Philip Levine (1928-2015) was one of the leading poets of his generation, known for his original style and voice. He served on the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets from 2000 to 2006, and was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States from 2011-2012.
He was the author of more than twenty collections of poetry. His many awards included the National Book Critics Circle Award (1979), the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (1987), two National Book Awards for Poetry (1980, 1991), the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1995), and the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets (2013).
Levine was raised in Detroit and taught for more than thirty years in the English department of California State University, Fresno.