Natasha Trethewey elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
‘Natasha Trethewey is among the nation’s foremost contemporary voices in poetry’
U.S. Poet Laureate and Emory University professor Natasha Trethewey was named today by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a 2013 member.
Founded in 1780, the illustrious honorary society and independent policy research organization has long elected “thinkers and doers” including the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Albert Einstein. This year, Trethewey was one of nearly 200 new members and fellows chosen from across a wide range of disciplines.
“Natasha Trethewey is among the nation’s foremost contemporary voices in poetry,” Emory Provost Claire Sterk said in a statement. “She also is a deeply dedicated and gifted teacher, helping scores of Emory students understand the creative process and the meaning of poetry and its relation to our lives and history.”
Last November, CL profiled the nation’s preeminent poetry ambassador as part of a special issue exploring Atlanta’s literary scene. The Decatur resident and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner has worked for Emory University since 2001, now serving at its Creative Writing Program’s director. Her latest poetry collection, Thrall, came out in September 2012.
A full list of the American Academy’s elected fellows and members in 2013 can be found here.