Tree Swenson

Tree Swenson (born 1951) is an American book publisher and literary executive. Throughout her life, she has been deeply involved with poetry, independent publishing, and American literary foundations.

Life
Swenson was born Holly Swenson in Utah, and grew up in Montana.

As a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the late 1960s, she began using the nickname "Tree" and became involved in the West Coast poetry scene. She met poet Sam Hamill at UCSB.

In 1972, Swenson and Hamill founded Copper Canyon Press, an independent press based in Port Townsend, Washington, that is dedicated to publishing poetry. Swenson was the publisher and executive director of Copper Canyon Press for 20 years and helped publish the work of hundreds of poets, including Nobel Prize winners Pablo Neruda and Vicente Aleixandre, and Pulitzer Prize winner W.S. Merwin

In 1992, Swenson left Copper Canyon Press, moved to Boston, and became director of programs for the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Swenson became executive director of the Academy of American Poets in April 2002 and led this non-profit organization for 10 years. She is currently the executive director at Richard Hugo House, a writing non-profit in Seattle named for esteemed poet Richard Hugo.