German-American poet, publisher, and translator who became known for Reluctant Gravities, Blindsight, A Key into the Language of America, and other works. She was the 2008 recipient of the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.
She performed with a touring theatre troupe and played piano and flute in a youth orchestra. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
She was honored in 2006 by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
She married Keith Waldrop. The two went on to co-found Burning Deck Magazine, a prominent literary journal.
She was born in the same year as poet Mary Oliver.
