Two Yale affiliates are recipients of this year’s National Humanities Medals

Louise Glück, acclaimed poet and the Rosenkranz Writer in Residence at Yale, and award-winning author and biographer Ron Chernow ’70, are among the 12 distinguished recipients of the 2015 National Humanities Medals.

President Barack Obama will award the medals in conjunction with the National Medal of Arts during a White House ceremony on Sept. 22.

The citations for the Yale honorees follow:

Louise Glück

“for giving lyrical expression to our inner conflicts. Glück’s use of verse connects us to the myths of the ancients, the magic of the natural world, and the essence of who we are.” She is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Wild Iris,” published in 1992. Glück was the 2001 winner of Yale’s Bollingen Prize in Poetry for her 1999 book, “Vita Nova,” and was named the 12th U.S. poet laureate in 2003. She has been honored with fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, and from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2008, she was awarded the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets.

Ron Chernow

“for bringing our nation’s story to life. Through his examination of America’s successful giants and titans, Chernow also invites his readers to discover their failures and foibles, uncovering enduring lessons that inform our modern era.” Chernow has written bestselling and award-winning biographies of historical figures from the world of business, finance, and American politics, including John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Hamilton. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2011 for his book “Washington: A Life.”

Created as an independent federal agency in 1965, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awards grants that support research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. Since 1996, when the first National Humanities Medal was awarded, 175 individuals have been honored, inclusive of this year’s recipients. Thirteen organizations have also received medals.

The NEH manages the nomination process on behalf of the White House. Each year, the NEH invites medalist nominations from individuals and organizations across the country. The National Council on the Humanities, NEH’s presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed advisory body, reviews the nominations and provides recommendations to the President, who selects the recipients.