Naola Beauty Academy, New Orleans, Louisiana 1943

Natasha Trethewey was the U.S. poet laureate from 2012 to 2014. She is the author of five books, including Native Guard (Houghton Mifflin, 2006), which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. She directs the creative writing program at Emory University. (updated 2/2017)