Tyehimba Jess is an acclaimed poet and author best known for his award-winning collections "leadbelly" and "Olio." His debut collection, "leadbelly," won the 2004 National Poetry Series and was named one of the "Best Poetry Books of 2005" by Library Journal and Black Issues Book Review. Jess achieved further distinction with "Olio," which earned the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and the Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Poetry. Praised for its innovative style, the collection was described by Publishers Weekly as "encyclopedic, ingenious, and abundant" and recognized among the year's finest works.
A Cave Canem and NYU alumnus, Jess has received numerous honors, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, a Whiting Fellowship, and a Lannan Literary Award. His dynamic background includes participation in the Green Mill Poetry Slam Team and exhibitions at events like TEDxNashville. Jess's work often explores African American history and culture through inventive forms, blending lyrical precision with historical narrative. His poetry and fiction have been featured in prominent anthologies such as "Angles of Ascent: A Norton Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry" and "Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam," as well as in journals like American Poetry Review and Ploughshares.
Currently, Jess serves as Poetry and Fiction Editor for the African American Review and holds a position as Associate Professor of English at the College of Staten Island. His contributions to contemporary poetry continue to resonate, marked by a commitment to both artistic innovation and cultural preservation.