Elizabeth Alexander (born ) is an American poet, writer, and literary scholar who has served as the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation since 2018.
Elizabeth Alexander is a prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author, renowned poet, educator, scholar, and cultural advocate. A nationally recognized thought leader on race, justice, the arts, and American society, she is also president of the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder of the arts and humanities.
Elizabeth Alexander’s careful, precise poetry and her awareness of history, especially African American history, as well as her personal friendship with the Obamas, made her a natural choice as President Obama’s inaugural poet.
Elizabeth Alexander - Elizabeth Alexander was born in 1962 in Harlem, New York, and grew up in Washington, D.C. She currently serves as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
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Elizabeth Alexander is an afro-american poet, writer and playwright. She published her first volume of poetry in 1996, Body of Life and a verse play, Diva Studies, which was staged at Yale University.
Poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher, Elizabeth Alexander is the author of four books of poems, The Venus Hottentot, Body of Life, Antebellum Dream Book, and American Sublime, which was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize.
Elizabeth Alexander —poet, educator, memoirist, scholar, and cultural advocate—is president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder in arts and culture, and humanities in higher education.
Acclaimed poet, author and professor Elizabeth Alexander has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize board. Suggested Reading These Ain’t Your Grandma’s MuuMuus What’s Black at Sundance 2026: Movies, ...