Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander has been awarded the first Jackson Prize for Poetry from Poets & Writers, Inc. 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. Professor Alexander was selected by three esteemed 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 will remain anonymous.

Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher. She is the author of four books of poems, American Sublime (Graywolf Press, 2005), which was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize; The Venus Hottentot (Graywolf Press, reissued 2004); Antebellum Dream Book (Graywolf Press, 2001); and Body of Life (Tia Chucha, 1997). She is also a scholar of African-American literature and culture and recently published a collection of essays, The Black Interior (Graywolf Press, 2003). She has read her work across the U.S. 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. For more imforamtion visit Poets & Writers.