Midwest Poet Series: Ilya Kaminsky

Ilya Kaminsky is the author of the widely acclaimed Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press, 2019), a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry. Poems from Deaf Republic were awarded Poetry magazine’s Levinson Prize and the Pushcart Prize. He is also the author of Dancing In Odessa (Tupelo Press, 2004), and Musica Humana (Chapiteau Press, 2002). He has won the Whiting Writer’s Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Metcalf Award, the Dorset Prize, a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, and Foreword magazine’s Best Poetry Book of the Year award. He is also the 2020 recipient of the National Jewish Book Award.

Kaminsky was born in the former Soviet Union city of Odessa and lost most of his hearing at age 4 after a doctor misdiagnosed mumps as a cold. His family was granted political asylum by the United States in 1993, and settled in Rochester, New York. He teaches at the MFA program at San Diego State University and lives in San Diego with his wife, Katie Farris. The reading is free and open to the public. A reception to meet and mingle with the artist follows. To register visit rockhurst.edu/center-arts-letters.