Ada Limón
Ada Limón (born March 28, 1976) is an American poet.[1] On July 12, 2022, she was named the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States by the Librarian of Congress.[2][3][4] This made her the first Latina to be Poet Laureate of the United States.[5] She is married to Lucas Marquardt.[6]
Ada Limón
Early years and education[edit]
Limón, who is of Mexican-American descent, grew up in Sonoma, California. She is the daughter of Ken Limón and Stacia Brady, the latter being the cover artist for her daughter's books. Ada says she developed a love for poetry in high school, despite dedicating her extracurriculars to theatrical productions.[7] She attended the drama school at the University of Washington, where she studied theatre. After taking writing courses from professors including Colleen J. McElroy, she went on to receive her MFA from New York University in 2001,[8] where she studied with Sharon Olds, Philip Levine, Marie Howe, Mark Doty, Agha Shahid Ali, and Tom Sleigh.
Upon graduation, Limón received a fellowship to live and write at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In 2003, she received a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and in the same year won the Chicago Literary Award for Poetry.
To support her writing career, Limón began working in marketing for Condé Nast. She quit this job following her stepmother’s untimely death, which was a catalyst for Limón to decide to pursue her writing career before it was too late.[7]