Renowned Poet, Scholar & Cultural Leader; President of Mellon Foundation; Obama Inaugural Poet; Pulitzer Prize Finalist

New York, NY, USA
Live Event: $20,000 - $30,000 Virtual Event: Please Contact More Fee Info

Elizabeth Alexander Biography

Elizabeth Alexander is an American poet, scholar, essayist, and cultural leader whose work has contributed significantly to contemporary African American literature. Known for her precise poetry and deep engagement with history, particularly African American history, Alexander was selected as President Barack Obama's inaugural poet. She became the fourth poet invited to read at a presidential inauguration, presenting her poem, "Praise Song for the Day," to a global audience. Following in the tradition of Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Miller Williams, Alexander's poem drew on traditional African praise songs and focused on the experiences of ordinary Americans, exploring the details, languages, and encounters that shape their lives.

Alexander's literary career encompasses poetry, memoir, and cultural criticism. Her poetry collections include "Crave Radiance: New and Selected Poems 1990–2010," "American Sublime"—a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize—"Antebellum Dream Book," "Body of Life," and "The Venus Hottentot." Her memoir, "The Light of the World," was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography. In "The Trayvon Generation," Alexander examines the role of art and culture in illuminating America's ongoing challenges with race and the experiences of young Black Americans.

In academia, Alexander served as the inaugural Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University and as Chair of the African American Studies Department at Yale. She has taught at Haverford College, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and Smith College, where she was Grace Hazard Conkling Poet-in-Residence and the first director of the Poetry Center. Alexander is a founding member of Cave Canem, an organization dedicated to supporting African American poets.

Alexander's honors include grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Anisfield-Wolf Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry, and the inaugural Jackson Poetry Prize. She has received the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal from Harvard University and has been recognized as Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Alexander is a recognized thought leader on race, justice, the arts, and American society. As president of the Mellon Foundation, she leads the nation's largest funder of the arts and humanities, supporting educational institutions and cultural organizations. During her tenure at the Ford Foundation, Alexander co-designed the Art for Justice Fund, an initiative using art and advocacy to address mass incarceration. She serves on the boards of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Pulitzer Prize, and is Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of American Poets.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/17/2026.

Elizabeth Alexander Videos

Elizabeth Alexander

Elizabeth Alexander

Elizabeth Alexander is a luminary: a poet who has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a scholar, a tireless leader in the field of racial...

The privilege of perspective ft. Elizabeth Alexander

The privilege of perspective ft. Elizabeth Alexander

Elizabeth Alexander, poet, cultural advocate, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, on art, activism, and acknowledging adversity. “In...

Creative process: Are you in a period of ‘woodshedding’?

Creative process: Are you in a period of ‘woodshedding’?

Creative types can feel an overwhelming sense of pressure to be prolific, especially in times like these when, in theory, free time is abundant....

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Elizabeth Alexander is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Elizabeth Alexander for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Elizabeth Alexander generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Anna Deavere Smith, John Legend, Tiffany Shlain, Sheena Iyengar and Ray Kurzweil. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Elizabeth Alexander for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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