Elizabeth Alexander was chosen to read at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. The poem she read for the event was titled "Praise Song for the Day."

Alexander is a poet based at Yale University. She was the fourth poet to read at a presidential inaugural event. Alexander read after Obama took the oath of office.PressDemocrat.com: Inauguration day schedule (January 15, 2009)

All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.The New York Times: Inaugural Poem by Elizabeth Alexander (January 20, 2009)

Elizabeth Alexander has a large body of published work as a poet and is a prominent figure in the scholarly areas of African American Studies and English. She is a professor at Yale in the African American Studies department, and will chair the department effective July 1, 2009. She gives lectures and has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships including the inaugural Alphonse Fletcher, Sr. Fellowship.Yale University: African American Studies: About the FacultyPoetry Foundation: Elizabeth Alexander Profile

• 1990: The Venus Hottentot (poetry)
• 1996: Body of Life (poetry)
• 2001: Antebellum Dream Book (poetry)
• 2004: The Black Interior (essays)
• 2005: American Sublime (poetry)
• 2007: Power and Possibility (essays and interviews)