Eileen Myles, born in 1949, is an American poet and writer with a substantial body of work spanning poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and performance pieces. Myles emerged from the working-class background of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and moved to New York City in 1974 to pursue poetry, becoming involved with the St. Mark's Poetry Project. This community provided a foundation for their artistic development and fostered connections with influential poets. Myles later served as the artistic director of St. Mark's Poetry Project, navigating institutional changes and expanding its cultural scope.

Throughout their career, Myles has been recognized for their distinctive voice and contributions to contemporary literature. They have held teaching positions at various universities and have been a vocal participant in political discourse, notably through a presidential write-in campaign that blended performance art with political commentary. Myles's work often explores themes of identity, politics, and the nature of art, earning them critical acclaim and a dedicated readership. They use they/them pronouns.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Eileen Myles grew up in a working-class family and received a Catholic education before graduating from UMass Boston in 1971. Moving to New York City in 1974 with aspirations of becoming a poet, Myles became involved with the St. Mark's Poetry Project. This environment, which championed the "working artist," provided a crucial community and mentorship from poets like Alice Notley and Ted Berrigan. It was here that Myles first encountered Allen Ginsberg, who would later become a subject in their writing. The experience at St. Mark's offered a model for creating art within a collaborative context, influencing Myles's approach to writing and community engagement.

Eileen Myles's tenure as artistic director of St. Mark's Poetry Project from 1984 to 1986 marked a significant period of institutional evolution. During this time, Myles focused on broadening the project's aesthetic and cultural reach, particularly in response to political shifts and funding challenges. This leadership represented a generational transition for the organization. Myles's engagement with politics extended to a notable "openly female" presidential write-in campaign in the early 1990s, which served as a form of performance art and a radical political statement, offering an alternative vision of progressive politics. This campaign inspired Zoe Leonard's poem "I want a president."

Myles's extensive literary output includes over twenty volumes of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Their early poetry collections, such as "The Irony of the Leash" (1978) and "A Fresh Young Voice From the Plains" (1981), established their presence in the literary scene. "Not Me" (1991) became a popular collection, featuring "An American Poem," a piece that delves into fictionalized identity and political commentary, which has been widely translated and adapted. Myles's work often incorporates personal experience, with their dog Rosie appearing in "School of Fish" (1997), and explorations of landscape and self in "Skies" (2000). Their non-fiction, including "The Importance of Being Iceland: Travel Essays in Art" (2009), blends travelogue with personal reflection and artistic inquiry. Myles's writing is characterized by a willingness to juxtapose the trivial with the sublime, exploring themes of connection, isolation, and the complexities of contemporary life.

“one of the savviest and most restless intellects in contemporary literature.”

“that rare creature, a rock star of poetry.”

“a cult figure to a generation of post-punk female writer-performers”

“to be a poet”

“the working artist”