By Jamie Saxon
Patricia Smith, professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts, and Ilya Kaminsky, professor of creative writing, have been named Academy of American Poets Chancellors. Chancellors serve six-year terms during which they consult with the organization on artistic matters, judge the organization’s largest legacy prizes for American poets, and act as ambassadors of poetry in the world at large. Kaminsky, raised in Odessa, Ukraine, is author of numerous poems that have been translated into over 20 languages. Smith is the author of eight books of poetry. She joined the Princeton faculty in 2023 after holding a visiting professorship. Previously, she was a distinguished professor at the City University.