Ben Lerner is the author of eight books of poetry and prose as well as several collaborations with visual artists. His most recent book of poetry, The Lights, was published in 2023 by FSG, and his most recent novel, The Topeka School, won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

He has received fellowships from the Fulbright, Guggenheim, and MacArthur Foundations, among other honors, and is a Distinguished Professor of English at Brooklyn College.