W.S. Di Piero is a poet, essayist, art critic, and translator. He has taught at Northwestern University, Louisiana State University, and Stanford University, where he is professor emeritus of English and on faculty in the Stegner Poetry Workshop. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2012.  Di Piero is the author of numerous collections of poetry and of essays on literary and visual art.