Lorenzo Thomas (August 31, 1944 – July 4, 2005) was an
American poet
The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I–J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
* George Quasha (born 1942)
R
S
T
U–V
...
and
critic. He was born in the
Republic of Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
and grew up in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, where his family immigrated in 1948. In 1973, Thomas moved to
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. Thomas had a two decade career as a professor at the
University of Houston–Downtown
The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a public university in Houston, Texas. It is part of the University of Houston System and has a campus that spans in Downtown Houston with a satellite location, UHD-Northwest in Harris County. Fo ...
.
Early life
Thomas was born in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
to
Afro-Caribbean parents. His father, a pharmacist, was from
Saint Vincent and his mother, Luzmilda, a community activist, was
Jamaican, born in
Costa Rica.
Her sister Sadie Clemencia Dolphy was the mother of musician Eric Dolphy.
["Eric Dolphy; A Musical Biography", Vladimir Simosko, 1996, Da Capo Press; https://vimeo.com/12369541] As a child in NYC, he attended
Duke Ellington Elementary School (
P.S. 140;)
Edgar D. Shimer Junior High School (
P.S. 142;) and
Andrew Jackson High School.
Thomas was a graduate of
Queens College in New York with a B.A. in English Literature, and minor in History & Communication Arts (Radio and Television.) He pursued graduate work towards an M.L.S. at the
Pratt Institute. During his years in New York, he joined the
Umbra Workshop, and was one of the youngest members. The Umbra Workshop drew young writers to the
Lower East Side of New York City in search of their artistic voices. It served as a crucible for emerging black poets, among them
Ishmael Reed,
David Henderson and
Calvin C. Hernton. The workshop was one of the currents that fed the
Black Arts Movement of the '60s and '70s, the first major African-American artistic movement after the
Harlem Renaissance.
Naval service
From 1968 to 1972 Thomas served in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rate of 2nd Class Petty Office (E-5) Radioman. He served in Vietnam (in-country); attended Navy schools for electronics, radio, and Vietnamese language; had experience as a platoon leader, radio and computer operator, master-at-arms, and supervisor of civilian employees. He was honorably discharged in 1972.
Career
In 1973, Thomas moved to Houston as writer-in-residence at
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...
. At
Texas Southern
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...
, he helped edit the journal ''Roots.'' Beginning in 1984 and for more than two decades as a professor of English at the
University of Houston–Downtown
The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a public university in Houston, Texas. It is part of the University of Houston System and has a campus that spans in Downtown Houston with a satellite location, UHD-Northwest in Harris County. Fo ...
. From 1973 to 1979 he served as Writer in Residence at
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...
,
Florida A & M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...
; the State of Arkansas; and the state of Oklahoma.
Thomas also made important contributions to the study of
African-American literature
African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of slave narratives, African ...
.
In 2000, he published ''Extraordinary Measures: Afrocentric Modernism and 20th-Century American Poetry'', his overview of the work of
James Fenton
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
and
Amiri Baraka, among others.
Death
Thomas died in July 2005 at Texas Medical Center Hospice from
emphysema.
Works and publications
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Early Prizes
*1963 - Dwight L. Durling Prize in Poetry, John Golden Award for Creative Writing
*1966 - Poets Foundation Award
*1973 - Committee on Poetry grant
*1974 - Poets Foundation Award
*1974 - Lucille Medwick Award
*2000 - Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Lorenzo Thomasat Electronic Poetry Center
Lorenzo Thomasat PennSound
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Lorenzo
1944 births
2005 deaths
African-American poets
American male poets
University of Houston–Downtown faculty
20th-century American poets
American Book Award winners
20th-century American male writers
Andrew Jackson High School (Queens) alumni
20th-century African-American writers
21st-century African-American people
African-American male writers