American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2018) Winner
Tongo Eisen-Martin
トンゴ アイゼン＝マーティン
Tongo Eisen-Martin
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Activist, Educator
- Active Years
- 2000-
- Affiliations
- Black Freighter Press (co-founder), Poet Laureate of San Francisco
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | African-American Studies | — | BA, MA | — | United States |
Columbia University
African-American Studies
Degree:
BA, MA
Country:
United States
Earned both a bachelor's and master's degree; taught at Columbia's Institute for Research in African-American Studies and created the 2012 curriculum "We Charge Genocide Again!"
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | PEN Oakland Award | Heaven Is All Goodbyes | — | PEN Oakland | 受賞 |
| 2018 | American Book Award | Heaven Is All Goodbyes | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2018 | California Book Award | Heaven Is All Goodbyes | — | California Book Awards | 受賞 |
| 2018 | National California Booksellers Association Poetry Book of the Year | Heaven Is All Goodbyes | — | National California Booksellers Association | 受賞 |
PEN Oakland Award
2017
Work:
Heaven Is All Goodbyes
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
受賞
American Book Award
2018
Work:
Heaven Is All Goodbyes
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
California Book Award
2018
Work:
Heaven Is All Goodbyes
Organization:
California Book Awards
Result:
受賞
National California Booksellers Association Poetry Book of the Year
2018
Work:
Heaven Is All Goodbyes
Organization:
National California Booksellers Association
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (2018) Winner
The Donald Windham Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (2025) Winner
Works
Major Works
Someone's Dead Already
2015 PoetryAn early collection of poems addressing urban life, loss, and political anger through short and experimental pieces.
urban lifeangerlossresistance
Heaven Is All Goodbyes
2017 PoetryA poetry collection that explores civic life, violence, grief, and revolutionary perspectives on personal and communal pain. Noted as a major work and recipient of several awards.
politicsgriefcommunityliberation
Waiting Behind Tornados for Food
2020 PoetryA short collection reflecting on the pandemic, urban anxieties, and social divisions.
pandemicanxietysocial critique
Blood on the Fog
2021 PoetryA lyrically charged work set against San Francisco that confronts police violence, racism, and the city's history; received critical acclaim.
police violenceraceurban historyresistance
Bibliography
- Someone's Dead Already (2015)
- Heaven Is All Goodbyes (2017)
- Waiting Behind Tornados for Food (2020)
- Blood on the Fog (2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- revolutionary and political voicecolloquial and direct dictionfragmentary and experimental structures
- Recurring Motifs
- resistanceurban (especially San Francisco) landscapesprisons and detentionblood and farewells
Legacy
Tongo Eisen-Martin is regarded as a revolutionary poet based in San Francisco. Through community teaching and work inside detention centers, he links political poetics with practical activism. With multiple awards, he is considered a significant voice in contemporary American poetry.
Trivia
- Named after Josiah Tongogara.
- Godmother is muralist Miranda Bergman.
- Attended Meadows-Livingstone School as a child.
- Reportedly earned a BA and MA from Columbia University and taught there.
- Has taught in detention centers including San Quentin and Rikers Island.
- Co-founder of Black Freighter Press.
- 2017 collection 'Heaven Is All Goodbyes' won multiple awards (PEN Oakland, American Book Award, etc.).