Elizabeth Alexander (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Alexander
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| Born | May 30, 1962 Harlem, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Boston University (MA) University of Pennsylvania (PhD) |
| Spouse | Ficre Ghebreyesus (deceased 2012) |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Relatives | Clifford Alexander Jr. (father) Mark C. Alexander (brother) Arthur C. Logan (grandfather) Myra Adele Logan (greataunt) |
Elizabeth Alexander is a famous American poet, writer, and expert in literature. She was born on May 30, 1962. Since 2018, she has been the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This foundation supports arts, humanities, and education.
Before this, Alexander taught for 15 years at Yale University. There, she taught poetry and led the African American studies department. In 2015, she became a director at the Ford Foundation. This role focused on creativity and free expression. In 2016, she joined Columbia University as a special professor. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
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Growing Up and Learning
Elizabeth Alexander was born in Harlem, New York City. She grew up in Washington, D.C.. Her father, Clifford Alexander Jr., was a former United States Secretary of the Army. Her mother, Adele Logan Alexander, was a professor and writer. Elizabeth's brother, Mark C. Alexander, worked as a senior advisor for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
When she was a toddler, her parents took her to the March on Washington in August 1963. This was where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Alexander remembers that "Politics was in the drinking water at my house." She also took ballet classes when she was young.
School and College Years
Alexander finished high school at Sidwell Friends School in 1980. She then went to Yale University and earned her bachelor's degree in 1984. She studied poetry at Boston University with the famous poet Derek Walcott. She received her master's degree in 1987. Her mother encouraged her to study with Walcott.
Alexander first planned to study fiction writing. But Walcott saw her poetry potential in her diary. She said he helped her see how to turn words into poetry. In 1992, she earned her PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania. While finishing her degree, she taught at Haverford College. During this time, she published her first book, The Venus Hottentot. The title refers to Saartjie Baartman, a South African woman from the 1800s.
Teaching and Writing Career
Before becoming a professor, Alexander worked as a reporter for The Washington Post from 1984 to 1985. She soon realized that this was not the career she wanted.
Early Teaching Roles
In 1991, she started teaching English at the University of Chicago. There, she met Barack Obama, who was a lecturer at the law school. In 1992, she received a special writing award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1996, she published a poetry book called Body of Life. She also wrote a play called Diva Studies, which was performed at Yale University. She helped start the Cave Canem workshop. This workshop helps African-American poets develop their skills. In 1997, she won an award for excellent teaching at the University of Chicago. Later that year, she moved to Massachusetts to teach at Smith College. She became the first director of the college's Poetry Center.
Return to Yale and Other Achievements
In 2000, Alexander returned to Yale University. She taught African American studies and English. She also released her third poetry collection, Antebellum Dream Book. In 2007, she received the Jackson Poetry Prize. This award honors talented American poets who deserve more recognition.
Since 2008, Alexander has led the African American Studies department at Yale. She teaches English literature, African-American literature, and gender studies. In 2015, she was chosen as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. In 2016, she became a special professor at Columbia University. Yale University gave her an honorary degree in 2018. She was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019. In 2020, she joined the American Philosophical Society.
Notable Works and Events
Elizabeth Alexander's poems, short stories, and essays have appeared in many well-known magazines. These include The Paris Review and The Washington Post. Her play Diva Studies earned her a writing fellowship and an award.
Her 2005 poetry book, American Sublime, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Alexander is also an expert on African-American literature and culture. She published a collection of essays called The Black Interior. In 2010, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry.
Reading at the Presidential Inauguration
On January 20, 2009, Elizabeth Alexander read her poem "Praise Song for the Day" at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. She wrote this poem especially for the event. She was only the fourth poet to read at an American presidential inauguration. The others were Robert Frost in 1961, Maya Angelou in 1993, and Miller Williams in 1997.
Many poets praised her selection. They called her "smart" and "true to her roots." The Poetry Foundation also said her choice showed poetry's important place in the country.
Some critics felt her poem was too much like regular writing. They also thought her delivery was not dramatic enough. Adam Kirsch from The New Republic found the poem "dull."
Alexander wrote about her experience at the inauguration in The New Yorker in 2017. She brought her father, who had attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, to sit with her.
Personal Life
Elizabeth Alexander's mother is part of the Logan family, a well-known African-American family. Her grandfather was Dr. Arthur C. Logan, and her great-aunt was Dr. Myra Adele Logan.
Alexander was married to Ficre Ghebreyesus until he passed away in April 2012. She lives with their two sons in New York City. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In 2010, Alexander took part in Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s PBS show Faces of America. This show explored her family history and DNA.
