Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2018) Winner
Kiese Laymon
キーシー・レイモン
Kiese Laymon
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1974-08-15 （Jackson, Mississippi）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Jackson, Mississippi → Poughkeepsie, New York — while at Vassar College → Oxford, Mississippi — while at University of Mississippi → Houston, Texas — while at Rice University
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Editor, Professor
- Active Years
- 2000-
- Affiliations
- Vassar College (former associate professor), University of Mississippi (professor, Creative Writing), Rice University (Professor of English and Creative Writing)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin College | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| Indiana University Bloomington | — | — | MFA | — | United States |
| Jackson State University (attended) | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Millsaps College (attended; suspended) | — | — | — | — | United States |
Oberlin College
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Indiana University Bloomington
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Jackson State University (attended)
Country:
United States
Attended for a period; his mother worked there as a political science professor.
Millsaps College (attended; suspended)
Country:
United States
Suspended for a year after taking a library book without checking it out.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur Fellows Program) | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award | Heavy: An American Memoir | ノンフィクション | Barnes & Noble | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Christopher Isherwood Prize (Los Angeles Times Book Prize) | Heavy: An American Memoir | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence | Heavy: An American Memoir | ノンフィクション | American Library Association (ALA) | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Kirkus Prize | Heavy: An American Memoir | ノンフィクション | Kirkus Reviews | 最終候補 |
| 2019 | Chautauqua Prize | Heavy: An American Memoir | — | Chautauqua Institution | 短冊入り |
| 2019 | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award | Heavy: An American Memoir | ノンフィクション | Hurston/Wright Foundation | 最終候補 |
| 2019 | Indies Choice Book Awards (Honors) | Heavy: An American Memoir | 成人ノンフィクション | American Booksellers Association | Honors |
MacArthur Fellowship
2022
Organization:
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur Fellows Program)
Result:
受賞
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award
2018
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Barnes & Noble
Result:
受賞
Christopher Isherwood Prize (Los Angeles Times Book Prize)
2018
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence
2019
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
American Library Association (ALA)
Result:
受賞
Kirkus Prize
2018
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Kirkus Reviews
Result:
最終候補
Chautauqua Prize
2019
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Organization:
Chautauqua Institution
Result:
短冊入り
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
2019
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result:
最終候補
Indies Choice Book Awards (Honors)
2019
Work:
Heavy: An American Memoir
Category:
成人ノンフィクション
Organization:
American Booksellers Association
Result:
Honors
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Long Division
2013 Novel (satirical, time-travel elements)A satirical novel that incorporates time-travel elements to explore race, Southern history, generational rupture, and coming-of-age.
RaceSouthern historyComing-of-ageMemory and time
How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America
2013 Essay collection (autobiographical essays)A collection of autobiographical essays addressing youth in Mississippi, experiences of racism, family relationships, and self-destructive behaviors.
RacismFamilySelf-destructive behaviorEducation
Heavy: An American Memoir
2018 Memoir (nonfiction)A memoir that examines his fraught relationship with his mother, struggles with weight and gambling, and the larger issues of race and embodiment in America.
Family relationshipsBody and foodRaceMasculinity
Bibliography
- Long Division — 2013
- How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America — 2013
- Heavy: An American Memoir — 2018
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Candid, confessional memoiristic proseEssayistic and occasionally lyrical voiceNarrative woven with Southern culture and hip-hop references
- Recurring Motifs
- Family abuse and loveBody (weight) and foodSouthern landscapesMusic (hip hop)
Health
-
Disordered eating (including overeating)青年期〜成人期Became a central theme in his memoir work, influencing both his personal struggles and public discussions.
-
Problems with gambling青年期〜成人期Affected his life and relationships and connected to themes in his memoir.
Legacy
Kiese Laymon has provided an important voice on Southern Black life, family complexity, and embodiment through candid, confessional prose. Heavy earned critical and public recognition, winning and being shortlisted for multiple awards, impacting both academia and general readers.
Quotes
-
'Heavy is at once a paean to the Deep South, a condemnation of our fat-averse culture, and a brilliantly rendered memoir of growing up black, and bookish, and entangled in a family that is as challenging as it is grounding.'
Source: NPR (Martha Anne Toll) (2018)
Trivia
- Suspended for a year at Millsaps College after taking a library book without checking it out.
- Maintains a blog called 'Cold Drank' featuring essays and short fiction.
- Named to The Root 100 in 2013 and 2014.
- Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.