Ilya Kaminsky

Ilya Kaminsky (1977-present) is a Ukranian born Russian Jewish hard of hearing poet. His family sought asylum in the United States when he was 16 and he earned his BA from Georgetown and his JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and currently teaches in the graduate creative writing program at San Diego State University. He began writing poetry as a teenager, publishing a chapbook in Russian The Blessed City. Kaminsky is the recipient of multiple awards and honors including the Ruth Lilly Fellowship and Lannan Literary Fellowship.