Elisa New (born 1958) is an American academic who is the Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature at Harvard University.

Early life and education

She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Maryland. New's father was an engineer and computer scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and her mother worked as a party planner. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University (1980), as well as a Master of Arts and PhD from Columbia University (1982 and 1988, respectively).

Career

New's academic specialties include American poetry, American literature, religion in literature, and Jewish literature. Before moving to Harvard, she taught at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the creator and host of the television show Poetry in America. In May 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that a nonprofit linked to New had received more than $100,000 from Jeffrey Epstein.

Personal life

She had three daughters with her first husband, Fred David Levine, who died in 2013. Before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, the family resided in Miami, Florida. On December 11, 2005, she married economist Lawrence Summers.

Selected works