American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 45 (2024) Winner
Parneshia Jones
パーネシア・ジョーンズ
Parneshia Jones
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- null （Evanston, Illinois, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Evanston, Illinois → Chicago, Illinois
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Publisher, Editor
- Active Years
- 2003-
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University Press, Cave Canem Foundation (served as board president), ShoreFront Legacy Center (advisory board)
- Memberships
- Cave Canem Foundation
- Influenced By
- Haki R. Madhubuti, Gwendolyn Brooks, Donda West, Kelly Norman Ellis, B. J. Bolden
- Influenced
- Authors she acquired/edited at Northwestern University Press (e.g., Nikky Finney, Vievee Francis)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago State University | — | Creative Writing | B.A. | — | United States |
| Spalding University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
Chicago State University
Creative Writing
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
Studied under notable Black writers and scholars.
Spalding University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Master of Fine Arts (MFA).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Midwest Book Award | Vessel | — | Midwest independent award organizations | 受賞 |
| — | Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| — | Margaret Walker Short Story Award | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| — | Aquarius Press Legacy Award | — | — | Aquarius Press | 受賞 |
Midwest Book Award
Work:
Vessel
Organization:
Midwest independent award organizations
Result:
受賞
Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award
Result:
受賞
Margaret Walker Short Story Award
Result:
受賞
Aquarius Press Legacy Award
Organization:
Aquarius Press
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Vessel
2015 PoetryA collection of poems tracing intersections of Midwestern and Southern histories, family memories, love of place and food, and the experience of being a Black woman; includes reflections that the author's name relates to Mount Parnassus.
family memoryplace and homefoodBlack womanhood
Bibliography
- Vessel (poetry collection, Milkweed Editions, 2015)
- Contributor to anthologies: The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South (2007)
- Contributor to Poetry Speaks Who I Am (2010)
- Contributor to She Walks in Beauty (ed. Caroline Kennedy, 2011)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical, personal excavation of memoryTopographical perspective intersecting Midwestern and Southern experiences
- Recurring Motifs
- home and tableland and seasonsBlack women's body and memory
Legacy
In addition to her work as a poet, she has been influential as director of a university press in promoting poetry and diversity. Noted as the second Black woman to lead a U.S. university press, she has helped expand opportunities for contemporary poets and writers of color.
Academic Societies
- Cave Canem Foundation (associated organization)
Archives
- Yale LUX collection (related materials)
- Library of Congress (authority records)
Trivia
- Wrote her first poem about her brother in sixth grade and discovered a passion for poetry.
- Named director of Northwestern University Press; recognized as the second Black woman to hold a leadership role at a U.S. university press.
- Grew up frequently visiting her neighborhood library.