Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, former Soviet Union in 1977, and arrived in the United States in 1993, when his family was granted asylum by the American government. He is the author of Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press, 2019), Dancing In Odessa (Tupelo Press, 2004). He has also co-edited many anthologies and co-translated a number of poetry collections. He is the recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship, Lannan Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, Whiting Writer's Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Metcalf Award, the Dorset Prize, the Ruth Lilly Fellowship given annually by Poetry magazine. His work appears in such publications as The New Yorker, New Republic, McSweeney's, and The New York Times. He lives in Atlanta.