Tyehimba Jess (born 1965 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

) is an American

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 writte ...

. His book '' Olio'' received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Biography

Early life

Tyehimba Jess was born Jesse S. Goodwin. He grew up in Detroit, where his father worked in that city's Department of Health. His father later became the first vice president of Detroit's chapter of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

(NAACP). Jess's mother was a teacher and nurse, who founded a nursing school at

Wayne County Community College Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) is a public community college district with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1967 and has six campuses: Eastern, Downtown, Downriver, Northwest, Western, and University Squar ...

in 1972. According to Jess, he started writing poetry at age 16. Within just a few years, when he was 18, he had won second prize for poetry at an NAACP academic competition. He graduated from high school in 1984. Next, he enrolled at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he intended to be an English major and pursue his poetry writing. However, he soon abandoned this as an option, and dropped out of the university in 1987. During this time, to support himself, Jess worked as an intern at a bank, as a community organizer, and as substitute teacher in the public school system in Chicago. In 1989, he returned to the

, and switched his major to Public Policy. Around the same time, he began to take classes at nearby

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

(UIC) with the poet and scholar Sterling D. Plumpp, who became a mentor, and he realized that his real passion was for poetry. Plumpp's classes focused on literary figures from the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

and the

Black Arts Movement The Black Arts Movement (BAM) was an African American-led art movement that was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Through activism and art, BAM created new cultural institutions and conveyed a message of black pride. The movement expanded from ...

of the 1960s and '70s, which inspired him to start writing again. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1991, with a BA degree in Public Policy. He later pursued a MFA degree at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, which he received in 2004.

Career

As of 2017, Jess teaches poetry and fiction as an associate professor of English at the College of Staten Island of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

. He's a faculty member of

The Watering Hole Organization ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

, and is also the faculty adviser for ''Caesura'', the college's literary arts magazine. Jess's first book of poetry, ''leadbelly'' (Wave Books, 2005), was chosen by

Brigit Pegeen Kelly Brigit Pegeen Kelly (1951 – October 14, 2016) was an American poet and teacher. Born in Palo Alto, California, Kelly grew up in southern Indiana and lived much of her adult life in central Illinois. An intensely private woman, little is known ...

as a winner in the 2004 National Poetry Series competition. ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' and ''

Black Issues Book Review ''Black Issues Book Review'' was a bimonthly magazine published in New York City, U.S., in which books of interest to African-American readers were reviewed. It was published from 1999 until 2007. History and profile ''Black Issues Book Review'' ...

'' both named it one of the "Best Poetry Books of 2005". In April 2016, Jess released his second full-length poetry collection, titled ''Olio.'' This work has been described as "part fact, part fiction….sonnet, song and narrative to examine the lives of mostly unrecorded AfricanAmerican performers…." In his book he writes some poems in reference to

Edmonia Lewis Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907), was an American sculptor, of mixed African-American and Native American ( Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage. Born free in Upstate New York, she worked for most of ...

John William Boone John William "Blind" Boone (May 17, 1864 – October 4, 1927) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime music. Early life Boone was born in a Federal militia camp near Miami, Missouri, May 17, 1864, to a contraband slave, Rachel, who used ...

Henry Box Brown Henry Box Brown (c. 1815 – June 15, 1897) was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to abolitionists in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For a short tim ...

, Paul Laurence Dunbar,

Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American ''a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditiona ...

, Ernest Hogan,

Sissieretta Jones Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (January 5, 1868 or 1869 – June 24, 1933) was an American soprano. She sometimes was called "The Black Patti" in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti. Jones' repertoire included grand opera, light o ...

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...

, Millie and Christine McKoy,

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

Blind Tom Wiggins Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins (May 25, 1849June 14, 1908) was an American pianist and composer. He had numerous original compositions published and had a lengthy and largely successful performing career throughout the United States. During the 19th ...

, Bert Williams and George Walker. Jess's work has appeared in ''Soul Fires: Young Black Men on Love and Violence'', ''Obsidian III: Literature in the African Diaspora'', ''Power Lines: Ten Years of Poetry from Chicago's Guild Complex'', and ''Slam: The Art of Performance Poetry''.

Works

Inspiration

Jess's inspiration for writing stems from his drive to express history through expression and performance.

Poetry

"When I Speak of Blues Be Clear"
''Cave Canem'' * *

''Poetry Foundation''

''Perihelion'' * * '' Olio''. Wave Books. 2016. .

Anthologies

*''Soulfires: Young Black Men in Love and Violence'' (1996). , *''Slam: The Competitive Art of Perform,ance Poetry'' (2000). , *''Dark Matter 2: Reading the Bones'' (2004). ,

Non-fiction

*
"Ancestral Wealth – The Sacred Black Masculine in My Life"
'' Boston Review'', February 5, 2021.

Awards

* 2000: Duncan YMCA Writer's Voice Fellow * Illinois Arts Council Artist Roster * 2000: Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship * 2001: Chicago Sun Times Poetry Award. * 2001: Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Awards * 2001–2002: Ragdale Fellow * 2004: National Poetry Series * 2004: NEA grant * 2006:

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard E ...

* 2007: Lannan residency * 2017: Pulitzer Prize for Poetry * 2017: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award

References

External links

Tyehimba Jess's Wave Books author page"Tyehimba Jess"
''Fishouse''

''The Book of Voices''
"NINE LIVES OF CHICAGO POETRY: TYEHIMBA JESS"
''Chicago Poetry''
Poems by Tyehimba Jess
at ''Nashville Review''
Profile
at The Whiting Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Jess, Tyehimba 1965 births Living people People from Staten Island American male poets New York University alumni University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Yale University faculty University of Chicago alumni Writers from Detroit Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winners 21st-century American poets Poets from Michigan Poets from New York (state) College of Staten Island faculty 21st-century American male writers