Yusef Komunyakaa (1947- ) is an eminent American poet. He was born in the small town of Bogalusa, Louisiana and currently teaches at Princeton University.

Komunyakaa is a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. His books include Dedications and Other Darkhorses (1977), Lost in the Bone-Wheel Factory (1979), Copacetic (1984), I Apologize for the Eyes in My Head (1986), Dien Cai Dau (1988), Magic City (1992), Neon Vernacular (1993), Talking Dirty to the Gods (1999), and Pleasure Dome (2002). His subject matter ranges from the African-American experience through rural Southern life before civil rights and his experience as a soldier during the Vietnam War.