American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 10 (1989) Winner
Askia M. Touré
アスキア・M・トゥーレ
Askia M. Toure
Aliases:
Rolland Snellings
Pen Names:
Askia Muhammad Touré（Used after conversion and in literary/public activities）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1938-10-13 （Raleigh, North Carolina）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Islam Baptized in 1970 （Baptismal Name: Askia Muhammad Touré）
- Residence History
- La Grange, Georgia (childhood) → Dayton, Ohio → New York City (1950s–1960s) → San Francisco, California (teaching period) → Boston, Massachusetts (residence and work)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Essayist, Editor, Academic/Professor
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- Journal of Black Poetry (editor), Black Dialogue (editor), Black Star (editor), Afro World (founding/organizing), San Francisco State University (faculty)
- Influenced By
- W.E.B. Du Bois, William Butler Yeats, Pablo Neruda, Langston Hughes
- Influenced
- Larry Neal (collaborator / movement formation), Amiri Baraka (influence within Black Arts Movement), Later Black Arts Movement writers and younger African American poets
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt High School (Dayton) | — | — | — | 1952–1956 | United States |
| Art Students League of New York | — | Visual Arts | — | 1960–1962 | United States |
Roosevelt High School (Dayton)
Period:
1952–1956
Year of Graduation:
1956
Country:
United States
High school graduation
Art Students League of New York
Visual Arts
Period:
1960–1962
Year of Graduation:
1962
Country:
United States
Studied illustration/visual arts; helped catalyze poetic development.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Modern Poetry Association Award | — | — | Modern Poetry Association | 受賞 |
| 1969 | Columbia University Creative Writing Grant | — | — | Columbia University | 受賞（助成） |
| 1989 | American Book Award | — | — | American Book Award organization | 受賞 |
| 1996 | Gwendolyn Brooks Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | Gwendolyn Brooks Institute | 受賞（生涯業績） |
| 2000 | Stephen E. Henderson Poetry Award | Dawnsong | — | Awarding organization | 受賞 |
Modern Poetry Association Award
1952
Organization:
Modern Poetry Association
Result:
受賞
Columbia University Creative Writing Grant
1969
Organization:
Columbia University
Result:
受賞（助成）
American Book Award
1989
Organization:
American Book Award organization
Result:
受賞
Gwendolyn Brooks Lifetime Achievement Award
1996
Organization:
Gwendolyn Brooks Institute
Result:
受賞（生涯業績）
Stephen E. Henderson Poetry Award
2000
Work:
Dawnsong
Organization:
Awarding organization
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
African Affirmations: Songs for Patriots: New Poems, 1994 to 2004
2007 PoetryCollection of poems from 1994 to 2004 focusing on African pride, resistance, and memory.
African heritageResistanceMemory
Dawnsong!: The Epic Memory of Askia Touré
1999 Poetry / Epic memoryPoetic weaving of personal and historical memory addressing black awakening and the evolution of a black aesthetic.
Black aestheticMemorySelf-definition
From the Pyramids to the Projects: Poems of Genocide & Resistance!
1990 Poetry / Political poetryPoems addressing historical and contemporary oppression, linking African history and urban life.
GenocideResistanceAfrica and the diaspora
Juju: Magic Songs for the Black Nation
1972 Poetry / Political poetryA collection described as 'magic songs' for the Black nation, using symbolic and ritualized language.
RitualBlack communitySymbolism
Songhai
1972 PoetryTitle references the Songhai Empire; poems refer to African history and cultural roots.
HistoryRootsEthnic consciousness
Bibliography
- African Affirmations: Songs for Patriots: New Poems, 1994 to 2004
- Dawnsong!: The Epic Memory of Askia Touré
- From the Pyramids to the Projects: Poems of Genocide & Resistance!
- Juju: Magic Songs for the Black Nation
- Songhai
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Politically charged, militant poetic voiceIncorporation of jazz rhythms and colloquial cadencesSymbolic and ritualistic language use
- Recurring Motifs
- African heritageResistance and liberationCollective memorySelf-definition and pride
Legacy
Askia Touré is known as a central voice of the Black Arts Movement, significantly shaping black consciousness and cultural self-definition. Through his poetry, editorial work, and teaching he influenced subsequent generations and contributed to the development of an Africa-rooted aesthetic.
Trivia
- Born as Rolland (or Roland) Snellings.
- Served in the United States Air Force from 1956 to 1959.
- Studied visual arts at the Art Students League (1960–1962) before shifting to poetry.
- Helped teach one of the country's first Africana studies programs at San Francisco State University.
- Converted to Islam in 1970 and took the name Askia Muhammad Touré.
- Worked extensively as an editor (e.g., Journal of Black Poetry) and was involved in founding Afro World.
- Participated in a 1961 protest at the United Nations against the assassination of Patrice Lumumba.