Martin Pousson (born April 13, 1966) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Early life and education

He was born and raised in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, in the

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

bayou land of Acadiana. He received a B.A. from Loyola University New Orleans in 1987 and an M.F.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1999. Some of his favorite writers include James Baldwin,

Carson McCullers Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, '' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits ...

, and

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

, as well as

John Rechy John Francisco Rechy (born March 10, 1931) is a Mexican-American novelist and essayist. In his novels, he has written extensively about gay culture in Los Angeles and wider America, among other subject matter, and is among the pioneers of moder ...

Career

His first novel, ''No Place, Louisiana'' (2002), was published by Riverhead Books, and it tells the story of a

family, a troubled marriage, and an American dream gone wrong set in

's bayou country. The novel was praised by Pulitzer Prize-winner

Michael Cunningham Michael Cunningham (born November 6, 1952) is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his 1998 novel '' The Hours'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. Cunningham is a senior lectur ...

and was acclaimed in reviews by '' The Advocate'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', '' New York Daily News'', ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. ''No Place, Louisiana'' was a finalist for the John Gardner Fiction Book Award. His first collection of poetry, ''Sugar'' (2005), was published by Suspect Thoughts Press, and it centers on the lives of outsiders, especially

s and queers. Some of the poems deal with

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

and the AIDS epidemic. The collection was praised by Alfred Corn and

Jake Shears Jake Shears (born October 3, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the male lead singer of pop-rock band Scissor Sisters. Early life Shears was born in Mesa, Arizona, the son of an entrepreneur father and a Baptist moth ...

, and it was named a finalist for the

Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature. ...

in 2006. He says that this collection would not have ever been published if it were not for a friend's saved copy of the manuscript. In 2005, he was named one of the Leading Men of the Year by ''Instinct'' magazine, alongside

and

Keith Boykin Keith Boykin is an American TV and film producer, national political commentator, author, and former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. He has made much of this public in his 2022 memoir, ''Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of ...

. In 2014, he won a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Fellowship in Creative Writing. His second novel, ''Black Sheep Boy'' (2017), was published by Rare Bird Books. A

PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of litera ...

/PEN Center USA limited edition was published in paperback by Rare Bird Books in 2018. ''Black Sheep Boy'' tells the story of Boo, a queer mixed-race boy, the son of a Creole mother and a

father, set in the bayous of

. The

coming-of-age novel In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is imp ...

is told in thirteen stories, ranging from horror to

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and magic realism. Boo faces homophobia and other traumas at home, in school, and also in

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

bars. Some of the stories involve Boo with

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

s and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

activists. Other stories involve Boo with

werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

skinwalker In Navajo culture, a skin-walker ( nv, yee naaldlooshii) is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. Background In the Navajo language, ' transla ...

s, and voodoo traiteurs. A selection of the stories won a

Fellowship. ''Black Sheep Boy'' was praised by the ''

'',

The Millions ''The Millions'' is an online literary magazine created by C. Max Magee in 2003. It contains articles about literary topics and book reviews. ''The Millions'' has several regular contributors as well as frequent guest appearances by literary no ...

, and

Lambda Literary The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

, as well as by the writers

Justin Torres Justin Torres (born 1980) is an American novelist and an Assistant Professor of English at University of California, Los Angeles. He won the First Novelist Award for his semi-autobiographical novel ''We the Animals'' which was also a Publishing ...

Aimee Bender Aimee Bender (born June 28, 1969) is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her surreal stories and characters. She is a 2011 recipient of the Alex Awards. Biography Born to a Jewish family, Bender received her undergraduate de ...

and Chris Abani. Stories from the novel were anthologized in

Lethe Press Lethe Press is an American book publishing company based in Maple Shade, New Jersey.NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's The Reading Life, as a ''

'' Literary Pick, and as a Book Riot Must-Read Indie Press Book. In 2017, ''Black Sheep Boy'' won the

/PEN Center USA Literary Award for Fiction. In 2018, ''Black Sheep Boy'' was a shortlist finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize / Simpson Family Literary Prize. His stories, poems, and essays have appeared in '' The Advocate'', ''

Antioch Review ''The Antioch Review'' is an American literary magazine established in 1941 at Antioch College in Ohio. The magazine was published on a quarterly basis. One of the oldest continuously published literary magazines in the United States prior to it b ...

'', '' Cimarron Review'', ''

Eclectica Magazine ''Eclectica Magazine'' is one of the oldest surviving online literary publications. History and profile Founded in 1996 by Chris Lott and Tom Dooley, ''Eclectica'' extensive and growing archives contain poetry, fiction, non-fiction, miscellany, t ...

'', ''Epoch'', ''Five Points'', ''Gay City Anthology'' , ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'', ''The Louisiana Review'' , '' New Orleans Review'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's The Reading Life, ''Parnassus'', ''The Rattling Wall'' , ''

The Rumpus ''The Rumpus'' is an online literary magazine launched on January 20, 2009. The site features interviews, book reviews, essays, comics, and critiques of creative culture as well as original fiction and poetry. The site runs two subscription-base ...

'', '' StoryQuarterly'', and ''TriQuarterly''. In 2019, his

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

tribute poem, "Uncivil War," was a Pushcart Prize nominee. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked in San Francisco as an AIDS activist with ACT UP and

Project Open Hand Project Open Hand is a California nonprofit organization that provides medically tailored meals and groceries to elderly and homebound people in San Francisco and Alameda County. Founded in 1985 to deliver meals to people with AIDS, it also took o ...

and as a LGBTQ activist with

Queer Nation Queer Nation is an LGBTQ activist organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, by HIV/AIDS activists from ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of anti-gay violence on the streets and prejudice in the arts and media ...

. In 1993, at Loyola University New Orleans, he founded Out/Here, the first

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

student organization on a Southern Jesuit campus. In 2007 at California State University, Northridge, he was a founding faculty member for one of the earliest Queer Studies Programs in the United States. He also led the drive for the first Pride Center at California State University, Northridge serving as

Faculty Liaison, LGBTQA Faculty Advisor, Queer Ambassadors Faculty Advisor, and Advisor for the 2012 National Queer

People of Color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

Conference. He has taught at

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 ...

, at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and at Loyola University New Orleans. He is currently a Professor of English at California State University, Northridge, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He teaches in the

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

Program and the Queer Studies Program, and some of his most popular courses include Narrative Writing, Advanced Narrative Writing, Theories of Fiction, and

Gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

Male Writers. At California State University, Northridge he won the Outstanding Creative Accomplishment Award, the Jerome Richfield Scholar Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Award.

References

External links

*https://penusa.org/2017-literary-awards-winners *http://wwno.org/post/reading-life-wally-lamb-miriam-davis-and-martin-pousson *http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-lit-pick-martin-pousson-20160526-snap-story.html *http://www.lambdaliterary.org/reviews/05/11/black-sheep-boy-by-martin-pousson/ *http://www.themillions.com/2016/06/breathless-and-unexplainable-dread-on-this-summers-horror-fiction.html *http://therumpus.net/2017/02/the-friends-of-dorothy-have-something-to-say-to-kansas/ *http://ontopdownunderbookreviews.com/category/books-of-the-year/ *https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/tower-power-poem-donald-trump/ *http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/7/07/were-living-lgbt-history-will-we-remember-it *http://www.eclectica.org/v20n3/pousson.html *http://www.neworleansreview.org/father-fox/ *http://www.triquarterly.org/issues/issue-150/most-holy-ghost *http://www.rarebirdbooks.com/black-sheep-boy *http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-nea-announces-2014-creative-writing-fellowships-20131211,0,7864702.story?track=rss#axzz2nE2snVJh *http://becerra.house.gov/latest-news/congressman-xavier-becerra-announces-nea-grants-for-arts-in-34th-district/ *http://csunshinetoday.csun.edu/arts-and-culture/csun-english-professor-martin-pousson-wins-nea-fellowship/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20070930195357/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/no_place_louisiana.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20070927205654/http://www.suspectthoughts.com/pousson.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20070808132918/http://www.suspectthoughts.com/presssugar.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20070629110107/http://www.lambdaliterary.org/archives/finalists_LLF_awards.html *http://english.binghamton.edu/cwpro/BookAwards/GardnerWinners.htm *http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/no_place_louisiana/ *http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/1573222003.asp *https://web.archive.org/web/20070929045942/http://sasfest.org/article.php?story=pousson.martin *https://www.simpsonliteraryproject.org/2018-prize-shortlist {{DEFAULTSORT:Pousson, Martin 1966 births 21st-century American novelists California State University, Northridge faculty American male novelists Novelists from Louisiana Living people American gay writers American LGBT poets American LGBT novelists 21st-century American poets American male poets 21st-century American male writers Columbia University faculty