Yale Bulletin and Calendar

March 30, 2007|Volume 35, Number 23

Elizabeth Alexander

Elizabeth Alexander wins
inaugural Jackson Poetry Prize

Elizabeth Alexander, professor of African American studies, has won the inaugural Jackson Poetry Prize.

The $50,000 prize honors an American poet of "exceptional" talent who has published at least one book of recognized literary merit but has not yet received major national acclaim. The award is designed to provide "what all poets need: time and the encouragement to write."

Alexander was selected by three judges: the poets Lucille Clifton, Stephen Dunn and Jane Hirshfield. There was no application process. Poets were nominated by a panel of their peers, who remain anonymous.

Alexander is the author of four books of poems, "American Sublime" (2005), which was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, "The Venus Hottentot" (re-issued in 2004), "Antebullum Dream Book" (2001) and "Body of Life" (1997).

She is also an essayist and playwright. Her play "Diva Studies" was produced by the Yale School of Drama in 1996, and she was a dramaturg for Anna Deavere Smith's play "Twilight" in its original production at the Mark Taper Forum.

A graduate of Yale College in 1984, Alexander is a scholar of African-American literature and culture. She recently published a collection of essays, "The Black Interior" (2003). She has read her work across the United States and in Europe, the Caribbean and South America, and her poetry, short stories and critical prose have been published in dozens of periodicals and anthologies.

"Elizabeth Alexander's poetic voice keeps getting fiercer, her vision more expansive, and her art more resonant and meaningful. What a deserving honor for Alexander to receive the first Jackson Poetry Prize in recognition of her continuing dedication and talent. This prize is a sign of support for her future work, which is sure to astonish and delight," says Jeffrey Shotts, poetry editor at Graywolf Press, which published three of Alexander's books of poetry as well as "The Black Interior."

Alexander's honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, two Pushcart Prizes and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among others.

The Jackson Poetry Prize is sponsored by Poets & Writers Inc. The award is named for philanthropist and poet Susan Jackson, whose Liana Foundation donated the prize money, and her husband, John Jackson, a 1967 graduate of Yale College.

Poets & Writers Inc. is the nation's largest non-profit literary organization serving creative writers. Since its founding in 1970, its mission has been to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communications throughout the U.S. literary community and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.

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