Elizabeth Smither is a writer, a poet, and a former journalist. She is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including the Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Poetry and the Te Mata Poet Laureateship. Her poetry and short fiction have been widely published in American journals, such as the Antioch Review, the Harvard Review, Ploughshares, and Raven Chronicles. She is the author of more than 25 books, including The Journal Box, A Pattern of Marching, and The Year of Adverbs.