Adam David Miller facts for kids
Adam David Miller (born October 8, 1922 – died November 4, 2020) was an American poet, writer, and publisher. He also worked in radio, creating and producing shows. Born in Saint George, South Carolina, Miller was important because he published one of the first collections of modern African-American poetry. He also wrote five books of his own poetry and two memoirs. One of his memoirs, Ticket to Exile, shared his experiences growing up in the Jim Crow South, a time when laws enforced racial segregation. He passed away in November 2020 at the age of 98.
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Adam David Miller served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. After his military service, he used the G.I. Bill to go to university. This program helped soldiers pay for their education. He earned a master's degree in English in 1953 from the University of California at Berkeley. He also continued his studies there in drama. While at Berkeley, he helped start the university's Graduate Student Journal.
A Champion for Writers
Throughout his career, Miller worked hard to support and publish other writers. In 1970, he put together a collection called Dices, or Black Bones. This book featured early poems from important writers like Al Young, who later became California's poet laureate, and Ishmael Reed. He also included works by Clarence Major, Lucille Clifton, Etheridge Knight, and Victor Hernandez Cruz.
Miller also wrote his own poetry. His first book of poems was Neighborhood and Other Poems (1992). This was followed by Forever Afternoon (1994), Apocalypse Is My Garden (1997), and Land Between (2000). His memoir, Ticket to Exile, A Memoir, was published in 2007 by Heyday Books.
Teaching at Laney College
Miller taught English for 21 years at Laney College in Oakland, California. While teaching there, he helped create Good News. This was a journal for art and culture that included both faculty and community members. He continued to teach at UC Berkeley until 1991. He was also invited twice to be a Fellow with the Bay Area Writing Project, in 1978 and 1994. For six years, Miller was part of the Berkeley Arts Commission. He helped start the "Poetry Walk" in downtown Berkeley, which celebrates poetry.
Publishing and Media Work
In the 1960s, Miller helped start Aldridge Players West. This was a Black drama group in San Francisco. He also created his own publishing company called Mina Press. In 1990, Mina Press published Japanese American Women: Three Generations by Mei T. Nakano, along with other books.
Miller also worked in public television and radio in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. He created many programs on different topics. These included shows about Norwegian culture and arts, the writings of Nisei (Japanese-Americans), women's history, and labor history. He was also a regular poet featured on KPFA, a listener-supported radio station in Northern California.
Miller was married to Elise Peeples. She is a philosopher and author of The Emperor Has a Body. She also founded Art Between Us, an organization that combines art and healing. They lived in Berkeley, California.
Awards and Honors
- 1994: He received the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award for his book Forever Afternoon.
- 2007: His memoir Ticket to Exile was named a "Best Book of the Year" by the San Francisco Chronicle.
- 2007: Ticket to Exile was also nominated for best nonfiction book by the Northern California Book Reviewers Association.
- 2011: He was honored with the PEN Oakland/Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award.
