Stephen Kuusisto

Stephen Kuusisto was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1955. He received a BA from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and an MFA from the University of Iowa.

Kuusisto is the author of three poetry collections: Close Escapes (Copper Canyon Press, 2025); Letters to Borges (Copper Canyon Press, 2013); and Only Bread, Only Light (Copper Canyon Press, 2000). He is also the author of several works of nonfiction, including Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey (Simon & Schuster, 2018).

Kuusisto, who was born legally blind, is a disability rights activist and has served as a cultural diplomat for the U.S. State Department. A Guggenheim Fellow, he teaches at Syracuse University in New York.