Tess Taylor

Tess is a nationally known critic. She has spent 10 years as the poetry reviewer for NPR’s All Things Considered, and writes editorials and book reviews for CNN and The New York Times. Taylor’s poems and nonfiction have appeared in The Atlantic, Boston Review, Harvard Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Times Literary Supplement, Travel & Leisure, and other publications. 

Explore Tess’s works, ideas, and expertise through news features, interviews, and podcasts that highlight her voice and perspective

In season two of Getty’s Recording Artists podcast, titled Intimate Addresses, host Tess Taylor dives into the lives of six artists. From personal letters pulled from Getty’s archives, discover more about artists you’ve probably heard of like Frida Kahlo and meet some who might be less familiar like Benjamin Patterson. Listen as they collaborate, fight for justice, ask for money, work through pain, and affirm their resilience. Anna Deavere Smith reads the letters, and contemporary artists and art historians join the conversation. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Tess Taylor, El Cerrito’s Poet Laureate, was honored with a grant from the Academy of American Poets as part of the 2024 Poet Laureate Fellows program.

Through this grant, Tess Taylor mentored students at El Cerrito High School’s new literary magazine, connecting local writers and editors of larger regional literary magazines with El Cerrito High School students, and helping the magazine create an event where all contributors can celebrate.

Explore past events where Tess has spoken, participated, or facilitated.