National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Tyehimba Jess
たいひんば・じぇす
Tyehimba Jess
Aliases:
Jesse S. Goodwin
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- null （Detroit, Michigan, United States）
- Died
- null
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Detroit, Michigan → Chicago, Illinois → Staten Island, New York City
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Teacher, Professor
- Active Years
- 1992-
- Affiliations
- Associate Professor of English, College of Staten Island (CUNY), Faculty member, The Watering Hole Organization, Faculty adviser for Caesura (College of Staten Island literary magazine)
- Influenced By
- Sterling D. Plumpp, Poets and traditions of the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement
- Nominations
- Kate Tufts Discovery Award (Finalist) — Olio
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | — | Public Policy (major) | BA | 1984–1987, 1989–1991（中退・復学あり） | United States |
| New York University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | 2002–2004 | United States |
University of Chicago
Public Policy (major)
Degree:
BA
Period:
1984–1987, 1989–1991（中退・復学あり）
Year of Graduation:
1991
Country:
United States
Dropped out temporarily, returned and completed a BA in Public Policy in 1991.
New York University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
2002–2004
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
United States
Completed an MFA in creative writing (poetry).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Olio | — | The Pulitzer Prizes | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award | Olio | — | Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards | 受賞 |
| 2006 | Whiting Award | — | — | The Whiting Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2004 | National Poetry Series | leadbelly | — | National Poetry Series | 選出/入選 |
| 2004 | NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 助成 |
| 2001 | Chicago Sun-Times Poetry Award | — | — | Chicago Sun-Times | 受賞 |
| 2001 | Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Awards | — | — | Unknown | 受賞 |
| 2001 | Ragdale Fellow | — | — | Ragdale | フェロー |
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
2017
Work:
Olio
Organization:
The Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2017
Work:
Olio
Organization:
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result:
受賞
Whiting Award
2006
Organization:
The Whiting Foundation
Result:
受賞
National Poetry Series
2004
Work:
leadbelly
Organization:
National Poetry Series
Result:
選出/入選
NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant
2004
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
助成
Chicago Sun-Times Poetry Award
2001
Organization:
Chicago Sun-Times
Result:
受賞
Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Awards
2001
Organization:
Unknown
Result:
受賞
Ragdale Fellow
2001
Organization:
Ragdale
Result:
フェロー
Awards & Nominations
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2006) Winner
Lannan Literary Awards
5 appearances
-
Edition 50 (2016) Winner
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 82 (2017) Winner
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 99 (2017) Winner
Works
Major Works
Olio
2016 Poetry (performance poetry / historical poetry)A book-length performance poem that interweaves sonnet, song, and narrative to examine the lives of largely unrecorded African-American performers from the 19th and early 20th centuries, blending fact and fiction to recover marginalized voices.
African-American historyMusic and performanceMemory and reconstruction
leadbelly
2005 PoetryJess's first poetry collection, featuring poems that use musical motifs and historical reference to articulate African-American voices.
MusicLabor and historyIndividual and community
African American Pride: Celebrating Our Achievements, Contributions, and Enduring Legacy
2003 Non-fictionA non-fiction work celebrating achievements, contributions, and legacy of African Americans.
Cultural historyRecognition and commemoration
Bibliography
- leadbelly (2005)
- African American Pride: Celebrating Our Achievements, Contributions, and Enduring Legacy (2003)
- Olio (2016)
- Contributions to magazines and anthologies (e.g., Ploughshares, Poetry Foundation, Obsidian)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Oral/performance-rooted rhythmic dictionPolyvocal, collage-like constructionPoetic compilation and reworking of historical materials
- Recurring Motifs
- Music (jazz, blues, gospel)Performers and the stageMemory and loss
Legacy
Tyehimba Jess reconstructs African-American musical and performance traditions in his poetry; he gained wide recognition with Olio and was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, establishing him as a major contemporary poetic voice.
In Popular Culture
- Olio is frequently cited in poetry circles and has been the subject of academic discussion and readings.
Quotes
-
In Olio, musical knowledge is channeled back to its source—through poem, song, collage, and art object. Jess's concentration is polyvocal and encyclopedic, mirroring the diversity of early gospel singers, jazz pioneers, blues artists, and vaudeville performers he portrays.
Source: Literary Hub (review/introduction) (2016) -
Jess, though an author who has a voice that cannot be mistaken, acts more as a gentle tour guide through a period of black artistry that is often represented differently than it is here.
Source: The Rumpus (review) (2016)
Trivia
- Born as Jesse S. Goodwin; later adopted the name Tyehimba Jess for his literary career.
- His mother was a teacher and nurse who founded a nursing school at Wayne County Community College.
- His father worked for Detroit's Department of Health and later served as a vice president of the local NAACP chapter.
- Started writing poetry at 16 and won second prize in an NAACP academic competition at 18.
- Official website: www.tyehimbajess.net