
Immigration Politics

Julian Talamantez Brolaski

Native American Poet
Its Pronoun is It
Poems: Of Mongrelitude

Jericho Brown

Acclaimed Poet
American Book Award
Gay Rights Advocate
The New Testament

Mahogany L. Browne

Spoken Word Poet
YA & Children's Author
Performer & Activist
Black Girl Magic

Stephanie Burt

Critic, Poet & Essayist
NBCC Award Finalist
LGBTQ Themes

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Mexican Poet & Translator
Immigration Advocate
LGBTQ Themes

Tina Chang

Acclaimed American Poet
Brooklyn Poet Laureate
Literacy & Education
Race, Culture, Identity

Chen Chen

Chinese American Poet
T. Gunn Gay Poetry Award
Issues of Immigration
Issues of Identity

Geffrey Davis

Award-winning Poet
Finalist Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
Issues of Family & Addiction

Kwame Dawes

Ghana-born Jamaican Poet
Novelist and Essayist
Emmy: LiveHopeLove
Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius

W. S. Di Piero

Distinguished Poet
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Personal Essays: City Dog
Art Essays: Out of Eden

Mark Doty

Distinguished Poet
National Book Award
NYT Bestselling Memoirist
Dog Years: A Memoir

Carol Ann Duffy

Poet Laureate of UK
Playwright
Poems: Bees • Rapture
Children's: The Tear Thief

Camille Dungy

Award-winning Poet
NBCCA Finalist in Criticism
Acclaimed Essayist
Women's Issues

Cornelius Eady

Poet, Lyricist, Playwright
Co-Founder of Cave Canem
Hardheaded Weather
Rough Magic: Lit Band

Beth Ann Fennelly

Acclaimed Poet & Essayist
Micro-Memoirist
Mississippi Poet Laureate
On Motherhood

Nick Flynn

Acclaimed Poet & Memoirist
Poetry: My Feelings
Film: Being Flynn
Memoir: Another Bullshit...

Carolyn Forché

Award-winning Poet
Poetry of Witness
Human Rights Advocate
Translator: Claribel Alegria

Carrie Fountain

Award-winning Poet
YA: I’m Not Missing
NPR Podcast Host

John Freeman

Cultural Critic
Acclaimed Essayist
Editor of Freeman's
Poet: Maps

Forrest Gander

Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Ecological Poetics
Novelist & Essayist
Translator from Spanish

Cristina Garcí­a

Cuban-American Writer
Novelist & Poet
Young Adult Author
Novel: King of Cuba

Natalie Goldberg

Bestselling Author & Poet
Writing Down The Bones
Buddhist Themes
Visual Artist

Jorie Graham

Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Forward Prize
Environmental Advocate
Poems: Place • Sea Change

Joy Harjo

US Poet Laureate (2019-20)
NAMMY winning Musician
Essays: Soul Talk, Soul...
FYE Memoir: Crazy Brave

Terrance Hayes

Distinguished Poet
MacArthur "Genius" Award
National Book Award
Visual Artist

Juan Felipe Herrera

US Poet Laureate (2015-17)
Performer & Activist
Children's & YA Books

Brenda Hillman

Acclaimed Poet
Griffin Poetry Prize
Environmental Advocate
Non-Violent Activist

Marie Howe

Acclaimed Poet
NYS Poet Laureate (2014)
Speaker on Faith
Kingdom of Ordinary Time

Major Jackson

Acclaimed Poet
NBCCA Finalist
NAACP Image Finalist
Poems: Roll Deep

Douglas Kearney

Acclaimed Poet
Mixed Media Readings
CLMP Firecracker Award
Race, Culture & Identity

Ted Kooser

Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
United States Poet Laureate (2004-2006)
Essays & Childrens Books

Deborah Landau

Acclaimed Poet
Anhinga Poetry Prize
The Uses of the Body
The Last Usable Hour

Li-Young Lee

Chinese American Poet
Poetry of Resilience
Poems: Behind My Eyes
Themes: Faith & Exile

Nikola Madzirov

Award-winning Poet
Macedonian Poetry Prize
Remnants of Another Age
Themes: Exile & Refugees

Taylor Mali

Performance Poet
Education Advocate
What Teachers Make
Bouquet of Red Flags

Dawn Lundy Martin

Poet, Critic, Essayist
Video Artist & Performer
Kingsley Tufts Award
LAMBDA Literary Award

Heather McHugh

Distinguished Poet & Critic
MacArthur "Genius" Award
Griffin Prize: Translation
Founder of CareGifted

Erika Meitner

Poet & Essayist
Social Critic
Jewish Book Award
Motherhood, Race, Identity

Dunya Mikhail

Iraqi Poet & Memoirist
Arab American Book Award
Sumerian Writing
The War Works Hard

Rajiv Mohabir

Indo-Carribbean Author
Award-winning Poet
Essayist & Translator
LGBTQ Issues

Honor Moore

Memoirst, Biographer, Poet
Memoir: Bishop's Daughter
Biography: White Blackbird
Poetry: Red Shoes

Valzhyna Mort

Acclaimed Belarusian Poet
Translator of Slavic
Collected Body
Factory of Tears

Sir Andrew Motion

UK Poet Laureate (1999-09)
Dylan Thomas Prize Winner
Biographer and Novelist
Autobiographical Prose

Eileen Myles

Acclaimed Poet and Novelist
Art Journalist and Essayist
Lambda Pioneer Award
LGBTQ Activist

Marilyn Nelson

Poet-as-Historian
Frost Poetry Prize
YA: American Ace
Children: Snook Alone

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Asian-American Poet
Poetry & Nature
Poems: Lucky Fish

Meghan O’Rourke

Award-winning Memoirist
Acclaimed Poet
Essay & Criticism
Issues of Grief & Healing

Gregory Orr

Poet, Memoirist, Essayist
Poetry and Survival
How Beautiful the Beloved
Memoir: The Blessing

Ladan Osman

Somali-born Poet
Essays on Race
Issues of Immigration
Gender & Displacement

Alicia Ostriker

Distinguished Poet
Jewish Book Award
Poetry & Spirituality
Poetry & Politics

Molly Peacock

Poet & Performance Poet
Memoir, Biography, Essay
Childless by Choice
Creativity in Later Years

Patrick Phillips

Poet & Nonfiction Writer
Nat'l Book Award Finalist
Award-winning Translator
FYE: Blood at the Root

Rowan Ricardo Phillips

Award-winning Poet
Literary & Visual Art Critic
Translator from Catalan

Katha Pollitt

Poet, Essayist, Writer
NBCC Award for Poetry
Columnist for The Nation
PRO: Abortion Rights

Claudia Rankine

Poet & Playwright
NYT Nonfiction Bestseller
NBCCA & Forward Prize
FYE: Citizen

Alberto Ríos

Mexican-American Writer
Nat'l Book Award Finalist
Poet Laureate of Arizona
Culture & Identity

Robin Robertson

Acclaimed Scots Poet
Forward Prize Winner
Translator of Transtromer
New Version: Medea

Sarah Ruhl

Award-winning Playwright
Essayist, Critic, Poet
MacArthur “Genius” Award
Tony Award Nominee

Sapphire

Bestselling Novelist
Performance Poet
Social Justice Activist
FYE: Push | Film: Precious

Tim Seibles

Acclaimed Poet
Nat'l Book Award Finalist
Race Relations
Virginia Poet Laureate

Vijay Seshadri

Indian-born Poet
Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Poems: 3 Sections
Essayist & Reviewer

Solmaz Sharif

Iranian Poet & Essayist
NBA Finalist
Issues of Immigration
Issues of War & Peace

Emily Skillings

Acclaimed Poet & Teacher
Feminist Intertextualities
Nature & the Environment
Poetry: Fort Not

Maggie Smith

Award-winning Poet
Good Bones (viral poem)
Poetry & Nature
Faith, Spirituality, Healing

Tracy K. Smith

US Poet Laureate (2017-19)
Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Memoir: Ordinary Light
Nat'l Book Award Finalist

Brian Turner

Acclaimed Soldier-Poet
Memoirist & Essayist
FYE: My Life As a Foreign...
FYE: Here, Bullet

Crystal Valentine

Poet, Educator & Activist
Nat’l Poetry Slam Finalist
Queer Intersectionality
NYC Youth Poet Laureate

Mai Der Vang

Acclaimed Hmong Poet
W. Whitman Award-winner
Themes: Exile & Refugees
Poems: Afterland

Jenny Xie

Chinese American Poet
W. Whitman Poetry Award
Immigration & Dislocation
Poems: Eye Level

Adam Zagajewski

Acclaimed Polish Poet
Griffin Lifetime Recognition
Essayist & Memoirist
Two Cities: Exile, History...

Javier Zamora

Salvadoran Poet
The Migrant Experience
Themes: Exile & Refugees
Poems: Unaccompanied