Ben Lerner

Benjamin S. Lerner is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and critic. He has been a Fulbright Scholar, a finalist for the National Book Award, a Howard Foundation Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, and he is currently a MacArthur Fellow. In 2011 he won the Preis der Stadt Mnster fr internationale Poesie, making him the first American to receive this honor. Lerner is a professor of English at Brooklyn College.

Lerner was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, which figures in each of his books of poetry. He is a 1997 graduate of Topeka High School, where he participated in debate and forensics, winning the 1997 National Forensic League National Tournament in International Extemporaneous Speaking. At Brown University he earned a B.A. in political theory and an MFA in poetry.

Source: Wikipedia