Cornelius Eady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cornelius Eady
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Reading at Folger Shakespeare Library, 2014
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| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Literary movement | Co-founded Cave Canem Foundation |
Cornelius Eady (born in 1954) is an American writer. He is well-known for his poetry. His poems often explore themes of identity and community. He also writes about family life and the challenges people face in society. Many people enjoy his poetry because it uses clear and easy-to-understand language.
About Cornelius Eady
His Life Story
Cornelius Eady was born in Rochester, New York. He has written seven books of poetry. His poems often have a musical feel. This comes from the sounds of Blues and Jazz music.
Eady has received many awards for his writing. These include the Strousse Award and a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Award. He has also received special grants from important groups. These include the Rockefeller Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He also got support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Eady has worked with jazz composer Deirdre Murray. Together, they created several musical plays. Some of these plays are You Don't Miss Your Water and Running Man. His work can also be found in Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts.
In 1996, Eady and another poet, Toi Derricotte, started something special. They founded the Cave Canem Foundation. This group helps and supports Black poets.
Cornelius Eady has taught writing at many colleges. These include Sarah Lawrence College and New York University. He was also a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He held a special poetry position at the University of Missouri. Today, he lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is married to the novelist Sarah Micklem.
His Books and Poems
Eady's first book of poetry was Kartunes. It was published in 1980. After that, he wrote several more poetry collections.
One of his books, Victims of the Latest Dance Craze, won an award in 1985. It received the Lamont Poetry Prize. Other books include BOOM, BOOM, BOOM: A Chapbook and The Gathering of My Name. He also wrote You Don't Miss Your Water and the autobiography of a jukebox.
His poetry collection Brutal Imagination was very popular. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry in 2001.
Exploring Brutal Imagination
Brutal Imagination is one of Eady's most well-known works. This book has two main parts. Both parts explore the experiences of Black men in America.
The first part is called "Brutal Imagination." It tells a story from the point of view of an "imaginary person." This imaginary person was wrongly blamed for something they didn't do. The poems explore what it would be like if this falsely accused person could speak. They imagine what he might have said.
The second part of the book is called "Running Man." This section looks at African-American families. It talks about the challenges they face. The "Running Man" character represents many African-American males. He shows how they deal with unfair barriers in life.
